Rutgers football game week opponent profile: Minnesota
The Rutgers football team is back home this weekend, fresh off a bye week, as they take on Minnesota on Saturday. The Scarlet Knights (4-4, 1-4) look to get back in the win column and snap a four-game skid as their path to bowl eligibility narrows.
Rutgers is coming off a bye week following a 42-20 loss to USC, which dropped its road record to 1-2 on the season.
The Golden Gophers (6-3, 4-2) started off the season on the wrong foot, losing 3 of their first 5 games. Since then, the script has flipped for Minnesota, as the Golden Gophers are now tied for the third-best overall record in the Big Ten.
The Daily Targum sat down with Andrew Cornelius, the football beat writer for the Minnesota Daily, to preview this Saturday's matchup.
Minnesota has flipped the script of a season that started with fans worried about how the Golden Gophers would finish the year.
"Losing to North Carolina (was a) very tough start to the season," Cornelius said. "Now (Minnesota has) rattled off four straight Big Ten wins, so they've kind of hit their stride, and this is kind of 'they're peaking at the right time' moment."
Minnesota's offense has found a groove, averaging approximately 27.6 points per game. The offense's leader is transfer quarterback Max Brosmer, who has thrown for 1,989 yards and 13 touchdowns on the season. Before playing for the Golden Gophers, Brosmer was the signal caller for New Hampshire, a smaller FCS football school. Despite the leap to not only FBS competition but also Big Ten competition, Brosmer has gotten comfortable with his new team.
"(Brosmer has) felt a lot more comfortable throughout the last four or five weeks," said Cornelius. "He said his feet have really slowed down these last few weeks and we saw that early in the season where he was kind of rushing himself and feeling antsy in the pocket, but now he's settled in."
The run game has also opened up as Minnesota has started to find more cohesiveness throughout the season. On the ground, Darius Taylor has been a massive contributor to the Golden Gophers. Taylor has accounted for eight touchdowns on the ground, accompanied by 644 yards. But his ability to catch passes out of the backfield makes Taylor stand out among running backs. With 43 receptions, he ranks third on the team in that category.
"That's been a point of emphasis this year is to get the ball to (Taylor)," said Cornelius. "He was a receiver in high school his first two years and then transitioned to running back. So he has really good receiving abilities."
On the defensive end, Minnesota has been treated to a breakout season from a young defensive back in Koi Perich. Quarterbacks think twice before throwing to Perich's side of the field when they go up against the Golden Gophers. As just a freshman, Perich has five interceptions on the season, the most out of any player in the conference, and tied for second-most in all college football.
"(Perich has) been Johnny on the spot in basically every single game whenever they've needed him," said Cornelius. "Every single week he seems to be wherever the ball is being thrown."
Jah Joyner is another payer who can disrupt the passing game in more ways than one for opposing teams. With 4.5 sacks on the year, Joyner is a force to be reckoned wlith in the trenches for Minnesota. Not only does Joyner disrupt the passing game with his sack abilities, but he also has six passes deflected on the season.
As for Cornelius's prediction for Saturday's game, "I'd say 24-14 Minnesota just because this is the best they've gelled all season," he said.
The Knights look to get off the schneid on Saturday and pick up their first win against the Golden Gophers in program history. Saturday's kickoff is set for noon and will be broadcast on NBC and 88.7 WRSU-FM.
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