MINNESOTA
VS. IOWA
OCTOBER 8
@ 11AM
2
Thursday, October 6, 2016
GAME RECAP
FINAL SCORE PENN STATE
october 1, 2016
MINNESOTA
471 469
MINNESOTA
PENN STATE
total yards: RUSHING PASSING
136
335
29 26
RUSHING PASSING
228 241
attendance:
top performers MINNESOTA RB RODNEY SMITH
23 carries 104 rushing yards 4 receptions 39 receiving yards
PENN STATE QB TRACE MCSORELY
95,322 19/40 completions-attempts 335 passing yards 1 passing touchdown 73 rushing yards 1 rushing touchdown
PENN STATE FS MARCUS ALLEN
22 tackles 1 tackle for loss
Thursday, October 6, 2016
3
Gophers looking to move on after loss The Gophers face the Iowa Hawkeyes this Saturday at TCF Bank Stadium. BY MIKE HENDRICKSON mhendrickson@mndaily.com
Redshir t senior quar terback Mitch Leidner and right tackle Jonah Pirsig both have the same memory of their favorite IowaMinnesota game before they started playing for the Gophers. The two were in high school and were separately attending a game between the Gophers and the Hawkeyes in 2011. On that day, Minnesota staged an 12-point, 4th quarterback comeback. Fans rushed the field afterwards. Both of them said they remember running onto the field and celebrating with the team. Leidner even took a picture with former Minnesota quarterback MarQueis Gray. “I was still in high school and got down on
the field, so that was really awesome,” Pirsig said. “I think if we win this weekend hopefully the fans will be doing the same thing. It’s always a great feeling to beat a team like that.” The fond memor y of that game blossomed into a strong disdain of Iowa for Leidner — and he didn’t hide his feelings when asked about it. “I wouldn’t say I like them one bit,” Leidner said. “There’s a lot of hatred between the two states and two teams, and I think everyone on this team understands that.” The Gophers will face Iowa and attempt to regain the 98-pound Floyd of Rosedale trophy on Saturday at home after an overtime road loss to Penn State. For Pirsig, the best way to move on from the overtime loss to Penn State is to get right back into it with one of Minnesota’s biggest rivals. “Just to have the rivalr y between us and the histor y that goes along with it, I
FOOTBALL PREVIEW
VS
MINNESOTA 3-1, 0-1 Big Ten WHEN: 11 a.m. Saturday
IOWA 3-2, 1-1 Big Ten WHERE: TCF Bank Stadium SOURCE: GOPHERSPORTS.COM
think it’ll get guys really excited and have a lot of energy at practice this week,” Pirsig said. “I think guys are really looking forward to that because you come from Penn State where 106,000 people were hating on us and now we get to come back and have our own fans cheering for us and cheering at the
right times.” The Penn State, Minnesota game was over on one play. Kicker Emmit Carpenter hit a field goal to break a tie with 54 seconds left. In u See UPDATE Page 5
4
Thursday, October 6, 2016
Quick Hitters from last week’s game: Penn State Final: Penn State: 29, Minnesota: 26. Oct. 1, 2016 Beaver Stadium
Sophomore Saquon Barkley of Penn State burst through the line of scrimmage to break two tackles in the defensive backfield. Barkley scored on a 25-yard touchdown run to give Penn State the win in overtime.
game. 2. Carpenter remains perfect. Redshirt sophomore Emmit Carpenter made all four of his field goals against the Nittany Lions, including one from 46 yards. Carpenter’s field goals and extra points accounted for more than half of Minnesota’s scoring. 3. McSorley wins QB dual. It was hard to outplay Penn State’s quarterback last Saturday. McSorley was the leading rusher and passer on the team. Quarterback Mitch Leidner might have played his worst game of the season, throwing an interception and was sacked twice. 4. Running game remains consistent. Minnesota had yet another 100-yard rusher with sophomore Shannon Brooks getting 100 yards on the ground after coming back from injury the game before. Redshirt sophomore Rodney Smith was Minnesota’s leading rusher with 104 yards. Minnesota has a good problem to have when it comes to its running game as three running backs have gone for more than 100 yards this season. 5. From walking on to standing out. Redshirt junior Brian Smith had a career day against the Nittany Lions. Smith, a former walk-on, earned career highs in receptions and yards with seven catches and 101 yards receiving.
