College Football News Preview 2020: Minnesota Golden Gophers Keys To The Season
Biggest Key To The Minnesota Golden Gophers Offense
Get the ground game going right away, and don’t stop.
For all of the fun of the high-powered passing game that turned into one of the nation’s most efficient, it was the rushing attack that turned out to be the biggest difference.
It struggled way too much to start last year against mediocre teams – the Gophers failed to average more than three yards per carry in three of the first four games – but the O line took over late when it absolutely had to in the wins. However, the Gophers ran for a season-low 63 yards against Iowa, and 76 yards against Wisconsin – those were the two losses.
Going back to 2009, the program has lost 25 of its last 27 games – the two wins over Georgia Southern and Purdue last year when it ran for 93 yards and 92, respectively, were the outliers – when it failed to hit the 100-yard mark.
Biggest Key To The Minnesota Golden Gophers Defense
More plays in the backfield would be a plus. It’s hard to argue with the success the Gopher D enjoyed last year, but even with plenty of experience and a few NFL-caliber players, it was like pulling teeth to make plays behind the line.
The defense only came up with 62 tackles for loss. There weren’t enough forced fumbles and being 115th in the nation in TFLs wasn’t okay for a group that talented. It’ll be a bit tougher with all the new starters and new parts, but there are two games against Florida Atlantic and Tennessee Tech to warm up for Iowa.
Key Minnesota Golden Gophers Player To A Successful Season
DT Micah Dew-Treadway, Sr.
The 6-4, 315-pounder didn’t have much of a role in his time at Notre Dame, but he graduated, came to Minnesota, and became a big body on the inside. He only made 13 tackles with 2.5 tackles for loss, but his job was to take on blockers and serve as a true anchor. With so many big changes on the front seven, he’s going to have to hold up and do even more as one of the few veteran leaders returning.
Key Game To The Minnesota Golden Gophers Season
Iowa, Sept. 18
The 2019 Gophers had plenty of time to build up momentum and steam against a light and breezy schedule. This year, Iowa comes to town in Week 3 for the Big Ten opener, and it’s a must-win for both sides to have any hopes of being in the West race.
Minnesota has lost five in a row to That Team Down There, including a 23-19 thriller for the first loss of last season. Lose, and with at Wisconsin, Michigan, at Michigan State and at Nebraska still to go, uh oh.
– Minnesota Golden Gophers Schedule Breakdown & Analysis
2019 Minnesota Fun Stats
– Time of Possession: Minnesota 34:12 – Opponents 25:48
– Punt Returns: Minnesota 11 for 37 yards – Opponents 6 for 1 yard
– Average Yards Per Pass: Minnesota 10.2 – Opponents 6..7