The Gophers’ block “M” logo stretches 16 yards wide across the middle of the field at Huntington Bank Stadium.

Quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis had half of it to himself as Illinois defenders closed in on him during a crucial second-and-7 play last Saturday with the outcome of the game on the line.

Instead of cutting upfield for a possible first down, Kaliakmanis decided to bounce his run wide, and he was tackled for a 3-yard gain. That play — and his high, hard and incomplete throw on the following failed third-down conversion — have been pinging around inside the redshirt sophomore’s head for most of this week.

“That has really been bothering me,” he said Wednesday.

Kaliakmanis’ season has been on the upswing in recent weeks, especially in the first half of games against Michigan State and Illinois, but he is lamenting the missed opportunities at the end of the 27-26 loss to Illinois.

Next up for Kaliakmanis and the Gophers (5-4, 3-3 Big Ten) is Purdue (2-7, 1-5) at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Ind.

From his personal “worst game” in the loss to North Carolina, the self-critical QB bounced back against Northwestern and Louisiana, then struggled against stout defenses in Michigan and Iowa, but has turned it on again in the past two weeks.

“He is playing the quarterback position; that is the best way I can describe him now,” Gophers offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Greg Harbaugh said Wednesday. “He was just a quarterback early in the year. Now he is playing the position. He’s handling the situations, the day-to-day and the preparation.”

Harbaugh said Kaliakmanis is finding an even keel.

“He was always coachable — I want to make sure that is clear,” Harbaugh said. “But now if he makes a mistake, he knows I can get on him. He knows if he does something well, I can praise him and he’s not going to let that get to his head. He is the same guy every single day now.”

Earlier this year, Harbaugh’s red-faced critiques to Kaliakmanis would have left him “down for a little bit, just kind of sad,” Harbaugh said. “Now he just took it, understood it and grew from it.”

Kaliakmanis put together great first halves against the Illini and Spartans; he was a combined 22 for 29 passing (76 percent) for 320 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions before halftime.

But in second haves of those two games, he was 3 for 15 passing (20 percent) for 47 yards, zero touchdowns and one interception.

Harbaugh has worked to try to get Kalaikmanis in a rhythm with easier throws earlier in games, and that has paid off.

In the second half against Michigan State, Minnesota stopped throwing the ball after Kaliakmanis threw an interception in the third quarter. The Gophers’ huge success running the ball allowed them to become one-dimensional.

In the second half against Illinois, the return of Illini defensive tackle Jer’Zhan Newton, projected to be high NFL draft pick, affected both the U’s running and passing games, and Illinois’ halftime adjustments made it more difficult for the U to pass.

Kaliakmanis — like he has done throughout the year —  wasn’t passing the buck.

“I’ve got to come out and be more accurate,” he said this week. “With our adjustments and other team’s adjustments, still execute the game plan. I know where to go (with the ball), and I’ve got to put it in the right place.”

Harbaugh was proud of the way Kaliakmanis put one big pass on the money midway through the third quarter. Kaliakmanis had Chris Autman-Bell open on second-and-7, but he saw man coverage on the outside and threw a deep ball to Daniel Jackson for a 31-yard touchdown and a 26-21 lead.

“Athan and I had a discussion about situational football,” Harbaugh said. “… He didn’t take Chris because he recognized what the safety was doing and he took the shot. It was well executed between him and Daniel.”

Kaliakmanis’ development has been even more nuanced than that, with the offense incorporating more pre-snap shifts and motions.

Harbaugh said the offensive coaching staff reflected recently about the times in spring practices “we couldn’t get lined up.” Now they can execute the pre-play details.

“Him being able to manage the whole work load and managing the offense and executing a lot of different things, it’s good to see,” Harbaugh said.

Kaliakmanis has rewatched the second half of the Illinois game multiple times, Harbaugh said.

The message from Fleck on down is that if Kaliakmanis cuts it up field on that crucial second-and-7 play, he has a good chance of picking up the first down that likely puts away a win against Illinois. And then the U doesn’t have to face third-and-4 with three minutes left. On that conversion attempt, Kaliakmanis threw it too hard and too high to an open tight end Nick Kallerup.

“I wish I could take it back, but unfortunately I can’t,” Kaliakmanis said. “I’ve just got to learn from it and be better moving forward, especially in those moments as a player and as a competitor. I want the ball in (my) hands when the game is on the line.”

The goal is for Kaliakmanis to take those bothersome plays, learn from them and eliminate them. The aim is Kaliakmanis putting together a full four quarters.

“He had two straight plays where he learned huge situational football things,” Harbaugh said. “I thought it was very good for him moving forward. Obviously in that situation we want to execute better and come out with a win.”

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