Key play:
Quote of the game:
McSorley dropped back to pass at the end of the fourth quarter. The Penn State quar terback bought time in the pocket and scrambled for 26 yards. The 26-yard run gave the Nittany Lions the ball at the 22-yard line, which would later lead to a field goal to tie the game.
“I’ve never felt good at halftime. It’s a matter of you have to keep playing. This is a tough conference; ten points is nothing. You have to play hard for four quarters. The bottom line is we picked out all these different plays out through the game and at third quarter we weren’t very good. That’s where we lost the football game.” – Head coach Tracy Claeys.
BY JACK WHITE jwhite@mndaily.com
Recap: Penn State sophomore running back Saquon Barkley ran in a 25-yard touchdown to give the Nittany Lions a 29-26 overtime win Oct. 1 at Beaver Stadium. Minnesota got out to an early 13-3 lead in the first half. The third quarter was then dominated by Penn State. The Nittany Lions scored 17 unanswered to take the lead in the game. Minnesota came back with a touchdown and field goal in the fourth quarter to take back the lead. Penn State drove down the field in the closing seconds and tied the game on a field goal. On Penn State’s first play from scrimmage in overtime, Barkley ran the ball in for a score and the victory. Penn State quarterback Trace McSorley finished the day with 19/40 completions-attempts, 335 passing yards, one passing touchdown, 73 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown.
It was over when:
Five obser vations: 1. Defensive backs give up big plays. Gophers’ defensive back core has a lack of depth and on Saturday it showed. McSorley amassed 385 passing yards, including a touchdown pass that shifted the momentum of the
Up next: Minnesota (3-1, 0-1 Big Ten) plays Iowa (3-2, 1-1 Big Ten) in the Gophers’ first Big Ten home game of the season at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 10.
Thursday, October 6, 2016
5
After loss to Penn State, Gophers look ahead to Iowa
LIAM JAMES DOYLE, DAILY FILE PHOTO
University of Iowa football team celebrates their win over the Gophers by carrying the Floyd of Rosedale, the rivalry trophy, across the field at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa on Nov. 14, 2015.
Update u from Page 3
overtime, Penn State marched down the field, hit a field goal and won on their first play, a 25-yard touchdown run by Saquon Barkley. “We played our gaps. It was just pretty much missed tackles,” said senior defensive end Hendrick Ekpe. “Nobody was out of position. Nobody did the wrong play. It just came down to tackling pretty much. Other than that, nobody was out of position or didn’t
do their job.” Even with the loss against Penn State, the defensive line is in a much better position than it was last year when facing Iowa. The group was missing their two starting defensive tackles, junior Steven Richardson and redshirt senior Scott Ekpe, as Iowa rushed for 272 yards. That was the most yards Minnesota allowed all year, and the third highest run by Iowa. “We’re healthy [now]. We’ll see … we have our guys back on the D-line,” said head coach
Tracy Claeys. “Whoever wins, obviously, up front, will play a big part whether we win the game or not.”
Notebook: Four defensive backs — KiAnte Hardin, Ray Buford, Dior Johnson, and Tamarion Johnson — have all returned to practice after being suspended for the past three games, Claeys said, after the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office declined to press charges over their alleged connection to a sexual assault case. Cleys said he isn’t sure if they will
play Saturday. Middle linebacker Cody Poock won’t play in the Iowa game due to a shoulder injury suffered in the second quarter of last Saturday’s game. Claeys didn’t elaborate how long he might be out. Linebacker Car ter Coughlin, wide receiver Rashad Still and right guard Vincent Calhoun will practice this week but their status for Saturday’s game is unknown, Claeys said. Coughlin missed the last game, Calhoun missed the last two games and Still missed the last three games.
