The Gophers look to go 3-0 on Saturday.
Western Michigan heads into town on Saturday to take on the Golden Gophers and while many are trying to give the Broncos a fighting chance of winning, the stats just don’t back up those lofty expectations. Here are five reasons Minnesota rolls easily on Saturday.
99th in Rushing Won’t Get the Job Done
The Broncos are currently averaging 111.5 yards rushing through their first two games, currently 99th in the nation. The Golden Gophers are presently 29th in the nation with 224.5 yards rushing. Minnesota is literally running laps around the Broncos in regards to rushing.
Low Power Offense Will Be a Problem for Western Michigan
A weak rushing attack has led to Western Michigan being 69th in the nation in scoring at just 29.5 points a game. While decent, Minnesota is 35th in the nation at 37 points a game.
Gray’s Versatility Too Much for Broncos to Handle
MarQueis Gray is already causing fits for the Broncos, and the game has not even started. Their head coach is already on record saying that Gray is so big and strong that it will take extra men to take him down.
Factor in that he can hurt you either passing or rushing the ball and it may be a long day for the Broncos who already give up 22.5 points a game prior to meeting Minnesota.
Broncos QB Prone to the Pick
Alex Carder has had decent passing yardage so far this year with 603 total yards with 6 TD’s, but he also has one big glaring stat of 4 interceptions thus far.
Carder has yet to face a defensive line the caliber of Minnesota and if his tendency to throw picks proves to be a continuing pattern, the Golden Gophers defense could put up a few points in this game.
Minnesota Not Looking Ahead
Minnesota got a scare against UNLV in the first game of the season and learned quickly to never underestimate an opponent. With that said, they also do not have a serious threat coming up next week as currently 0-2 Syracuse is their next opponent.
Not taking anything away from Syracuse, but when a team does not have a big powerhouse contender looming, the focus of players remains on the task at hand and that will be the case this week.
Sports bettors like pro poker player TJ Cloutier are always looking for a longshot to back. Western Michigan unfortunately will not be one of those teams. Their stats just don’t back up any realistic expectation of winning this week and while anything can happen on the field, expect the Golden Gophers to take this by a minimum of two touchdowns.