Players to Watch: Minnesota vs Michigan

Michigan is coming off a big win in its Big Ten opener against USC.

It's still odd to think that USC is even in the Big Ten, but we return to familiarity this week with the battle for The Little Brown Jug, with Michigan taking on Minnesota.

The Wolverines have dominated the rivalry as of late and for decades, and that should continue Saturday.

Michigan found its groove in the run game against the Trojans, and with the Gophers surrendering over 270 rushing yards last week to Iowa, you can expect a similar game plan. The downside of course is Michigan did not get much with Alex Orji has the starting quarterback, a record low of 32 pass yards in the win. Minnesota currently has one of the best pass defenses in the country, will Michigan try to test it to get their offense the passing reps it needs, or will this be another ground and pound path to victory?

The Wolverines may be without Colston Loveland and Will Johnson in this one, so playing a clean game and not allowing Minnesota to stick around is essential.

These are the three players to watch in Minnesota vs Michigan.

Michigan offered the running back out of Walled Lake late in the 2023 process before Taylor committed to Minnesota.

Injuries last season slowed Taylor's strong freshman season. He rushed for 799 yards on the year, including a bowl game breakout with 35 carries for 208 yards and a score.

Marcus Major will split carries with Taylor, and despite Major having a more productive day on fewer carries against Iowa, expect Taylor to get the bulk of the snaps in his return to the state of Michigan. Taylor is a tough runner who does most of his damage on long runs from broken tackles. 51% of Taylor's yards have come on breakaway runs and 82% of his yards come after contact.

Michigan will need to clean up its tackling this week and wrap up Taylor every chance it gets.

If Michigan is without Will Johnson against Minnesota, the Wolverine defense will need a plan for WR Daniel Jackson.

An All-B1G player last season with 59 receptions for 831 yards and eight touchdowns, Jackson is Minnesota's leading receiver through 4 games. Last week against Iowa, he had nine receptions for 121 yards.

What Jackson hasn't done this season is score a touchdown. On what feels like every touchdown Michigan has surrendered through the air, we've seen a busted coverage, missed assignment, or something stemming from a lack of communication leading to a touchdown. If Will Johnson is out, Jyaire Hill, Aamir Hall, and Zeke Berry will need to step up along with safety help from Makari Paige, Quinten Johnson, and Brandyn Hillman to keep the ball out of the end zone.

While Michigan is dealing with trying to replace injured Rod Moore at safety, Minnesota is facing a similar challenge with the departure of Tyler Nubin.

So far this season, Kerry Brown has been the guy. Leading the Gophers in tackles, Brown has made a massive impact on the run game, earning stops from inside the box.

According to Pro Football Focus grades, Brown has been Minnesota's best overall defender, run tackler, and player in coverage. He's allowed only one reception on three targets this season and also has two interceptions.

If Michigan plays without Loveland, the tight ends will have a challenge when Brown is on them on passing downs. In the run game, Michigan's offensive line has to get to the second level and get a hat on Brown to prevent him from being an extra defender and stuffing early run downs.

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