6
Thursday, October 6, 2016
Minnesota’s Depth Chart MINNESOTA COACHES
OFFENSE
Tracy Claeys Brian Anderson Jay Johnson
QB
Bart Miller Dan O’Brien
Jeff Phelps Pat Poore Rob Reeves Jay Sawvel Mike Sherels Keith Jordan
Head Coach Wide Receivers Coach Offensive Coordinator Quarterbacks Offensive Line Coach Asst. Defensive Backs Co-Special Teams Cord. Asst. to the Head Coach Defensive Line Coach Running Backs Co-Special Teams Coordinator H-Backs Tight Ends Coach Defensive Coordinator Linebackers Coach Acting Linebackers Coach
RB
TE X-WR H-WR Z-WR LT LG C RG
7 15 1 23 22 80 44 6 9 82 5 26 12 78 73 55 62 77 62 76 62 61
RT Mitch Leidner (6-4, 230, R-Sr.) Conor Rhoda (6-3, 215, R-Jr.) Rodney Smith (5-11, 205, R-So.) Shannon Brooks (6-0, 210, So.) Kobe McCrary (6-1, 235, Jr.) Nate Wozniak (6-10, 275, R-Jr.) Colton Beebe (6-3, 270, R-Fr.) Tyler Johnson (6-2, 185, Fr.) Eric Carter (5-11, 195, R-Jr.) Drew Wolitarsky (6-3, 220, Sr.) Melvin Holland (6-3, 205, R-So.) Brian Smith (6-4, 210, R-Jr.) Hunter Register (6-5, 215, R-Fr.) Garrison Wright (6-4, 320, R-Jr.) Donnell Greene (6-7, 345, R-So.) Connor Mayes (6-5, 330, Jr.) Jared Weyler (6-4, 305, R-So.) Tyler Moore (6-4, 305, So.) Jared Weyler (6-4, 305, R-So.) Vincent Calhoun (6-4, 330, Jr.) -ORJared Weyler (6-4, 305, R-So.) Bronson Dovich (6-5, 300, R-Fr.)
79 70
Jonah Pirsig (6-9, 325, R-Sr.) Chad Fahning (6-6, 290, R-Jr.)
DEFENSE DE DT DT DE LB
LB
LB
CB
95 88 97 93 96 99 87 9 13 20 49 56 35 41 50 20 45 34 31 5
Hendrick Ekpe (6-5, 240, Sr.) Winston DeLattiboudere (6-3, 240, R-Fr.) Scott Ekpe (6-4, 285, R-Sr.) Merrick Jackson (6-2, 320, R-Jr.) Steve Richardson (6-0, 300, Jr.) Andrew Stelter (6-4, 290, Jr.) Gaelin Elmore (6-6, 275, Jr.) Jerry Gibson (6-3, 245, R-So.) Jonathan Celestin (6-1, 220, Jr.) Julian Huff (6-0, 225, So.) -ORKamal Martin (6-3 225 Fr.) Nick Rallis (5-11, 240, R-Sr.) Jaylen Waters (6-3, 255, R-Fr.) -ORThomas Barber (6-1, 240, Fr.) Jack Lynn (6-3, 240, R-Sr.) Julian Huff (6-0, 225, So.) -ORCarter Coughlin (6-4, 220, Fr.) Antonio Shenault (5-11, 180, So.) Kiondre Thomas (6-0, 180, Fr.) Jalen Myrick (5-10, 205, Sr.)
CB S
30 7 17 11 4
Eric Amoako (5-11, 195, R-Sr.) Damarius Travis (6-2, 215, R-Sr.) Jacob Huff (5-11, 205, So.) -ORAntoine Winfield Jr. (5-10, 195, Fr.) Adekunle Ayinde (6-0, 205, R-Jr.)
38 37 18 47 34 25 39 5 1 5 82 47 18
Emmit Carpenter (6-0, 199, R-So.) John Mack (6-0, 185, Fr.) Ryan Santoso (6-6, 250, R-Jr.) Jacob Herbers (6-2, 215, R-Fr.) -ORLogan McElFresh (6-1, 205, R-So.) Payton Jordahl (6-2, 225, R-So.) Trey Hansen (6-2, 205, R-Fr.) Jalen Myrick (5-10, 205, Sr.) Rodney Smith (5-11, 205, R-So.) Jalen Myrick (5-10, 205, Sr.) Drew Wolitarsky (6-3, 220, Sr.) Jacob Herbers (6-2, 215, R-Fr.) Ryan Santoso (6-6, 250, R-Jr.)
SPECIAL TEAMS K P
LS KR PR H
GOPHERS CLICK IT DAILY.
