The Minnesota Golden Gophers sit at 3-0 after outscoring opponents 99-24 and not allowing a second-half score through three games. Under the freshly watchful eye of PJ Fleck, his team seems to be developing a rhythm and taking shape. Now that the bye week has passed, they head into their first conference game of the season at home against the Maryland Terrapins.
Maryland Terrapins
The Terrapins roll into TCF Bank Stadium with a 2-1 record, including a stunning victory over Texas 51-41 in Week 1. With that said, the season’s first three weeks have come with major injuries to their top two quarterbacks. They lost starting quarterback Tyrrell Pigrome to an ACL injury in the Texas upset, then lost backup quarterback Kasim Hill to the same injury three weeks later. This means third-string quarterback Max Bortenschlager will be starting against the Gophers.
Last week against Central Florida, Bortenschlager threw for 132 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions in his takeover job for Hill. While the offense still has explosive players in wide receiver D.J. Moore and running back Ty Johnson, this team needs the offense to consistently put points on the board, letting up 41 and 38 points to FBS teams they’ve faced this season. The defense has nine sacks and four takeaways this year, but also gives up 403 total yards per game. The Terrapins are going to be working uphill from the first snap because of early-season injuries.
Minnesota Gophers
This game could not be set up better for the Gophers and how they play. On the defensive side, the Gophers have two primary factors in their favor.
First: The linebackers are controlling the trenches.
The group of linebackers suiting up for the Gophers is exceptional, and it starts with Jonathan Celestin and Thomas Barber. While contributing in different ways, these two are a perfect complement for one another. Celestin has accumulated 20 tackles this season while tending to be a force up through the middle. Not only is he big against the running game, he also creates tumult in the backfield, with 2.5 tackles for loss and a pair of quarterback hurries. On plays he does not get into the backfield, he’s shown he can still be a force, getting his hands up to break up a pair of passes against Middle Tennessee.
Barber, on the other hand, is more of a sideline-to-sideline linebacker who comes off the edge in blitz packages. With 16 tackles, two turnovers and a tackle for loss, he is flying around and cleaning up on the pressure brought by players like Celestin, while also taking away the flat in coverage. The full complement of linebackers is a great group, which will be talked about at length closer to game day, but these are the two to watch regardless.
Second: The secondary is a blanket.
Antoine Winfield Jr., Kiondre Thomas, Zo Creighton, Jacob Huff, Duke McGhee and Antonio Shenault all have over-performed. They have let up some big plays, but have still been a big part of the defense’s success, raking up nine passes batted down and two picks.
The play tight coverage, but are able to put pressure on receivers and disrupt routes without a lot of flags. For a group that was considered fairly shallow headed into the season, everyone has preformed exceptionally. In addition to Winfield’s flexibility, both the safeties McGhee and Huff have played well in different roles. McGhee makes his mark as a hard-hitting, downhill safety who looks to get involved in the running game, while Huff works as a ballhawk who has both the secondary’s interceptions.
Gophers Offense
For now, this offense is about the skill positions and only a couple of them, at least at the moment. The running backs — Rodney Smith, Shannon Brooks and Kobe McCrary — are a very solid stable of backs that compensate for a mediocre offensive line and a developing quarterback in Conor Rhoda.
Tyler Johnson is the best part of the offense’s passing attack, which means that Fleck has to scheme better ways to get Johnson involved. Against Middle Tennessee, he had a mere two receptions for 14 yards, an unacceptable number for their most explosive athlete. Fortunately, they were able to lean on their running game and found another back who can produce in McCrary. Because the Gophers offense will rely heavily on the running attack for the bulk of the season, the ability to hand off to three different productive backs is a depth luxury that should keep each running back relatively fresh throughout the season, while giving a defense multiple looks to adjust to from one position.
Early Week Prediction
This game is simplified for the Gophers because of the injury situation for the Terrapins. On defense, Fleck will try to throw multiple different blitz packages at quarterback Bortenschlager in his first start, to throw him off and force him to make quick decisions under pressure and out of the pocket. On offense, they’ll loosen the Maryland defense up with some deeper routes to hit Johnson on, but stick with the running attack that has carried the Gophers through the opening three games. A fast defense and smashmouth offense should be more than enough to be a Maryland squad that is on their heels over the edge.
Final score: Gophers win 37-16
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