Oct. 25, 2022: Heading into a Week 9 home matchup with Rutgers, Minnesota has its back against the wall in a true “must-win” situation.
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Broadcast Info:
- Date: Sat., Oct. 29
- TV channel: BTN
- Time of kickoff: 1:30 p.m. (CST)
- Broadcast team: n/a (play-by-play) & n/a (color)
- Betting line: Minnesota (-14.5) V. Rutgers, o/u: (41 points)
Opponent Information (Rutgers):
- 2021 record: 5-8
- Tax Slayer Bowl: 38-10 L vs. Wake Forest
- 2022 record: 4-3
- @ Boston College 22-21 W
- V. Wagner 66-7 W
- @ Temple 16-14 W
- V. Iowa 10-27 L
- @ Ohio State 10-49 L
- V. Nebraska 13-14 L
- V. Indiana 24-17 W
- Head Coach: Greg Schiano (3rd season, 14th overall)
Players to watch: Aron Cruickshank (WR), Avery Young (S), Samuel Brown V (RB), Curtis Dunlap Jr. (LG), Deion Jennings (LB)
Greg Schiano, the all-time winningest coach in Rutgers football history returned to Piscataway before the 2020 season. He has begun to pull the Scarlett Knights out of the dumpster of the Big Ten. It still hasn’t been pretty, but they’ve started to get more and more competitive every season. They still might not have a talent advantage in a single conference game this season, but Schiano’s coaching prowess will continue to keep them competitive.
Rutgers Season Storylines:
- P.J. Fleck’s first game against mentor Greg Schiano:
After beginning his coaching career at Ohio State and Northern Illinois, P.J. Fleck was hired by Greg Schiano to be the wide receivers coach at Rutgers. He held that position from 2010-11, until assuming the same role for one season in Tampa Bay, after Schiano jumped to the NFL with the Buccaneers. Saturday’s matchup between the Gophers and Scarlett Knights will not be Fleck’s first game against a mentor since he has taken over at Minnesota.
Schiano returned to Rutgers in 2020, after being the head coach of the program from 2001-11. The program had been in disarray since his departure, but in the past three seasons, the Scarlett Knights have returned to some form of competency. Without a conference title in his 15+ years of coaching some view Schiano as a mediocre coach, but he will always field a football team that will never beat itself.
- Rutgers’ QB carousel:
Noah Vedral has been Rutgers’ main starting QB since 2020, totaling nearly 2,500 passing yards and 21 total TDs since transferring from Nebraska. He began 2022 banged up, causing freshmen Evan Simon and Gavin Wimsatt into action. Wimsatt, a 4-star prospect in the 2020 class was Rutgers’ highest-ranked high school recruit in program history, but it seemed as if Evan Simon beat him out for the No. 2 spot. Simon started the first four games of the season, totaling 740 passing yards, 4 TDs and 6 INTs, compared to Wimsatt’s 223 total yards, 1 TD and 2 INTs this season.
Vedral and Simon both saw time against Ohio State and Nebraska, but last week against Indiana was the 100% Vedral, the first game this season that one QB played all of the snaps for Rutgers. All three options have flashed talent and potential, but the consistent question mark at the position is a major reason why Rutgers is averaging 23 PPG this season a mark that ranked 102nd best in college football.
- How good is Rutgers?:
Rutgers’ offense is one of the worst in the Big Ten, but its scoring defense ranks 32nd best in college football allowing 21.3 points per contest. Being in a close game down to the wire with Nebraska, the Scarlett Knights could easily be 5-2.
One of the best players on their team might be punter Adam Korsak. He ranks 31st in CFB averaging 43.4 yards per punt. Using his foot as a weapon, Rutgers has been able to control field position and time of possession all season. With a worse passing offense than Iowa, ranking ninth-worst in college football (149.2 YPG), the Scarlett Knights do not play a pretty style of football.
They might not out-duel many teams offensively, but Rutgers is a football team that you cannot get sloppy against. Greg Schiano always has disciplined football teams, and with the team’s talent only getting better in Piscataway, they will take advantage if you make mistakes. This is not an opponent to overlook.
Gophers’ path to victory:
I am typically not a big fan of the term “must-win,” but this is as close as a team, program and coach can get to that situation. The sky could begin to fall on P.J. Fleck and the Gophers program if they do not get past Rutgers this week as more than two touchdown favorites at home.
If the Gophers don’t have the same mental mistakes as last week, I don’t think they should have any issues winning this game. Against Penn State, their 52 penalty yards were by far the highest total of the season. With only 37.8 penalty yards per game this season, they rank 14th-fewest nationally. If they play more like a P.J. Fleck in week nine, they should have no issue getting back on track.
With all that being said, the Gophers are the more talented football team all over the field, except Rutgers’ offensive line might have an advantage over the Minnesota defensive line. But I believe that is not a big enough difference to have a serious impact on the game.
Overall, I have a feeling this game might not be pretty, but at this point, all this team, coach and program needs is a victory on the scoreboard.