T
Thursday, October 6, 2016
7
Iowa’s Depth Chart IOWA COACHES
OFFENSE
Kirk Ferentz Greg Davis
QB
Phil Parker Kelvin Bell Brian Ferentz Bobby Kennedy Reese Morgan Seth Wallace Chris White LeVar Woods Chris Doyle
Head Coach Offensive Coordinator Quarterbacks Defensive Coordinator Secondary Recruiting Coordinator Assistant Defensive Line Offensive Line Run Game Coordinator Wide Receivers Defensive Line Linebackers Coach Running Backs Special Teams Tight Ends Strength and Conditioning
RB WR TE LT LG C
RG RT SE
16 4 8 29 25 83 5 46 86 64 73 52 59 78 70 54 79 69 75 66 9 3
C.J. Beathard (6-2, 215, R-Sr.) Nathan Stanley (6-5, 212, Fr.) -ORTyler Wiegers (6-4, 225, R-So.) LeShun Daniels, Jr. (6-0, 225, R-Sr.) Akrum Wadley (5-11, 191, R-Jr.) Riley McCarron (5-9, 186, R-Sr.) Ronald Nash (6-2, 210, R-So.) George Kittle (6-4, 250, R-Sr.) Peter Pekar (6-4, 250, R-Jr.) Cole Croston (6-5, 307, R-Sr.) Ryan Ward (6-5, 295, R-Sr.) Boone Myers (6-5, 305, R-Jr.) Ross Reynolds (6-4, 300, R-So.) James Daniels (6-4, 295, So.) Lucas LeGrand (6-5, 290, R-So.) -ORSteve Ferentz (6-2, 282, R-Sr.) Sean Welsh (6-3, 290, R-Jr.) Keegan Render (6-4, 308, R-So.) Ike Boettger (6-6, 307, R-Jr.) Levi Paulsen (6-5, 305, R-Fr.) Jerminic Smith (6-1, 187, So.) Jay Scheel (6-1, 195, R-So.)
THE ALL NEW MNDAILY.COM
FB
45 36 33
Drake Kulick (6-1, 236, R-Jr.) -ORBrady Ross (6-1, 240, R-Fr.) Austin Kelly (5-11, 245, R-So.)
DEFENSE LE LT RT RE
OLB MLB WLB
LC
96 90 67 95 99 56 40 98 91 44 26 43 48 41 52 31 13 15 11
Matt Nelson (6-8, 282, R-So.) Sam Brincks (6-5, 270, R-So.) Jaleel Johnson (6-4, 310, R-Sr.) Cedrick Lattimore (6-5, 260, Fr.) Nathan Bazata (6-2, 285, R-Jr.) Faith Ekakitie (6-3, 290, R-Sr.) Parker Hesse (6-3, 250, R-So.) -ORAnthony Nelson (6-7, 253, R-Fr.) Brady Reiff (6-3, 250, R-Fr.) Ben Niemann (6-3, 230, Jr.) Kevin Ward (6-1, 205, R-Jr.) Josey Jewell (6-2, 235, R-Jr.) Jack Hockaday (6-1, 227, So.) Bo Bower (6-1, 235, R-Jr.) Amani Jones (6-0, 215, Fr.) -ORAaron Mends (6-0, 223, R-So.) Greg Mabin (6-2, 200, R-Sr.) Josh Jackson (6-1, 185, R-So.) -ORMichael Ojemudia (6-2, 190, R-Fr.)
SS
FS RC PT
19 12 27 37 30 14 5 16 7
Miles Taylor (5-11, 205, Jr.) Anthony Gair (6-2, 210, R-Sr.) -ORAmani Hooker (6-0, 203, Fr.) Brandon Snyder (6-1, 210, R-So.) Jake Gervase (6-1, 210, R-So.) Desmond King (5-11, 203, Sr.) Manny Rugamba (6-0, 172, Fr.) Ron Coluzzi (5-11, 182, R-Sr.) Colten Rastetter (6-2, 205, R-Fr.)
SPECIAL TEAMS K PR LS KR H
3 91 14 83 97 50 14 83 16 7
Keith Duncan (5-11, 165, Fr.) Miguel Recinos (6-1, 190, R-So.) Desmond King (5-11, 203, Sr.) Riley McCarron (5-9, 186, R-Sr.) Tyler Kluver (6-0, 220, R-Jr.) Jackson Subbert (6-3, 232, R-Fr.) Desmond King (5-11, 203, Sr.) Riley McCarron (5-9, 186, R-Sr.) Ron Coluzzi (5-11, 182, R-Sr.) Colten Rastetter (6-2, 205, R-Fr.)
