Boat Inspection: Minnesota Gophers football after Week 11
RELATED ARTICLES: W11 RECAP, G5 TOP 4, CFP TEAMS, W12 PREVIEW
STATUS: Smooth sailing
LAST WEEK: W, 54-21 vs. Nebraska
Demry Croft had his best game as the Gophers starting quarterback, completing nine of his fifteen passes for 105 yards while rushing 10 times for 183 yards and three touchdowns. Rodney Smith added 134 yards and Kobe McCrary chipped in 93 yards and three more scores. This was the rushing attack we've become accustomed to, and this group exploded on Saturday. Minnesota is now just one game away from bowl eligibility, and needs to steal one of the next two games.
UP NEXT: at Northwestern
If you're making a bet for which game the Gophers will win, good luck. Playing at Northwestern is already difficult enough, but now the Wildcats are ranked. After starting the year slow, Pat Fitzgerald's group has turned their season around in a hurry. After beating Maryland, they upset Iowa and Michigan State in consecutive weeks and survived games against Nebraska and Purdue for their five game winning streak. The combination of Clayton Thorsen and Justin Jackson on offense has been a key in the turnaround. Thorsen's been inconsistent, but has played well when teams focus their attention on Jackson. His backfield partner has been phenomenal this season despite that attention, and Minnesota needs to keep him contained.
This is a great test for Minnesota. Northwestern doesn't care that they just stomped the Cornhuskers, and winning in Evansville isn't easy at all. You can bet the Wildcats will stop the run and force Croft to beat them through the air. He won't be able to avoid that, and needs to make smart decisions with the football. Tyler Johnson can help Croft by getting open downfield early and often to loosen the pressure in the box. Smith and McCrary might be called upon to catch balls out of the backfield as well. Minnesota doesn't have to become an air raid team, but their priority needs to be getting Northwestern off of the line of scrimmage.
The Gophers needs just one more win to become bowl eligible, and it's not going to be easy. A trip to Northwestern this week is followed by hosting Wisconsin. The Badgers are ranked fifth in the nation, and have won the last 13 straight matchups. If this team does make a bowl game, that would be huge for their confidence as well as building momentum for 2018.
