Previewing Minnesota With A Golden Gopher Insider

The Michigan Wolverines’ football program is set to kick off its 2020 season on Saturday night at Minnesota, squaring off with a Golden Gopher club who went 11-2 last year.

Sean Williams of The Gopher Report was kind enough to swing by this week and provide a thorough breakdown of what Maize and Blue fans should expect to see from Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck’s club this weekend, before providing a final score prediction at the end.

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• Redshirt junior QB Tanner Morgan — He spearheaded the Golden Gophers’ 11-2 campaign last year, throwing for 30 touchdowns and 3,253 yards while completing 66 percent of his passes. His 30 scoring tosses and 3,253 yards were both the second most in the Big Ten, with the former standing as the most touchdown passes in a single season in school history.

• Redshirt junior RB Mohamed Ibrahim — He rushed for 604 yards and seven touchdowns in a backup role last season, while averaging 5.3 yards per carry. With Rodney Smith (last year’s starting running back) now having graduated, Ibrahim will be the team’s primary ball carrier and will look to carry the success he had in last season’s bowl game (140 yards against Auburn) into 2020.

• Junior WR Rashod Bateman — The 6-2, 210-pounder put together an outstanding 2019 campaign, reeling in 60 receptions for 1,219 yards and 11 touchdowns, while averaging a Big Ten-best 20.3 yards per catch. Bateman is viewed as one of the best receivers in the entire country after taking home Associated Press third-team All-America and unanimous first-team All-Big Ten honors in 2019.

• Redshirt junior WR Chris Autman-Bell — He was Minnesota’s third-leading receiver last year, but still managed to haul in a respectable 28 receptions for 371 yards and five touchdowns. Autman-Bell was consistently one of Morgan’s favorite targets in 2019, reeling in at least two catches in nine of the Golden Gophers’ 13 games.

• Fifth-year senior WR Seth Green — He only caught one pass for eight yards in 2019, but he also rushed 29 times for 99 yards in what was basically a hybrid wildcat quarterback role. Green is a huge target at 6-4, 240, and figures to play a big factor in the passing game with last year’s leading receiver, Tyler Johnson, now in the NFL.

• Fifth-year senior TE Ko Kieft — His 370 snaps were the most of any Minnesota tight end last year, though he was used primarily as a blocker and didn’t catch any passes. The Golden Gophers will play several other players at the position as well, including redshirt junior Jake Paulson and redshirt sophomore Brevyn Spann-Ford.

• Fifth-year senior LT Sam Schlueter — He has been a staple along Minnesota’s offensive line in recent years, playing in 36 games over the last three seasons and starting 26 of them. The 900 snaps Schlueter played in 2019 were tied for the most of any Golden Gopher offensive player, while he committed just one penalty along the way.

• Redshirt junior LG Blaise Andries — He has earned a starting nod in all 26 tilts he has appeared in over the last two years, starting at three different positions along the offensive front last season (10 at left guard, two at right tackle and one at left tackle). Andries earned third-team All-Big Ten recognition from both the coaches and media in 2019.

• Fifth-year senior C Conner Olson — He is the most experienced veteran on Minnesota’s offensive line, having started all 38 of the team’s contests over the past three seasons. Olson helped engineer a Gopher offense that scored 443 points in 2019, good for the second most in a season in program history.

• Redshirt junior RG Axel Ruschmeyer — Redshirt sophomore Curtis Dunlap was Minnesota’s starting right guard last year, but Williams said he “doesn’t expect him to play.” Ruschmeyer would likely get the start in his place, after competing in five tilts in 2019 as a backup.

• Freshman RT Aireontae Ersery — Junior Daniel Faalele is the usual starter here, but like Dunlap, Williams doesn’t expect him to see the field on Saturday night. The 6-6, 320-pound Ersery could start in Faalele’s place in what would be his first collegiate game.

• Redshirt junior DE Osezi Otomewo — His five tackles for loss in 2019 were tied for the third most on the team, while his 2.5 sacks were tied for sixth. Otomewo is a former high school teammate of Michigan fifth-year senior running back Chris Evans, with both players hailing from Ben Davis High in Indianapolis.

• Fifth-year senior DT Micah Dew-Treadway — He accumulated just 13 tackles and 2.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage last year, despite starting all 13 tilts. The 466 snaps Dew-Treadway played in 2019 were the second most of any of the Golden Gophers’ defensive linemen.

• Senior DT Keonte Schad — The 6-3, 295-pounder recorded 21 tackles and 2.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage last season while seeing 182 snaps. Despite being a senior, the 2020 campaign will only be Schad’s second season in Minneapolis after he transferred in from Ellsworth Community College in Iowa Falls, Iowa.

• Redshirt junior DE Boye Mafe — He was very productive in the 204 snaps he received last year, tallying 3.5 tackles for loss and tying for third on the team with three quarterback takedowns. With just 14 tackles in 2019, 25 percent of Mafe’s stops occurred behind the opponent’s line of scrimmage.

• Junior LB Mariano Sori-Marin — He started seven contests last season, compiling 42 tackles and two stops behind the line of scrimmage. The 366 snaps Sori-Marin received in 2019 were the most of any of the Golden Gophers’ returning linebackers.

• Redshirt freshman LB James Gordon — He competed in four outings last year as a freshman, notching two tackles. Linebacker was an area Minnesota was hit hard by attrition once 2019 ended, losing three key contributors (Carter Coughlin, Thomas Barber and Kamal Martin) who played at least 484 snaps last year.

