Boat Inspection: Minnesota Gophers Football Week 6
RELATED ARTICLES: W5 RECAP, G5 TOP 4, CFP TEAMS, W6 PREVIEW
STATUS: Choppy waters.
LAST WEEK: L, 31-24 vs. Maryland.
The maroon and gold jersey with white helmets and pants didn't work for me, and maybe that's where the troubles began. This uniform combination was disliked by myself even more when I realized they work only a little better than the Los Angeles Rams combination this week.
As you can see, it just doesn't work. Maybe had the Gophers used white numbers instead, but I'm probably just being to particular about our look. The look didn't have anything to do with how Minnesota played Saturday, so we'll move on.
Let's just say Saturday wasn't our best game, but it wasn't our worst. I think people may have underestimated Maryland because they were on their third string quarterback, but the Terps are still a solid football team. That third stringer also surprised the Gopher defense early on.
Maryland made a point to stop the run, and Minnesota did it's best to respond to that tactic. The offense just simply isn't designed to score a ton of points whenever they want, at least for now. When Ty Johnson scored for Maryland with 1:10 left in the game, I expected the game to be over. My initial thoughts were correct as Conor Rhoda threw a horrendous pick to end the game. Hopefully he can continue to improve, but that interception was awful to watch.
UP NEXT: at Purdue
Jeff Brohm change the Boilermaker culture from the first game against Louisville. Purdue proved the first one wasn't a joke by following their opening loss with two dominating wins over Ohio and Missouri. It's safe to say that Minnesota has their hands full.
Brohm's teams are going to beat you through the air, but will still look more balanced than previous Purdue teams. David Blough was supposed to be the quarterback that the Gophers were expecting to face, but injuries and inconsistencies have opened the door for Elijah Sindelar to play. Sindelar has plenty of weapons to find, but the biggest threat is Cole Herdman. The junior tight end is averaging 26.6 yards per catch, and the Gophers defense will need to know where he is at all times.
Defensively, Brohm's made his team significantly better than in years past. While they aren't one of the best defense, any improvement on that side of the ball would yield large dividends. Against Missouri, that proved to be true as they held a Tigers team, who just scored 72 points in Week 1, to just three points. The Boilermakers are in the top half in the nation at stopping the run, and you can bet they learned some tips from watching the Maryland game.
I honestly still expect a win from Minnesota. Purdue is improved, but the Gophers should prove these two teams are not on the same level quite yet. Minnesota's defense will have their hands full, but their own offense should be able to dictate the tempo of the game.
