MOLESKY: Minnesota vs. Oregon State -- Road to a Gophers Win

The Minnesota Golden Gophers will be fighting strength with strength this weekend against the Oregon State Beavers, as the Gophers secondary will be tested all night against the passing offense of the Beavers.

On Defense  

In the opener against Buffalo, the secondary of the Gophers eliminated almost the entirety of the passing game, with a late first-half touchdown drive the only blemish on the night. Not only did Kiondre Thomas and Antonio Shenault show their worth as man-to-man corners on the outside, but the team also showed the versatility on the back end in Antoine Winfield Jr. Although he is listed as a safety, he played plenty of snaps at nickel back and was also brought in on a diverse blitz package.

Winfield made an impact wherever he was, blocking a field goal attempt, recording a sack, batting away passes and racking up seven tackles. He is the X-factor for the Gophers because they can plug him into so many spots all over the defense. The key for the Gophers will be putting him in the areas of need right away, without giving up any ground early. Beavers quarterback Jake Luton and company will try to make this a shootout right from the word “go.” They need to throw a wrench in the offense, and Winfield is that wrench because of all the spots he can play.

Against Buffalo, the Gophers really liked sliding him into the nickel back role on slot receivers, where he could easily slide off the coverage and into the blitz on the edge. However, when he plays back at free safety, they could load up the box and let him play center field.

In the defensive front, the Gophers linebackers will also be key in keeping running back Ryan Nall and the Oregon State ground game in check. Jonathan Celestin and Thomas Barber were the standouts from the front seven. They combined for 10 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss as both stayed disruptive through the game. The defense will be the key in this game, forcing the pace of the game more to the Gophers’ liking.

On Offense

Since both quarterbacks should split the workload again, both need to expound on their strengths. Conor Rhoda had a strong deep ball and could hang in the pocket and push the defense back. Rhoda needs to go for the deeper route concepts and stretch the defense to set the run game up for success. Demry Croft showed how dangerous he was with his legs and has a quick throw, getting rid of the ball fast. Getting the ball out quickly and using play action to threaten the defense with his legs or the pass would play right into his strengths.

The big thing to do is keep getting the ball to stud receiver Tyler Johnson, who has size, speed and great hands. He was unstoppable in game one, with six receptions for 141 yards and a touchdown. If there was one knock on him, it would probably be consistency. He would make a beautiful catch on the sideline then drop a routine pass on the dig route. If he can eliminate a few mental errors he could elevate his game to the next level.

On the ground, the Gophers have to be better right away by getting running backs Rodney Smith and Shannon Brooks into a rhythm. Too much of the game in the first half was laid at the feet of the young quarterbacks, with only one really solid drive from the running game capped by a Brooks touchdown. While both backs came on late, but cannot wait to warm up with young signal callers

Game Plan 

The Gophers need to play aggressively again on defense, utilizing the hybrid players who can do multiple things in the defense. On offense they need to start out run-heavy, using play action off the run to hit the Beavers deep with Johnson.

Prediction: Gophers win, 30-21


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