Last fall, I wrote down six predictions for the Minnesota Gophers heading into the 2024 season. You can find that article here. These predictions involved just about every aspect of the team. I’ll be honest; I haven’t looked at them since about a week ago. Partly because I had a good idea of which ones I got right and wrong. I have zero problem making fun of myself and having some fun by owning up to how wrong I was. So let’s see if any of my predictions happened, came close, or were way off.
1. Max Brosmer has a Top 10 season for Gophers quarterback.
Did it happen? Oh, it happened.
You never know what you are going to get when players transfer to a Big Ten program from the FCS or smaller football programs. There is always a risk that players won’t be able to adapt quickly or pan out the way everybody thought. Brosmer transferred to Minnesota after being one of the best quarterbacks in the FCS the year before at New Hampshire. This prediction was bold since we really didn’t know who was going to step up after Daniel Jackson, but I predicted that Max Brosmer would have a top 10 season for a Gophers QB.
How good was his 2024 season? Per the U: He completed a single-season school record 268 passes for 2,828 yards (third most in single-season school history) and 18 touchdowns (tied for eighth most in school single-season history). • ranked second in single-season school history with a completion percentage of 66.5%, and his 217.54 passing yards per game is eighth in single-season school history.
Needless to say, he had a Top 10 season for a Gophers quarterback.
2. The Gophers will finish in the top half of the Big Ten in team sacks.
Did it happen? Yes, barely.
You have to give Gophers DL coach Winston DeLattiboudere a ton of credit. The play from the defensive line this past season made a huge impact on the field. In 2022, Minnesota finished second to last in the conference with 19 total sacks. They had 26 last season, which was good for 9th overall. This past season, the Gophers finished with 28 sacks. Which was good for 9th overall in the 18-team Big Ten conference. So yes, they finished in the top half of the Big Ten in team sacks. They could’ve had a lot more too. Minnesota led the Big Ten conference in QB hurries with 44. Anthony Smith and Jack Henderson led the team with six sacks each.
3. No change in the rivalry trophy case in 2024.
Did it happen? Nope, Floyd was replaced with the Axe.
Entering the 2024 season, Minnesota only held one of the four rivalry trophies in the Floyd of Rosedale. The 2024 season was the 10th time in its history that Minnesota played all four of its Trophy Games in one year. Before the season, I predicted the rivalry trophy case to look the same when the 2024 season concluded. Meaning they would beat Iowa but lose to Michigan, Penn State, and Wisconsin. What happened? They would play a horrible second half to Iowa and lose Floyd. They would lose very close games to Michigan and Penn State. The Paul Bunyan’s Axe would return home, though, as Minnesota would finish their season by dominating the Badgers in Madison. The Iowa, Michigan, and Penn State games still haunt me.
4. The Gophers will have two or more first-team All-Big Ten players for the third year in a row. They will also have nine players named on the All-Big Ten team at the end of the year.
Did my prediction happen? Yes and No.
The Gophers have landed two players on the first team All-Big Ten team in the last two years. I predicted it would happen again in 2024. I technically got that part right with left tackle Aireontae Ersery, linebacker Cody Lindenberg, and safety Koi Perich being named first-team All-Big Ten by coaches or media. But before the season, I had Dragan Kesich and Darius Taylor making first time with Ersery. So in reality, I was wrong there. Cornerback Justin Walley was the only other Gopher to be named All-Big Ten as he landed on the second team by the coaches. I was right about that one. My prediction for nine players to be named on the All-Big Ten team was short by five, which irritates me because I think a few of them deserved it. Overall, 13 Gophers landed on the Honorable Mention list by coaches and media.
5. The Minnesota Gophers will rush for over 2,500 yards in 2024.
Did it happen? Not even close.
The play of the offensive line this past season still continues to confuse me a little bit. The line featured an All-American and plenty of experience across the board. They did a pretty decent job in protecting Max Brosmer in the passing game; they finished in the middle of the Big Ten in sacks allowed. But the rushing game struggled with consistency this season and never really took off like I expected. When he was healthy in 2022, nobody rushed for more yards than Darius Taylor. With an experienced offensive line, a healthy Darius Taylor, and the addition of Oklahoma transfer Marcus Major, I really thought Minnesota would excel in the rushing game and let Brosmer cook in the play-action game. Instead, the opposite happened; for the first time in the Fleck era, we saw the Gophers establish the passing game to find success in the running game. The Gophers finished the 2024 season with 1,503 rushing yards; Darius Taylor led the way with 986 yards.
6. The Gophers will make a bowl game.
Did it happen? Yes.
The 2024 schedule was an intriguing one. You had two games where you knew Minnesota would be heavily favored and another two where they would be big underdogs. Outside of those four games, the rest of the schedule were “toss-up” games. Meaning it could go one way or the other. Vegas had similar thoughts before the 2024 season; they had the Gophers winning five to six games. We all know that a lot hinged on the play of Max Brosmer. That was the biggest question mark heading into the season. Before the season, I predicted the Gophers would finish 7-5 and make it to the bowl game. They did just that and won their eighth straight bowl game.