Minnesota has a new face of the program — and it’s a guy that Michiganders are probably pretty familiar with.
New coach P.J. Fleck took the Golden Gophers job after leading Western Michigan to an unbeaten regular season last year, and while there’s been some level of improvement, there’s still a lot of work to do in Minnesota.
The Gophers (4-4 overall, 1-4 Big Ten) visit the Big House at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday for Michigan’s second home night game of the year. Michigan is 0-2 in night games this season, losing to Michigan State at home and Penn State on the road.
Minnesota started hot, sweeping its non-conference opponents, but has quickly fallen apart in Big Ten play with losses to Maryland, Purdue, Michigan State and Iowa. Its lone win came against Illinois.
Fleck has played multiple quarterbacks this season and now has a new starter in redshirt sophomore Demry Croft. He replaced fifth-year senior Conor Rhoda.
Croft is 32-of-75 passing (42.7 percent) this season for 412 yards, four touchdowns and four interceptions. His breakout game came in a three-point loss against the Spartans, where he threw for 163 yards, three touchdowns and one pick on 11-of-20 passing after relieving the starter Rhoda.
“The shortcoming of the offense is the passing game,” TheGopherReport.com’s Matt Jessen-Howard said. “Croft and Rhoda are not experienced. After Croft’s big outing against Michigan State, he’s been inconsistent throwing the ball.”
Against Illinois, Croft completed five of 14 passes, threw for only 47 yards and added two interceptions. Against Iowa last week, he finished 9 of 29 through the air with an interception. Not ideal for Fleck and his team.
Due to the limitations in the passing game, Minnesota has relied heavily on the ground game while utilizing several running backs.
Redshirt junior Rodney Smith and senior Kobe McCrary will lead the way against Michigan. The team’s third back, junior Shannon Brooks, is questionable to play with an injury.
“The running backs are really talented,” Jessen-Howard said. “I think that they’re all Big Ten-level backs, but their numbers aren’t great because they’re facing stacked boxes.”
Smith has 153 carries for 627 yards (4.1-yard average) and two touchdowns. McCrary has 58 carries for 290 yards (5.0) and five touchdowns. Brooks is in the middle with 369 yards (4.7) and five scores. Croft is also a dual-threat guy, and has rushed for 159 yards (4.4) and a touchdown, which came on a 64-yard run.
“McCrary is a power back — he’ll run you over,” Jessen-Howard said. “He has decent lateral movement, but he’s not really a burner. He’s a north-south guy. Smith is a little bit quicker and more agile, has excellent vision, and can start and stop on a dime. He’s a mix of power and speed. I wouldn’t call him a jitterbug though.”
The Gophers will rely on their run game, but could face trouble against Michigan’s front seven, which is sure to load the box.
In order to keep themselves in the game, the Gophers will need to have an improved passing game, Jessen-Howard said. The problem he says — Minnesota has an inexperienced wide receiver group that hasn't been getting the necessary separation.
Sophomore receiver Tyler Johnson is the man for Croft. He’s caught 31 passes for 591 yards and seven touchdowns. That’s more than twice the receiving yards of junior Grant Perry, Michigan’s leading receiver with 285 yards.
“He’s Minnesota’s go-to receiver,” Jessen-Howard said. “He’s the guy that Croft looks to throw to, sometimes a little bit too much. He doesn’t have burner speed, but he runs good routes and has excellent hands. He’s been much more effective against zone defenses than against man coverage.”
He said Croft has been able to find Johnson on crossing routes quite frequently. Michigan will likely play mostly press-man coverage.
Minnesota’s offensive line has been outstanding in pass protection — they are tied for 11th nationally with just eight sacks allowed — but Jessen-Howard said the run blocking has been average. It has a difficult time when facing stacked boxes and is likely to be without two starters due to injuries. Redshirt junior Donnell Greene leads the line at left tackle.
They are coached by former Ohio State offensive coordinator Ed Warinner. He’s now the Gophers' offensive line coach and run game coordinator.
Minnesota’s defense ranks No. 20 in the country in total yards allowed (316.8 per game) and is tied for No. 21 in scoring defense (18.8 per game). Michigan’s defense ranks No. 4 (255.5) and tied for No. 16 (18.0), respectively.
The linebackers are the strength of the unit and are led by sophomore Thomas Barber, who leads the team in tackles with 75. He also has eight tackles for loss, half a sack and an interception.
“He’s pretty good,” Jessen-Howard said. “He’s quick downhill to attack, although speed really isn’t his strength. He’s a fundamentally sound linebacker, kind of a thumper.”
He forms a strong tandem with senior linebacker Jonathan Celestin, who is second on the team with 60 tackles.
The defensive line has some experience and is led by senior defensive tackle Steven Richardson. He doesn’t have eye-opening stats, but Jessen-Howard said he is double-teamed almost every play.
The secondary has been depleted by cornerback injuries. Down three guys, freshman Justus Harris had his redshirt burned and fifth-year senior Adekunle Ayinde was moved from safety to cornerback. Harris was picked on by Iowa last week.
The starting safeties have been productive. Junior Jacob Huff and redshirt senior Duke McGhee have a combined four interceptions.
“McGhee is a physical specimen, he has good straight-line speed, and he’s a really big hitter, strong safety,” Jessen-Howard said. “When he came to Minnesota he wasn’t great in coverage, and he’s made great strides there. He’s a pretty sound all-around safety now.”
Despite the defensive talent, Jessen-Howard thinks Michigan will come away with a 31-10 victory.
“I don’t see Minnesota winning this at The Big House,” Jessen-Howard said. “They don’t necessarily have the talent that Michigan does at this point, and the Michigan defensive line is very good.
"The Gopher [offensive] line has been okay, but they’re without two starters. They’re playing a true freshman cornerback who got picked on last week. The passing game really needs to step it up for Minnesota to win any game from here on out.”
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