Ahead of tomorrow night’s game against Minnesota, we caught up with our sister site, The Daily Gopher, for some information on the Golden Gophers. Head on over to the Daily Gopher to read more about Minnesota and tomorrow’s game from their perspective.
It seems as though a word to describe this year’s Minnesota team would be mercurial. Big home wins against Michigan and Iowa, competitive and frustrating losses against Indiana and UCLA. Then, there was that what in the world road performance in West
Lafayette. What are your overall thoughts on the inconsistencies of Minnesota this year and what do you think is at the root of those issues?
The thing with PJ Fleck is that he plays games in such a way that Minnesota is often going to be competitive in games they maybe shouldn’t be and they are also going to allow teams to beat them that maybe shouldn’t. This team is one play away from beating Indiana. But they were also one or two plays away from losing to Iowa. The UCLA game was tied in the fourth quarter, but in the end that score was indicative of who won that game. The frustrations and the culprit of Minnesota’s inconsistencies this year is really the offense. This unit has been bad at all levels. Fleck’s overall conservative approach to offensive football, Greg Harbaugh Jr’s poor game planning and play-calling, the lack of ability to adjust in games and the need to ask serious questions about the talent as well. There is no identity and they haven’t hit 21 points since week four of the season. A program that once prided itself on a strong running game is about to finish last in the Big Ten in rushing for the second year in a row while also boasting a very mediocre passing game.
Let’s begin on offense. Minnesota entered the year with some buzz about its quarterback. How has Drake Lindsey played compared to expectations and who are some players that Penn State will need to do a good job of defending on Saturday night?
Which leads to Drake Lindsey. The buzz around Lindsey was really one, very early mock draft that put Lindsey as the #4 overall pick. And then other draft analysts started to follow suit. I am convinced they were including his name because someone else did and they didn’t want to look foolish, but nobody bothered to look at the film. Lindsey is big, he has good command of the offense and he has a strong arm. I think he’s a solid quarterback who is being destroyed by a terrible offensive coordinator. He can make some beautiful throws, but he is also losing confidence by the game and seems to be regressing with each passing week. He does have a couple of nice receivers in Javon Tracy and Noah Jennings. If the Penn State defense has anybody to be concerned with on Saturday, I’d start with those two.
Same deal with the defense – this group seems to have done well against most of its opposition. But, Mississippi State had its way and so did Purdue. It seemed as though UCLA used the big play to beat this group. How do you expect them to attack Rocco Becht and Penn State on Saturday and who are some players that Lion fans should know.
The defense has been very good at times and very bad, there doesn’t seem to be much middle ground. Overall, this is a talented defense at all three levels. They tend to have a few lapses each game, but otherwise they generally have been good. Certainly good enough to keep Minnesota in every game except the Mississippi State game. Purdue was the exception, but that was ugly. Maverick Baranowski is an All-Big Ten player at linebacker, Anthony Smith was first-team All-Big Ten last year with steam for a 2nd or 3rd-round draft grade, and John Nestor has been one of the highest-graded corners in college football this year.
I had the UCLA game on in the Quad Box the other day. The FOX broadcast was showing highlights from the 2019 Penn State/Minnesota game. Is that the biggest win in P.J. Fleck’s career? Similarly, has Fleck hit that Glen Mason ceiling or do you think the Gophers could find themselves in the expanded playoffs in the near future?
It was maybe his biggest win; it was huge. But the 2018 win over Wisconsin in Madison may have been the that catapulted the program into that 2019 season. Beating Michigan this year was not nearly the win over Michigan it would normally have been, but it was a special one for this fan base.
As for Fleck’s ceiling? I would say that he has equaled Glen Mason’s floor, but he still has a higher ceiling. This program has been putting more players into the NFL than any time in decades and recruiting class rankings continue to inch up the Big Ten pecking order. The talent is increasing, and the competitiveness against the rest of the Big Ten is more evident. They need to get to place where games like Purdue are extremely rare and finishing off a game like the Indiana loss is more common. Frankly, they are right there. Fleck needs to tweak his offensive philosophies a bit and the ability to make the expanded CFP is very realistic.
Moving back to Saturday – what are keys to the game and any prediction?
I keep waiting for the offense to break out of it’s shell and actually score some points. No offense to the Penn State defense, but four of our last five opponents currently rank in the top 6 in SP+ defense. Maybe the Gophers can find a way to get to 21 or more? That feels more like a wish than a key. Special Teams is going to be important for Minnesota, as it has been throughout the season. Fleck continues to talk about how we need to play complementary football. I’m not sure he’s realized that the offense hasn’t been doing its part, while the defense and special teams are carrying more than their share. Getting pressure on Becht, finding a way to run the ball against a not-so-elite run defense and winning special teams. But my prediction is that Penn State wins this game. They have struggled this year, and were this in Minnesota, I might pick the Gophers, but I’ve seen too much of this Gopher offense to pick them to win in Happy Valley.
