We are *finally* through the non-conference portion of the Gophers schedule. The Gophers are 2-1 through their first three games. They face a big test next week as they go out west to take on the Washington Huskies. There are still many unanswered questions with this Gophers team, but here are my biggest takeaways through the three games.
Drake Lindsey Is Looking The Part
A lot of eyebrows were raised in the offseason when some early 2027 NFL mock drafts had Drake Lindsey as a first round pick next spring. I still do not believe Lindsey is a first-round caliber quarterback for next years draft, but he hasn’t done anything yet through three games to dissuade that notion. Lindsey has largely done his job, throwing for 747 yards, four touchdowns and just one interception during the non-conference slate. He has also completed 65% of his passes, and even in last weeks stinker against Mississippi State he managed to complete 31 of 48 pass attempts for a 64.6% completion rate.
The challenge for Drake Lindsey entering the Big Ten slate is whether he can carry an offense that hasn’t shown much ability to run the ball. There are going to be games where Lindsey is going to have to put the offense on his back and throw his way to victory. And the competition is going to get stiffer with opponents like Iowa, Michigan, and Penn State on the schedule.
And lets not forget that the Gophers went 0-5 on the road last year, meaning that Drake Lindsey has yet to win a road game as the Gophers starting quarterback. He needs to get that monkey off his back this year if the Gophers are going to do anything significant in the Big Ten slate.
The Defense Remains A Big Red Flag
Look, I know the defense only gave up seven points each to Eastern Illinois and Akron. Both those opponents are lesser opponents than the Gophers and had no business doing much with the ball.
The Gophers defense failed miserably in their biggest test of the season against Mississippi State, giving up 38 points in a game where Mississippi State scored on their first four drives. Sadly, that has been a theme in Danny Collins time as defensive coordinator.
The Gophers have lost six games in Danny Collins time as defensive coordinator. In those six games, the defense has allowed 27, 42, 41, 42, 38, and 38 points. When the defense struggles, it doesn’t just struggle but flat out implodes. Until he gives me a reason to believe otherwise, I just do not trust Danny Collins’ defense against offenses that are above-average or better. The Gophers still have Michigan, Iowa, Penn State, and Indiana on the schedule. Can the defense show up for one of those games and at least give the Gophers a chance?
If the Gophers defense can consistently generate pressure, limit explosive plays, and win the turnover battle, I like the Gophers chances in Big Ten play. But until I have reason to believe otherwise, I just do not have confidence that that is going to happen under Danny Collins.
The Special Teams Has Improved
For what has felt like most of P.J. Fleck’s career here at Minnesota, the special teams has been average to mediocre. Yes, we had some kickers like Dragan Kesich who were studs, but we’ve always been terrible in the kick and punt return game, punting has had it’s ups and downs, and field goal kicking has been inconsistent at times too. When you have a coach like P.J. Fleck who emphasizes field position and time of possession, you need to have stellar special teams. Look at Iowa, they play the same type of game and have always had elite special teams (they just need to work on their fair coach signals).
This year feels different. Javon Tracy had two punt return touchdowns against Eastern Illinois and was destined for a third until he mistakenly ran out of bounds against Akron. The Gophers field goal kickers are also a perfect five-for-five in field goals made through three games. P.J. Fleck brought in new special teams coordinator Daniel De Prato from New Mexico this offseason, and the early results are looking good.
The Run Game Continues To Struggle
The Gophers rushed for 153 yards in their first game against Eastern Illinois which doesn’t mean much to me being that they’re an FCS team. Against Mississippi State and without Darius Taylor for most of the game, they rushed for a measly 13 yards. And they largely struggled against Akron for the first three quarters before breaking loose in the fourth quarter and totaling 191 rushing yards for the game.
Maybe things will look and feel different against Washington. Maybe Darius Taylor will come back healthy and look like his old self for the Big Ten schedule. But the Gophers have struggled to run the ball going back to last season and in the moments that have mattered in the first three games of this season, it feels like they have yet to solve the rushing problem. They couldn’t do anything against Mississippi State on the ground. Maybe Mississippi State is good? Well, in the Bulldogs first game against UL-Monroe they allowed 138 yards rushing, and this past Saturday against South Carolina they allowed 149 yards rushing. It’s not as if the Gophers were facing the 2000’s Baltimore Ravens defense in that game, and yet they couldn’t run the ball whatsoever.
If the Gophers want any chance at having a successful Big Ten season, they’re going to have to figure out how to run the ball without Darius Taylor. I can’t imagine Darius Taylor is going to get twenty carries a game even if he’s healthy, guys like T.J. Thomas and A.J. Turner are going to have to step up, as well as the offensive line. As I said earlier, if they cannot run the ball then this season is going to fall squarely on the shoulders of Drake Lindsey.
Big Ten Preview
The Gophers open up Big Ten play against Washington this Saturday at 10pm in a game I will be fighting for my life to stay awake for. The Gophers are underdogs going into this game, but I do feel this game is a little more winnable than at the beginning of the season due to some of the injuries Washington is dealing with. Winning that game and starting 1-0 in the Big Ten would make up for the Mississippi State loss and get the Gophers season back on track, so it’s a big one to say the least.
I originally predicted the Gophers to go 5-4 in the Big Ten and finish 8-4 overall. Looking at their schedule and comparing it to what we know about them and their opponents through the first three games, I am more concerned with the Big Ten portion of the schedule than I was at the beginning of the season. Iowa looks good. Northwestern just hung 41 points on Deion Sanders and Colorado. Even Purdue is looking capable of putting up some points.
I am very concerned with how this defense is going to perform against even some of the middle-of-the-pack Big Ten teams. I don’t see any more cupcake games on the Gophers schedule, including Purdue. Worst case I think the Gophers could finish 2-7 in Big Ten play if everything goes wrong. If the Gophers figure out a run game and get the defense back on track, I think they can win five Big Ten games as I had predicted originally.
I think we’ll learn a lot in their next three games what their season is going to look like as they play at Washington, home vs. Michigan and then home vs. Iowa. The Gophers can go 3-0 or 0-3 in those games. If they go 3-0 we could be in for a special season. If they go 0-3… it could be a long second half of the season.
