IceBoxGopher
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Next game up. Here are predictions out for Minnesota Vs. Rutgers
College Football Network has Minnesota winning, 23-14
So much of life in the new Big Ten for middle-of-the-road teams is momentum. The Golden Gophers were pretty much dead in the water before getting a sinking USC Trojans team at home and resurrecting its season.
I’m not even sure Minnesota is playing much better than when it lost two straight back in late September.
The formula isn’t even ground-breaking. The Golden Gophers are playing solid defense, riding a solid running game, and getting enough in the passing game to stay balanced.
Max Brosmer has been perfectly fine, which is a compliment for a quarterback on a team with that formula. But, the Gophers can’t rely on one-score wins — that might catch up with them at some point.
Rutgers, on the other hand, looked strong in the non-conference but has petered out in the Big Ten. It’s not like the non-conference wins are looking worse; the Virginia Tech win actually looks better now than it did.
Instead, it’s like the offense got figured out against Nebraska and the defense got figured out against Wisconsin. Neither unit has been particularly strong in the previous three, as the Scarlet Knights have been outscored 129-59.
I’m not quite sure what’s wrong with the Scarlet Knights, even in doing a statistical deep dive, other than that they’ve seemed to have lost their mojo. Did they find it during the bye week?
Chalk it up to a feeling, but I think the Scarlet Knights keep this close, at least initially. I’m a huge fan of the Minnesota defense, though. An ill-timed turnover or two can flip the script and widen the game. Rutgers isn’t built to play from behind, and when the offense presses, bad things happen.
I’m interested to see if true freshman safety Koi Perich can pick off his fifth pass in as many games for the Golden Gophers. Expect it to be close before Minnesota eventually pulls away for a two-score win in another low-scoring, grind-it-out type of game.
Bang the Book has Minnesota winning 31-21
Max Brosmer has thrown for 1,989 yards this season, with a passer rating of 98. He has 13 touchdown passes and has been intercepted four times. On the ground, Minnesota is averaging 112.9 rushing yards per game. Darius Taylor leads the team with 644 rushing yards and eight touchdowns, averaging 5 yards per carry. Daniel Jackson has 642 receiving yards on 56 catches.
Minnesota's defense has been a strong point this season, ranking 16th nationally by allowing just 16.8 points per game. They’ve also been effective against the pass, giving up only 169.6 passing yards per game, which ranks 20th in the country, and holding opposing quarterbacks to a 59.8 passer rating, the 7th-lowest in the nation.
The Daily Gopher (SB Nation) is predicting a 28-21 victory
These are two coaching staffs that know each other very well. P.J. Fleck cites Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano as one of his coaching mentors. Schiano poached both his offensive coordinator and his defensive coordinator from Minnesota. Fleck returned the favor by hiring Corey Hetherman as his defensive coordinator.
The Scarlet Knights also feature two former Gopher starters in Kaliakmanis and safety Michael “Flip” Dixon. You know Minnesota wants this one, and Rutgers needs it to pull their season out of freefall. I think the Gophers are the better team and are playing complementary football right now.
College Football Network has Minnesota winning, 23-14
So much of life in the new Big Ten for middle-of-the-road teams is momentum. The Golden Gophers were pretty much dead in the water before getting a sinking USC Trojans team at home and resurrecting its season.
I’m not even sure Minnesota is playing much better than when it lost two straight back in late September.
The formula isn’t even ground-breaking. The Golden Gophers are playing solid defense, riding a solid running game, and getting enough in the passing game to stay balanced.
Max Brosmer has been perfectly fine, which is a compliment for a quarterback on a team with that formula. But, the Gophers can’t rely on one-score wins — that might catch up with them at some point.
Rutgers, on the other hand, looked strong in the non-conference but has petered out in the Big Ten. It’s not like the non-conference wins are looking worse; the Virginia Tech win actually looks better now than it did.
Instead, it’s like the offense got figured out against Nebraska and the defense got figured out against Wisconsin. Neither unit has been particularly strong in the previous three, as the Scarlet Knights have been outscored 129-59.
I’m not quite sure what’s wrong with the Scarlet Knights, even in doing a statistical deep dive, other than that they’ve seemed to have lost their mojo. Did they find it during the bye week?
Chalk it up to a feeling, but I think the Scarlet Knights keep this close, at least initially. I’m a huge fan of the Minnesota defense, though. An ill-timed turnover or two can flip the script and widen the game. Rutgers isn’t built to play from behind, and when the offense presses, bad things happen.
I’m interested to see if true freshman safety Koi Perich can pick off his fifth pass in as many games for the Golden Gophers. Expect it to be close before Minnesota eventually pulls away for a two-score win in another low-scoring, grind-it-out type of game.
Bang the Book has Minnesota winning 31-21
Max Brosmer has thrown for 1,989 yards this season, with a passer rating of 98. He has 13 touchdown passes and has been intercepted four times. On the ground, Minnesota is averaging 112.9 rushing yards per game. Darius Taylor leads the team with 644 rushing yards and eight touchdowns, averaging 5 yards per carry. Daniel Jackson has 642 receiving yards on 56 catches.
Minnesota's defense has been a strong point this season, ranking 16th nationally by allowing just 16.8 points per game. They’ve also been effective against the pass, giving up only 169.6 passing yards per game, which ranks 20th in the country, and holding opposing quarterbacks to a 59.8 passer rating, the 7th-lowest in the nation.
The Daily Gopher (SB Nation) is predicting a 28-21 victory
These are two coaching staffs that know each other very well. P.J. Fleck cites Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano as one of his coaching mentors. Schiano poached both his offensive coordinator and his defensive coordinator from Minnesota. Fleck returned the favor by hiring Corey Hetherman as his defensive coordinator.
The Scarlet Knights also feature two former Gopher starters in Kaliakmanis and safety Michael “Flip” Dixon. You know Minnesota wants this one, and Rutgers needs it to pull their season out of freefall. I think the Gophers are the better team and are playing complementary football right now.