*Depth charts accurate as of October 5
8
Thursday, October 6, 2016
Tony’s Diner serves up hearty breakfast U football players fuel up at local mainstay for breakfast. BY RAJU CHADUVULA rchaduvulaa@mndaily.com
At 8 a.m. on Wednesday after their morning workout routine, Minnesota football players were welcomed with piping hot breakfast served by Tony’s Diner. Since 2014, Tony’s Diner has ser ved breakfast daily, from Monday through Friday, to the football athletes, said Tony Nicklow, founder of Tony’s Diner. In addition to the football team, Nicklow said his diner also serves to the women and men’s basketball and hockey teams and
occasionally the swimming and wrestling teams. Originally, Nicklow said, his diner only ser ved at training and recr uitment tables. But once the National Collegiate Athletic Association changed the rules, the diner was able to serve daily, he said. The NCAA rules changes came into effect in 2014, said Jake Ricker, an Athletics Department spokesman. The association changed the rules to benefit the students’ health and well-being, allowing them to receive full meals and snacks, Ricker said. The rule changes applied uniformly to all sports programs at the University, he said.
Tony’s Diner cooks prepare breakfast in Dinkytown on Wednesday, Oct. 5.
The athletics department reaches out to local vendors, like Vescio’s Pizza and Rudolph’s Bar-B-Q, Ricker said, and the sports teams get to choose who they want.
MEAGAN LYNCH, DAILY
Each individual program has the flexibility to create its own meal program u See TONY’S Page 10
Thursday, October 6, 2016
9
Questions from the Other Side: Iowa football beat writer Blake Dowson BY JACK WHITE jwhite@mndaily.com
For this weekly column, Minnesota Daily will interview someone knowledgeable about Minnesota’s next opponent. Blake Dowson, the sports editor for Iowa’s student newspaper the Daily Iowan, was interviewed this week. Dowson covers football and baseball for the Daily Iowan. Q: What do you think Iowa has done well and what do you think they need to improve on? A: There hasn’t been a lot to brag about with Iowa this year. I’ll start with the stuff they’re doing not so well. The rush defense is the thing that they’ve harped on the most. It’s been ridiculously porous all
year. Josey Jewell, middle linebacker, kind of like the heart and soul of the defense, talks a lot about how it’s miscommunication between the defensive line and ever yone else. Getting everyone in their spots. They gave up over 200 yards in the second half against North Dakota State. They gave up right around 200 yards against Northwestern too. [Quarterback] C.J. Beathard is about the only good thing on offense right now and he’s not exactly reading pressure in the pocket either. Ever y now and then, he’ll make throws that make you stop what you’re doing, it’s amazing. It seems like he doesn’t have a ton to work with either. The receiver depth is brutal right now. Q: Do you think Beathard has NFL potential? A: I think he does. I actually tweeted that
out after their last football game. He made this throw, this touchdown pass to Riley McCarron. He was falling backwards. He threw off his back foot, across his body, across the field to McCarron before McCarron even came out of his cut. Threw an absolute dime to him in the end zone. I think with his mobility and his arm strength, he can make any throw you ask him to and he’s pretty heavy too. His family has some NFL pedigree too with his grandpa being a former NFL general manager. I think he’ll get a shot.
Q: Do you think the North Dakota State loss is a testament to how good of a program NDSU is or how inconsistent Iowa has looked? A: They talked before that game about how good North Dakota State was. Quite honestly, North Dakota State is the best
team they played in the non-conference [schedule]. Iowa State isn’t a good football team and neither is Miami (Ohio). So it’s not like they overlooked North Dakota State, but at this point in the year, I think North Dakota State is the better football team. They are extremely well coached. They didn’t make a single mistake all game and they bullied Iowa about the entire game, which doesn’t happen to Iowa that much. North Dakota State was bigger, stronger and better condition in the fourth quarter. It was just kind of a butt kicking in the fourth quarter. Q: What do you think Iowa will have to do to have success against the Gophers? u See Q&A Page 11
SPEED ROUND WITH BLAKE DOWSON OF THE DAILY IOWAN BY JACK WHITE SEVEN
IOWA FINISHES WITH HOW MANY WINS?
