After defeating both USC and UCLA in dramatic fashion, the Gophers come out of the bye week feeling much better about the remaining schedule. Sitting at 4-3 (2-2 in B1G play), the Gophers will host the 4-3 (1-3) Maryland Terrapins for their Homecoming game. Homecoming, in recent years, has not been kind to the Gopher Football program. I don't want to dwell on the past because this year's team is different than the past seasons. The Gophers need to play smart, solid football and come out of this game with the victory against a solid Maryland team.
Let's go over some game notes:
Don't tell PJ Fleck that this is the Homecoming game. We need to win.
The Gopher's Homecoming uniforms are going to be SICK! They will be rocking a somewhat throwback look, especially with the helmets. Just wait until you see these uniforms!
QB Max Brosmer has clearly been getting more comfortable as the season has progressed. I think he will continue to improve and have another brilliant game under center. The WR room, starting with Daniel Jackson, needs to continue to get open on quick slants and the occasional deep shots down field. They also need to stop dropping passes. There have been 11 dropped passes by the Gopher's pass catching core, second most in the Big Ten.
RB Darius Taylor and the backfield only managed 48 rushing yards on 19 RB carries against UCLA. It won't get any easier as Maryland currently ranks as the number one run defense in the Big Ten, allowing only 3.31 yards per carry in conference play. They also rank 5th best in the nation in run defense, allowing only 108 rushing yards per game. It all starts with DT Kellen Wyatt, who leads Maryland in pressures, QB hits, and hurries. We need to focus our efforts in blocking him, while also running plays away from him to insure the most success throughout the game. Do not test Kellen Wyatt if it can be avoided.
Yes, Maryland is great against the run, but they are also 17th in the Big Ten against the pass, allowing 315 passing yards per game. If our running game is getting bottled up, utilize the passing game to include short passes to our running backs to help counter their solid run defense.
Gophers offensive line needs to stop committing penalties at such a high rate. They have 16 accepted penalties against them through 7 games. You can't have offensive consistency and success if you're constantly playing from behind the sticks.
Maryland's passing offense vs Minnesota's passing defense: Maryland has completely abandoned the run and are now passing over 50 times per game over the past couple of weeks. Red hot QB Billy Edwards Jr. is the top ranked Big Ten QB in completions (195), passing yards (2,112), dropbacks (305), and time to throw at just 2.22 seconds on average. According to PFF advanced stats, Edwards leads all Big Ten QBs in "Big Time Throws," with 21. That's 10 more than the next QB. PFF defines a Big Time Throw as "a pass with excellent ball location and timing, generally thrown further down the field and/or into a tighter window. His WRs (Felton and Prather) will prove to be a big test for Minnesota CBs (Walley and Robinson).
The Gopher pass defense will be tested, but they have also proven to be very solid this season. They enter Saturday allowing only 139.6 passing yard per game, 4th best in the FBS. The Gophers also rank 2nd in the FBS in interceptions (13), 5th in opponent passer rating, 6th in pass yards per attempt (5.3), and 2nd best in INT:TD ratio of 13:3 (4.3 INT per TD).
True freshman, Koi Perich, is proving to be an absolute superstar while making an immediate impact on both defense and special teams. As a safety, he's made 10 tackles, 1 forced fumble, and has 4 interceptions (most in the Big Ten; 2nd most in the nation). His 4 interceptions are already the most ever by a Gopher freshman. For his efforts against UCLA, Perich was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week, just the 2nd Gopher freshman to ever win the award, as well as earning the Thorpe Award for National DB of the Week! On special teams, he's returned 9 punts for a total of 139 yards (which is already the most by a Gopher since 2014), and his average of 15.4 yards per punt return would currently rank 2nd in Gopher single season history behind the mark of 16.9 set by Paul Giel in 1953. In addition, Perich has 8 kick returns for 145 yards, putting him 4th on the team in all-purpose yards at 302. Since 2000, Perich and Texas' Quandre Diggs (in 2011) are the only freshman in all of FBS to have recorded over 100 punt return yards, 100 kick return yards, and 4 interceptions in one season. I wanted to highlight exactly how impactful Koi Perich has been, because calling him a superstar alone wouldn't do it full justice. Perich is an undeniable game-changer.
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!
Let’s pretend it’s not homecoming 😄
I can't wait to see these uniforms!