Behind Enemy Lines - Minnesota Edition

It’s the Hawkeyes and the Golden Gophers on Saturday afternoon at Kinnick Stadium. As we continue our preview of the Battle for Floyd of Rosedale, we go Behind Enemy Lines get to the latest on the Minnesota football team with Dylan Callaghan-Croley from Gopher Nation. We dive into what he has seen from this year.

1. Minnesota sits at 5-2 overall and 3-1 in Big Ten play. What have been some of the most significant takeaways from the start to this season for the Gophers? What has impressed you about this team?

CALLAGHAN-CROLEY: I think the most significant takeaway from the start of the season for the Gophers is the play of quarterback Drake Lindsey. The redshirt freshman has been fantastic this season, completing 62.0% of his passes for 1,437 yards and 10 touchdowns with three interceptions. If you extrapolate that to a full season, the former three-star is on pace for 2,436 passing yards, 17 touchdowns, and five interceptions — impressive stats for any quarterback, let alone a freshman, if he continues this trend. This past weekend, against a good Nebraska defense, Lindsey had his best game yet, completing 16 of 20 passing attempts for 153 yards and a touchdown. The 6-foot-5, 230-pound pro-style quarterback has the arm strength and accuracy to hit passes at all levels. Week in and week out, he simply gives the Gophers a chance to win, and you can’t ask for much more from a first-year starter.

2. Tell us about the quarterback this year, Drake Lindsey. What have you seen from him this season, and what’s his style of play under center?

CALLAGHAN-CROLEY: Lindsey is a special quarterback; there’s no doubt about that. He’s been one of the best quarterbacks not just in the Big Ten but in the country this season. As I said before, he has the arm talent to make throws to all levels and has the accuracy as well. The Gophers are not efficient on the deep balls, which is worth noting, but he’s tremendous at the short and intermediate levels. His best trait this season has been his decision-making; he rarely forces passes into tight windows or makes ill-advised passes in general. He’s not going to be much of a runner, but he does have the ability to extend plays out of the pocket and pick up some yardage here or there.

3. It would seem that the Gophers are built around Darius Taylor. Tell us about how he has played this year and a few other players that Iowa fans should be aware of on Saturday?

CALLAGHAN-CROLEY: While the Minnesota passing attack has been very good this season, the rushing attack is still the heart of the operation. That being said, the Gophers struggled mightily throughout the season when it came to running the ball, until this past weekend. Against Nebraska, Taylor rushed for 148 yards and one touchdown across 24 carries. It was just the second time that Taylor ran for over 100 yards this season, and his first time since doing so against Buffalo in the season opener.

Perhaps the game against Nebraska is a sign of things to come, but there are still questions about whether the rushing attack is going to be able to find consistency going forward. Other players to watch include wide receiver Le’Meke Brockington, who has a team-high 25 receptions for 285 yards and three touchdowns this season. Jalen Smith is another name to watch closely. The redshirt freshman speedster has been a big play machine, averaging 20.8 yards per reception with 13 receptions for 271 yards. Ball State transfer Javon Tracy has been very good with 18 receptions and 260 yards, as has tight end Jameson Geers with 15 receptions for 129 yards and a trio of touchdowns.

4. On defense, Minnesota is coming off a record-setting 9-sack performance. What’s gone well on defense, and who are the key players to watch?

CALLAGHAN-CROLEY: The defense has been curious to watch this season. Their performance against the Huskers was by far their best of the season. Before that, both the run defense and pass defense showed their fair share of issues. So truthfully, I’m not sure what to expect from Minnesota on Saturday, as their play and weaknesses have been inconsistent week to week. Sometimes it’s the run defense, sometimes it’s the pass defense. 

In relation to Saturday’s matchup, I’d be much more worried about the run defense that allowed 4.7 yards per carry in three conference games before last week against Nebraska. The secondary is beat up right now, and they had three key starters/rotational players out last week, including Iowa transfer John Nestor, which will be something to watch, but I don’t anticipate this Iowa attack being a huge issue for the Gophers. If Minnesota is going to have an issue, it’s going to be in the trenches and having to deal with Iowa’s general physicality. 

Key players to watch include defensive end Anthony Smith, who has nine tackles for loss and a Big Ten-leading seven sacks. Rush ends Karter Menz and Jaxon Howard have both been very good as well. Menz has five tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks, while Howard has posted four tackles for loss and three sacks. At the second level, look for linebackers Maverick Baranowski and Devon Williams to be integral to Minnesota’s success in the rivalry matchup. In the secondary, everyone knows Koi Perich; his safety mate Kerry Brown has been solid this season as well, with 24 tackles, three tackles for loss, two interceptions, and two pass deflections. If healthy, Iowa transfer John Nestor has been very good this season for the Gophers with 21 tackles, five pass deflections, and three interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown.

5. This could come down to special teams to determine the winner. Tell us about the kicking and return game this season.

CALLAGHAN-CROLEY: The kicking game this year has been inconsistent for the Gophers. Kicker Brady Denaburg is 9-for-12 this season, which is obviously very good. That being said, he did have three games in a row in which he missed a field goal before hitting each of his last three over the last two weeks. Denaburg is reliable inside 30 yards generally, while for his career, he struggles from 40+ yards. This season, he’s just 1-for-4 in kicks over 40 yards and has missed all five career attempts beyond 50. We haven’t seen too many huge returns out in the punt or kick return games this season, but star safety Koi Perich is a threat to take any punt or kickoff to the house for a touchdown. 

6. Give us a few keys to the game from a Minnesota perspective, if they are going to win, and how you see the game playing out on Saturday afternoon. 

CALLAGHAN-CROLEY: If Minnesota is going to win this game, it will come down to winning in the trenches. Until their win over Nebraska, we didn’t see Minnesota against a Power Four opponent truly enforce their will against their opponent. They’ll need to continue that this weekend to beat the Hawkeyes on Saturday. Additionally, they’re going to need the rushing attack to have another strong day. On the flip side, I believe defensively, the key will be to stop Mark Gronowski from beating them with his feet. It’s going to be very important to force him to stay in the pocket and throw the ball instead of finding the opportunity to escape. Of course, it will also be important to keep Xavier Williams and Kamari Moulton on the quieter side as well. In general, it will be the same game plan that most teams have looked to implement this year. Focus on stopping the run and forcing the Iowa offense to beat you through the air.

I keep going back and forth on how I see the game playing out, but I’d give Iowa a slight edge, probably by a weird score. Iowa 17 – Minnesota 16