C.J. BEATHARD
IOWA'S BEST OFFENSIVE PLAYER?
DOES C.J. BEATHARD PASS FOR OVER 200 YARDS? BIG TEN PLAYER OF THE YEAR?
YES
J.T. BARRETT
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP WINNER?
ALABAMA
C.J. BEATHARD ON A SCALE OF 1-10? IOWA'S BEST DEFENSIVE PLAYER? BIG TEN CHAMPION?
SEVEN JOSEY JEWELL
OHIO STATE
HEISMAN WINNER?
DESHAUN WATSON
SCORE PREDICTION?
38-24 GOPHERS
10
Thursday, October 6, 2016
Breakfast is served: Tony’s Diner feeds Gophers Tony’s u from Page 8
with whichever vendor they choose based on students tastes and time-management, he said. If there is a restaurant a spor ts program wants that’s not of fered by the department, that can be done as well, Ricker said. The football team also has dinner ser ved by a variety of different vendors. The rule changes opened the opportunity for the teams to be well fed, Nicklow said. The r ule changes provide students with proper nutrition that athletes need, said Brittany Francis, spor ts dietician with the Gophers football team. Francis said she works with each athlete individually to plan personalized meals. She said she and Tony work together
to see what the healthiest mix of meals should be there, taking into account carbohydrates, fats and calories. Francis, who was a hockey player at the University before she was hired, said the athletes can count on being fed because of the rule changes, helping them with time-management. In addition to meals, Ricker said, the facilities also added three new stations where athletes can find healthy snacks between classes or after practice. Nicklow said he first got involved with the athletics department when an athlete ordered a chicken-sub sandwich ever y day for lunch. After wards, when a recr uitment officer also tried the sandwich and asked Nicklow to cater food to the training tables. Now, his staff starts cooking breakfast at 5 a.m. to feed to the mens’ football and basketball teams by 8 a.m.
MEAGAN LYNCH, DAILY
Football players serve themselves breakfast provided by Tony’s Diner in Bierman Field Athletic Building in Dinkytown on Wednesday, Oct. 5.
Thursday, October 6, 2016
11
Daily Breakdown: Gophers hold close edge over Iowa Iowa visits Minnesota in what should be a very close game for two teams coming off conference losses. A full breakdown and prediction can be found below:
When Minnesota runs the ball: Nearly ever y part of Minnesota’s team has had some problem at some point this season, but not their rushing offense. The group has rushed for 150 yards or more every game this season, and has scored 12 touchdowns. Redshirt sophomore Rodney Smith has led the way with five touchdowns, and is averaging over 100 yards a game. Sophomore Shannon Brooks — 2015’s leading rusher — returned two weeks ago, making an immediate impact with almost 200 yards in two games with two touchdowns. Quarterback Mitch Leidner and the Gophers’ third potent running back Kobe McCrar y have also done well. Iowa’s rushing defense was elite last year – 15th in the FBS – but still allowed three touchdowns on the ground against Minnesota in their 2015 matchup. This year, the Hawkeyes have taken a step back defending the run, allowing 182.8 yards a game. The Gophers’ r unning of fense had a strong showing against a tougher run defense last year, and will likely see even more success in this game. Matchup to watch: RB Rodney Smith vs. LB Josey Jewell Advantage: Minnesota
Q&A u from Page 9
I think it starts with the ground game. They need to get [LeShun Daniels] going. I think they had 79 yards rushing on 41 carries against Northwestern. If Iowa wants to win football games they have to get somewhere north of 150 yards rushing. As talented as C.J. Beathard is, he can’t carry an offense through the air with Riley McCarron as his No. 1 wide receiver now. So they need to get the ground game going. I think it will help that the offensive line will all be playing together for the third week in a row
The Gophers gather after winning against Indiana State on Saturday, Sept. 10 at TCF Bank Stadium.
