Previewing Michigan football at Minnesota

Saturday night, Michigan football is set to face Minnesota in the battle for the Little Brown Jug in Minneapolis. The Wolverines have held onto the jug since 2015, winning their past three matchups against the Golden Gophers.

Michigan football at Minnesota: Game Preview

Michigan Offense

JJ McCarthy has been fairly impressive in conference play so far, completing 73 percent of his passes for 370 yards. In addition to throwing the ball effectively the past two weeks, McCarthy has also been a central part of Michigan’s run offense, rushing for 51 yards and one rushing touchdown.

Running back Blake Corum has once again been the most vital part of the Wolverines’ run game, leading the FBS in rushing touchdowns with nine and Michigan with 425 rush yards. Donovan Edwards has still been trying to get back into a groove this season, only rushing for 48 yards last week. Edwards will hopefully be a more dominant factor against the Golden Gophers, both rushing and receiving.

Alongside Corum, another Wolverine leading the conference is Roman Wilson, whose eight receiving touchdowns lead the Big Ten. Wilson leads the team with 19 receptions for 326 yards, averaging 17.2 yards per catch. He is closely followed by Cornelius Johnson who has 256 receiving yards and averages 17.1 yards per catch. JJ McCarthy has had plenty of receivers to choose from this season. However, he seems to be narrowing in on a few favorites.

Michigan Defense

After transferring from Coastal Carolina, defensive end Josaiah Stewart picked up his first two sacks for the Wolverines last weekend against Nebraska. Stewart also led the team in tackles against the Cornhuskers alongside Keon Sabb. While Michigan’s defense had a particularly impressive showing last weekend, they have been dominant all season.

The Wolverines’ defense has allowed the least number of points per game across the FBS with an average of six points per game. This significantly low number of points stems from Michigan’s stellar red zone defense, which has only allowed scores on three of eight red zone drives this season. With other teams beginning to figure out their offenses, it is important that the Wolverines continue to battle in the red zone.

Minnesota Offense

Minnesota football’s win against Louisiana last weekend was their first win since beating Eastern Michigan in the second game of the season. With their bye week following this week’s matchup, the Golden Gophers are expected to give it their all against Michigan tonight.

Quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis has not had the most ideal season for Minnesota, throwing for five touchdowns and four interceptions. Where he has struggled in throwing the ball, he has made up for in the Golden Gophers’ run game, rushing for 92 yards and two rushing touchdowns.

While Kaliakmanis has done an effective job running the ball, Minnesota’s run game has been led by running back Darius Taylor. Taylor leads the Big Ten with 532 rush yards and has scored four touchdowns this season, despite missing the Golden Gophers’ matchup against Louisiana last week. If Taylor remains on the sidelines for the second week in a row, Minnesota will have to rely on Kaliakmanis’ ability to throw the ball in order to remain effective against the Wolverines’ defense.

Kaliakmanis’ main receiving targets this season have been Daniel Jackson and Corey Crooms. Jackson leads the team with 252 receiving yards and four touchdowns, whereas Crooms has 227 receiving yards and is still waiting to score his first touchdown this season. No other receiver has over 100 yards for the Golden Gophers, placing a lot of pressure on Jackson and Crooms to lead the offense.

Dragan Kesich has been extremely impressive for the Golden Gophers this season, making nine of his ten field goals and all 15 extra points. With a lot of questions for Minnesota’s offense, they are in good hands with Kesich kicking the ball.

Minnesota Defense

On the other side of the ball, Minnesota has had very efficient defensive gameplay this season. Linebacker Maverick Baranowski leads Minnesota with 35 tackles, followed by defensive back Jack Henderson who has 30 tackles so far this season. Lineman Danny Striggow has 25 tackles of his own, while also leading the team with three sacks.

The Golden Gophers defense’s main threat has been when it comes to turnovers, leading the Big Ten with eight interceptions. At the center of the turnover frenzy has been defensive back Tyler Nubin who has three interceptions and one forced fumble. While the Wolverines have done a pretty good job of holding onto the ball, this turnover-hungry Minnesota team will be their biggest test yet.

Michigan football is hoping to keep their winning streak against the Golden Gophers alive while also adding another win to their undefeated season. At the halfway point in the regular season, the Wolverines need to keep dominating and keep the Little Brown Jug at home.

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