Sept. 5, 2022: After a convincing 38-0 victory over New Mexico State in week one, the Golden Gophers will look to continue their early success against FCS foe Western Illinois.
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Broadcast Info:
- Date: Thurs., Sept. 10
- TV channel: BTN
- Time of kickoff: 11:00 a.m. (CST)
- Broadcast team: n/a (play-by-play) & n/a (color)
- Betting line: Minnesota (-37.5) v. Western Illinois, o/u: (n/a)
Opponent Information (Western Illinois):
- 2021 record: 2-9
- @ Ball State (FBS) 21-31 L
- @ Montana 7-42 L
- V. Eastern Washington 56-62 L
- @ Youngstown State 38-35 W
- V. Southern Illinois 30-31 L
- @ Indiana State 27-37 L
- V. South Dakota State 17-41 L
- @ North Dakota 10-34 L
- V. Illinois State 38-31 L
- V. South Dakota 21-42 W
- @ Northern Iowa 3-41 L
- 2022 record: 0-1
- @ (No. 15) UT-Martin 25-42 L
- Head Coach: Meyers Hendrickson (1st season)
- Players to watch: Naseim Brantley (WR), Nick Davenport (QB), Henry Ogala (QB)
After a disappointing 2021 campaign, Western Illinois decided to move on from head coach Jared Elliot, who accumulated a 9-31 record in four seasons. Its new head coach Meyers Hendrickson will now travel with his Leathernecks to Minnesota for a week two matchup against the Gophers. Fresh off a 38-0 shellacking over New Mexico State, Minnesota will look to keep the ball rolling against an FCS foe.
Western Illinois season storylines:
- Meyers Hendrickson’s first year as head coach:
Western Illinois looked to the NAIA ranks for its next head coach. Former Kansas Wesleyan top-man Meyers Hendrickson returns to Macomb, Illinois, as the Leathernecks’ new head coach, a place where he starred as a WR from 2008-10 under his father and head coach Mark Hendrickson. Meyers totaled a 31-4 record in his first three seasons leading a program at Kansas Wesleyan. He will now look to find the same success in his first season back in his hometown of Macomb.
- Two-quarterback system:
Hendrickson and the Leathernecks opted for the often imitated, never replicated two-quarterback system in week one. Junior Nick Davenport was 9/19 against No. 15 ranked UT-Martin for 180 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. He also led the team with eight carries for 62 yards. Senior Henry Ogala was 12/19, for 105 yards, one touchdown and one interception, while adding three carries for 22 yards on the ground. Both players combined for five career pass attempts before week one. Neither seemed to dramatically outperform the other, so I would imagine that we will see much of the same against the Gophers.
- Building off week one:
- Suspect run defense
- Naseim Brantley’s big game
In week one, Western Illinois opened its 2022 season against No. 15 ranked (FCS) UT-Martin. The Leathernecks struggled to stop the run, allowing 43 carries for 260 yards and three touchdowns, a whopping six yards per carry. We all saw how dominant the Gophers’ rushing attack looked in week one against New Mexico State, so we could see another big day from Mo Ibrahim and Trey Potts.
If there was a positive for Western Illinois in week one, it was Naseim Brantley. The 6-foot-4 senior wide receiver had a massive day, reeling in six catches for 171 yards and three touchdowns. Based on week one, Western Illinois seems like a pass-happy team, so it will be a good test for Minnesota’s lethal secondary that only saw four completed passes against New Mexico State.
Gophers’ path to victory:
This game “should” look a lot like it did in week one against New Mexico State. Western Illinois has been one of the worst programs at the FCS level since 2017. With only nine wins in five seasons, the Gophers are obviously expected to roll in this game. Betting lines with FCS teams do not come out until much later in the week, but I would expect Minnesota to be favored by more in this game than it was in week one.
With all of that being said, Gophers fans should know not to take any opponent lightly. Things that typically happen in upsets are early turnovers, slow starts and stupid mistakes, if Minnesota can limit those as they did against New Mexico State, they should have no problem in week two. With zero sacks allowed, no turnovers and no points allowed, the bar has been set pretty high for the Gophers. With only power five opponents left on the schedule after Western Illinois, this would be a game that is very easy to overlook. With the opposing coach in week one, there seemed to be bulletin board material, so now P.J. Fleck will have to find out how to motivate this team in week two.
Based on how week one went for Western Illinois, I think Mo Ibrahim and Trey Potts both have great chances to surpass 100 yards rushing again. The Gophers have a clear advantage in the rushing attack, and I expect them to utilize that. We also saw how dominant this defense can be, so it will not be easy for the Leathernecks Saturday night. I expect we’ll see much of the same on both sides of the ball for Minnesota in a 42-3 victory.