A sluggish start, an anemic offense, and a hellish trip to Texas for a program hoping to chip away at the barriers between it and consistent respectability.
If there's any solace to be drawn from Saturday's 30-7 loss in front of 43,958 at TCU's Amon G. Carter Stadium, it's that it's over.
"This is only the third game of the year," Minnesota coach Jerry Kill told KFAN 100.3 afterward. "We've got to get ready for the next one.
"Some days, you have those days. Like I told our kids, it's over with."
There were warning signs during preliminary victories over cupcake opponents from FCS and Conference-USA. In a manner that's come to be associated with Gary Patterson-led teams, Kill's old friend and his squad fully exposed all of them.
The Gophers (2-1) couldn't keep up with the Horned Frogs' hypersonic, no-huddle attack. They looked lost from the start in falling behind 10-0 less than 6 minutes in and never recovered. And they weren't able to generate any semblance of an offensive threat against a defense that's ranked in the top 25 nationally five of the past six years, instead committing five turnovers -- the team's most since 2009 against Ohio State -- four of which led to points.
Each of TCU's five scoring drives began inside Gophers territory.
"We were put in tough situations, and all of it was by turnovers," Kill told KFAN 100.3 afterward. "But good defenses cause turnovers."
It also helped terminate Minnesota's nonconference winning streak at 10 games.
For a team attempting to ascend the Big Ten ladder, a loss in Big 12 country may not be all that costly on paper. But the glaring issues this one revealed -- and the fashion in which it unfolded -- has Minnesota facing some harsh realities.
1. Comeback-less kids
Even before TCU (1-1) sandwiched three-and-out stops around a beautiful touchdown toss from quarterback Trevone Boykin to Josh Doctson, then went up 10-0 on Jaden Oberkrom's 46-yard field goal, it was apparent Minnesota's not built to score points in bunches. Kill's ball-control, run-heavy offense is geared more toward power and longevity, not the kind of quick marches required to erase an early deficit. The Frogs' defense made things even tougher Saturday, harassing quarterback Mitch Leidner and punishing the Gophers up front to hold them to 268 yards of offense. Boykin added another touchdown pass to Doctson in the second quarter and orchestrated a five-play, 39-yard drive in 1 minute, 12 seconds capped by running back B.J. Catalon's 1-yard plunge that gave TCU a 24-0 halftime lead.
2. Long way for Leidner
After splitting time with Philip Nelson last season, Leidner entered his redshirt sophomore season as the unquestioned leader on offense and starter under center. He embraced that role wholeheartedly but has yet to vindicate it on the field when it comes to his arm. Facing his first real defensive test, the Lakeville native completed just 12 of 26 passes for 151 yards, threw three interceptions and coughed up a fumble. In all three games, he's looked uncomfortable -- even admitting to some personal nerves -- and missed open receivers too frequently for a Big Ten quarterback. Making matters worse, he played with a brace on his left knee after injuring it in last week's win against Middle Tennessee State. Like that contest, Leidner limped off the field and gave way to backup Chris Streveler on Saturday.
3. Line in the dirt
The trenches were expected to be an area of strength coming into the season, and Minnesota's big, burly front four and offensive line mostly manhandled their first two opponents. But the Gophers' first Power 5 conference foe of the season was a different story. Offensively, starting linemen Josh Campion, Zac Epping, Tommy Olson, Foster Bush and Ben Lauer continued to struggle in pass protection (Leidner was sacked twice) and paved the way for just 99 net yards rushing. The guys they bump pads with in practice didn't fare much better, giving Boykin too much time to sit back and pick apart the Gophers secondary. TCU, which went 4-8 last year, outgained Minnesota 427-268 despite a 34:25-25:35 time of possession deficit.
4. It's different down south
It's not like defensive coordinator Tracy Claeys and his players haven't seen a fast-paced, spread-'em-out offense before. But the Big 12 is a different world when it comes to offensive innovation and pace. For that reason, Patterson abandoned his more traditional, ground-and-pound style -- not unlike that endorsed by Kill, who was a groomsman in Patterson's wedding and later politely declined an offer to be his offensive coordinator in Forth Worth -- for a frenetic attack that gets up to the line and runs plays as quickly as possible. Minnesota simply couldn't keep up, as the Frogs ran 73 plays in 25 minutes, 35 seconds of offensive possession time; that's a play every 21 seconds. Boykin completed 27 of 46 attempts for 258 yards and a pair of touchdowns -- two to Docston, who caught six passes for 64 yards.
5. Minnesota's not alone
Saturday provided Minnesota its turn to take part in the Big Ten's early-season futility. After a notably woeful showing last week -- Ohio State lost to Virginia Tech at home, Oregon raced past Michigan State on the road, Notre Dame shut out Michigan and Northwestern fell to in-state rival Northern Illinois -- the Gophers were one of five conference teams to lose Saturday afternoon. Entering the evening, Nebraska, Rutgers and Purdue were the only undefeateds left in the Big Ten, with the latter two meeting at 7 p.m. Iowa State knocked off Iowa 20-17, Washington beat Illinois 44-19, West Virginia edged Maryland 40-37, and Bowling Green bested Indiana 45-42.
Follow Phil Ervin on Twitter