• Fifth-year senior CB Coney Durr — He earned the starting nod in all 13 outings in 2019, compiling 33 tackles, one interception and tying for a team-best 10 passes broken up. The one pick Durr had was a notable one, with the Baton Rouge, La., native taking it 72 yards to the house in Minnesota’s 52-10 destruction of Maryland on Oct. 26.

• Redshirt junior CB Benjamin St-Juste — A name familiar to Michigan fans, the former Wolverine donned the Maize and Blue from 2017-18 before transferring out. He started nine outings last year for the Golden Gophers, registering 45 tackles and tying for a team high with 10 passes broken up.

• Senior NB Justus Harris — He has played in all 26 games over the past two seasons, logging six tackles and one forced fumble last year. At 5-10, 195, he is tied for the shortest player on the team.

• Junior S Jordan Howden — The 748 snaps he received in 2019 were the most of any returning Gopher defensive player, while he racked up 57 tackles, six passes broken up and one interception along the way. Howden started 12 games last fall and was one of the primary reasons Minnesota’s pass defense finished ninth overall in the nation (allowed just 184.2 passing yards per game).

• Sophomore S Tyler Nubin — He came to Minneapolis as a four-star prospect, one of only six the Golden Gophers have signed over their last four recruiting classes. Nubin played 26 snaps last season as a freshman, but chipped in six tackles and two passes broken up.

• Sophomore K Michael Lantz — He connected on 8 of the 11 field goals he attempted as a freshman in 2019, concluding the year by converting each of his final four kicks. Lantz’s long, however, was just 40 yards.

• Freshman P Mark Crawford — He enrolled in January and will take over the club’s primary punting duties following the graduation of Jacob Herbers (averaged 38.2 yards per punt last season). Crawford will continue the popular trend of Australian punters coming to the United States, with the 6-5, 220-pounder hailing from Perth and having trained in Melbourne.

“Tanner Morgan's accuracy and his ability to get the ball to his playmakers over the middle of the field and intermediate throws,” Williams explained. “He’s got a solid duo at wide receiver back in Rashod Bateman and Chris Autman-Bell, so success in the passing game should continue.”

Minnesota’s passing attack was the most prolific in school history last year, with its 3,293 yards through the air more than any other Golden Gopher offense had ever mustered.

Morgan was the key cog in the attack, throwing for at least 234 yards in eight of the club’s 13 games. He also eclipsed 338 yards on three different occasions, including a 368-yard performance on Nov. 16 against an Iowa secondary that finished No. 19 in the country.

Morgan tossed three or more touchdowns in five contests last year, and never threw more than one interception in a game. Bateman will undoubtedly be his top target, with the Tifton, Ga., native surpassing the 100-yard mark five times in 2019. Perhaps even more impressive, however, was the fact that Bateman caught at least one touchdown in eight of the team’s 13 outings.

“Biggest weakness will probably be who steps in at slot receiver,” the analyst revealed. “Demetrius Douglas made some big plays for Minnesota throughout his career, but decided to retire from football recently.

“The depth at slot doesn’t boast a lot of experience.”

Douglas didn’t post eye-popping numbers last year, but was still fourth on the team with 157 yards on 14 receptions. The Golden Gophers’ pass catchers are now very thin on experience behind Bateman and Autman-Bell.

No other returning player on the roster reeled in more than 51 receiving yards last year, nor did any other Golden Gopher catch more than five passes. Minnesota didn’t need anyone else to step up last season with the presences of Johnson, Bateman and Autman-Bell, with the trio accounting for 2,908 of the team’s 3,293 receiving yards (88.3 percent).

“Their secondary is the biggest strength,” Williams noted. “Both Benjamin St-Juste and Coney Durr are returning starters and could be All-Big Ten candidates. At safety, Tyler Nubin, a former four-star recruit, is ready to step forward and Jordan Howden was probably one of the most improved players in 2019 and brings two years of starting experience.”

The pass defense numbers Minnesota’s secondary posted last season were outstanding. Opposing quarterbacks only completed 56 percent of their throws against the Golden Gophers, which ranked 24th nationally.

Additionally, the 14 touchdown passes the team allowed was tied for the 10th fewest in the land. Minnesota held nine of its 13 foes to 193 passing yards or less, and eight to a 55.6 completion percentage or worse.

Granted, safety Antoine Winfield Jr. was a big part of that success after he picked off seven passes and became a second-round NFL Draft pick, but the Golden Gophers nevertheless bring back three defensive backs who played at least 515 snaps in 2019 (Durr, St-Juste and Howden).

“The biggest question mark will be at linebacker,” the writer said. “Mariano Sori-Marin had his struggles to begin the season but got better as the season progressed and emerged as a starter.

“However, after Sori-Marin, Minnesota’s linebacker depth lacks significant playing experience.”

Linebacker was a strength of the Golden Gophers in 2019 with Martin, Barber and Coughlin roaming the field (they all compiled at least 49 tackles), but each member of the aforementioned trio graduated.

Redshirt sophomore Braelen Oliver is the next most experienced returning linebacker after Sori-Marin, playing 211 snaps in 2019. There is a significant drop off after Oliver, with junior Thomas Rush’s 51 snaps slotting in as the third most among returning linebackers.

Sori-Marin, Gordon, Oliver and Rush will be tasked with replacing the 181 tackles and six sacks that Barber, Martin and Coughlin posted last season.

“Considering the replacements on defense and unknowns of potential COVID and opt-out issues for Minnesota, I’m going with Michigan, 28-24.”

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