Minnesota completely demolished a Maryland team, 48-23, that most thought were on a similar level as the Gophers. With the victory, the Minnesota Gophers improved to 5-3 (3-2 in B1G play). This was one of the most impressive homecoming wins by the Gophers in my lifetime. Not only did we win on homecoming, not only did we defeat a Big Ten team on homecoming, we kicked them to the curb and continued kicking. I have absolutely nothing against Maryland (I actually like their head coach, their uniforms, and cheer for them when they are not matched up against us), but seeing the Gophers play this type of game against a similar level foe was exhilarating and captivating. Everything that could go right for the Gophers, kept going right the entire game.
Before we go any further, let's look back at Birdman's Blog's prediction for the Maryland game before providing some overall thoughts and upcoming preview:
"Prediction: I think the Gophers will come out focused and ready to play. Maryland will have its moments on offense, but with the amount that they pass, the Gophers defense will cause multiple turnovers. Expect Koi Perich to have at least one of the interceptions. The Gophers offense will have a solid passing performance and will replace some of the running plays with short passes to Taylor and Major, in order to avoid having them run into Maryland's dominant defensive tackles. This will result in a close 27-20 victory for the Gophers, and a happy drive home for Gopher fans on Homecoming! Go Gophers!"
Homecoming Recap Notes:
The Gophers sure came out focused and ready to play. In fact, they were winning 24-0 in just the first 15 minutes of the game.
Even though time of possession was fairly even (about 28 minutes to 32 minutes, in favor of MN), Maryland's offense never had its moments like I had predicted.
The Gophers defense forced 2 interceptions, including another one from superstar freshman, Koi Perich, just as I had predicted. In my previous post, I dedicated an entire section laying out how dominant and impressive Perich has been this season, from a national point-of-view. Give that a read if you missed that. Perich is on track to become the next great all time Gopher, and likely a future 1st or 2nd round NFL draft pick.
QB Max Brosmer continued to show off his brilliance by having his best performance of his Maroon & Gold career. He went 26/33 for 320 yards and 4 TDs. Throwing 2 TD passes to both Daniel Jackson (117 yards) and Elijah Spencer (99 yards).
Maryland had essentially abandoned the run this season while becoming the most prolific passing offense in the Big Ten prior to this game. Minnesota's rock solid defense absolutley shut down anything Maryland tried to do. Their top rusher only had 31 yards and their starting QB was held to 19/35 with 201 yards and 2 INT.
On the first play of the 4th quarter, Darius Taylor broke out a 51-yard TD run to extend the lead to 48-10. Finally, Minnesota took their foot off the gas and both teams decided to rotate their backups in to finish things out.
This was a homecoming performance for the ages for the Minnesota Gopher program and its fans. We don't often get to see the Gophers blow out Big Ten teams. This was one that many will never forget for quite some time.
Game No. 9 vs Illinois:
This weekend, the red-hot Gophers will look to extend their 3-game winning streak as they travel to Champaign, IL to face 24th ranked Illinois. This game will prove to be a tough test, but with the way the Gophers have been playing, should be very winnable. Lets jump into some pregame notes and predictions:
QB Max Brosmer has been on fire during this 3-game winning streak. He has gone 67/89 for 682 yards, 6 TDs, and zero turnovers in that span. WRs Daniel Jackson, Elijah Spencer, and the rest of the pass catchers will look to continue to push the ball downfield.
RB Darius Taylor continues to be a huge part of the offense; leading the team with 104 rushing attempts at 4.9 YPC and 7 touchdowns and second on the team with 34 receptions and 2 receiving TDs. He will play a key roll, yet again.
Illinois head coach, Bret Bielema, is 10-0 all time against the Gophers. 7-0 while at Wiscansin and 3-0 since taking over at Illinois. Gopher will look to finally break this streak.
Illinois' 2 losses are against Oregon and Penn St. Both were blowouts against highly ranked teams on the road.
Illinois has a fairly balanced offensive attack, but relies more on the pass behind to duo of QB Luke Altmyer and WR Pat Bryant. Their defensive scheme can provide challenges due to their unique defensive looks as well of their strong, team tackling ability.
Minnesota has actually passed at a slightly higher clip, vs running the ball, thanks to incredible QB play from Brosmer and the pass catching ability from Jackson and Taylor.
Minnesota's defense is one of the best in the nation again. They are top 10 in the nation in total yards allowed per game and 2nd in the nation in team interceptions, thanks to Koi Perich's 5 interceptions himself (2nd in the nation).
Prediction: This will be another huge test for the Minnesota Gophers. Illinois is a very tough, well-coached team that is 5-0 at home, with their only 2 losses coming on the road to 2 highly ranked teams. I predict another well-rounded performance from the Gophers on both sides of the ball. I might as well predict another turnover or special teams touchdown by Koi Perich since evertime he is one the field he seems to do something magical. So, for the record, Perich will record an interception, fumble recovery, or a kick/punt return touchdown in this game. The Gophers will also finish the game with the turnover advantage in their favor. As much my brain tells me Illinois will win, Vegas (for some reason) has the Gophers as 3-point favorites on the road against 24th ranked Illinois and against a head coach that they've never defeated. Vegas is hardly ever wrong so I need to just trust the process. I predict the Gophers to win 27-21 in a tightly contested game. Go Gophers!
Yayy team
Lets go, Gophers! We want a 4-game winning streak!