When the plan for Gophers stud safety Koi Perich to play more offensive snaps ramped up during preseason, P.J. Fleck placed a caveat on the possibilities. The head coach repeated it this week.

“I said this from the start: We will do as much as Koi shows he can do,” Fleck said Tuesday on his KFAN radio show. “That is the head coach’s job. Popular, not popular. You show me you can do more, we will do more. You show me it’s too much, we’ll pull off.”

Coming off a poor performance in the 27-14 loss to California two weeks ago, it will be interesting to see how much Perich plays on offense — and as a punt or kick returner — in the Big Ten opener against Rutgers at 11 a.m. Saturday at Huntington Bank Stadium.

In Berkeley, Calif., on Sept. 13, Perich tried to pick up a bouncing punt and muffed

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