When Iowa runs the ball: Similar to Minnesota, Iowa also has two options at r unning back — senior
now. They’re finally somewhat healthy so that help. But they’re going to have to figure out how to get some yards on the ground and how to stop teams for 200 yards rushing on the ground. Q: Head coach Kirk Ferentz said Iowa is looking for an identity right now. What do you think that identity could be? A: I think [it’s] the same as it is ever y single year with a coach Ferentz team. They want to be able to run the ball and they just haven’t been able to that this year. They call themselves ‘the bullies of the Big Ten,’ that’s what the offensive line wants to
CHRIS DANG, DAILY
LeShun Daniels and junior Akrum Wadley. The two have combined for 136.4 yards a game and have 10 touchdowns in five games.
Daniels caused huge problems for Minnesota last year. He had career highs
call themselves. The so called ‘bullies of the Big Ten’ got pushed around by a Division I double A team earlier this year. So clearly they don’t have that identity right now, but that’s what they want to get to. In the fourth quarter, when they were really grinding the opponent’s defensive line and they’re able to run the ball in the fourth quarter. They just haven’t been able to do that.
the right direction. Recruitment wise, they have a ton of momentum right now. I think they still have a top-20 class coming in next year at this point but these two losses in the last three weeks have definitely made them take a step back a little bit. Losing to North Dakota State and Northwestern will do that for you. You don’t get a lot of respect losing to those teams in the national spotlight. So I think the rest of this year will be really telling in that aspect, to see how they finish. They really didn’t have any adversity last year during the regular season and now they do. This is the first time some of these guys have to handle that adversity.
Q: Where do you see this program heading in the future? A: That’s a tough question. If you would’ve asked me two weeks into the season, I [would’ve said] they were heading in
u See BREAKDOWN Page 12
12
Thursday, October 6, 2016
Daily Breakdown: Gophers hold close edge over Iowa Breakdown u from Page 11
with 195 yards on 26 attempts with three touchdowns. Minnesota’s r ushing defense is a lot healthier than they were against Iowa last year, but Daniels still poses a big threat. Minnesota’s rushing defense is 6th in the Big Ten and 35th in the FBS in rushing yards allowed. It’s better than last season so far, but the absence of middle linebacker Cody Poock could be problematic for the Gophers. Minnesota’s rushing defense limited Penn State for the most part last Saturday, and will probably have an easier time limiting Daniels this game. Matchup to watch: RB LeShun Daniels vs. LB Nick Rallis Advantage: Minnesota
When Minnesota passes the ball: Leidner isn’t playing at an elite level, but he has been good. His game against Penn State had some wrinkles, as his completion percentage was lower than it was against Colorado State and Indiana State, and he threw an interception in the red zone. Just through quar terbacking rating, Leidner had his best game of the year against Iowa in 2015. He completed 70.9 percent of his passes, threw for 259 yards and had one touchdown. However, Iowa’s passing defense has improved from last year. The Hawkeyes are shutting down teams when they throw the ball. Iowa has had a favorable schedule so far, but it’s still holding most of its opponents below their season average in the air. Cornerback Desmond King, Iowa’s star player and one of the best defenders in the Big Ten, has limited receivers to under 11 yards combined in his last three games, according to Pro Football
Focus. He will be the best player Minnesota faces this year and Leidner will know it by the end of the game. Matchup to watch: WR Drew Wolitarsky vs. CB Desmond King Advantage: Iowa
When Iowa passes the ball: Minnesota’s biggest advantage for this game is when they run the ball. For Iowa, it’s when they throw it against the Gophers’ passing defense. Quarterback C.J. Beathard isn’t running the ball as much as he used to but is still throwing the ball well, even with Iowa’s subpar offensive line that has already allowed 14 sacks. Iowa’s passing offense is far from great this year, but Minnesota’s passing defense is far worse. The Gophers’ passing defense only has one interception and has allowed nine
touchdowns this year. Opposing quarterbacks are throwing for 255.3 yards a game, which is dead last in the Big Ten. The Gophers defensive line could help out the secondar y by creating pressure against a weak offensive line, but while Beathard has an injured group of receivers, he could still have a big game if the secondary continues its downward spiral. Matchup to watch: WR Riley McCarron vs. S Antoine Winfield Advantage: Iowa
Prediction: Minnesota 27, Iowa 24. This game could be as close as they come, but the Gophers will return the Floyd of Rosedale Saturday against the Hawkeyes thanks to a big day from their running backs. Prediction record: 4-0