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Opponent Insight: Minnesota
8/27/2019 9:45:00 PM | Football
Minnesota head coach P.J. Fleck enters his third season leading the Gophers, who have gone 12-13 during his tenure. Last season, the Gophers finished 7-6 (3-6 in the Big Ten) and defeated Georgia Tech in the Quick Lane Bowl, 34-10.Â
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With Fleck as head coach, the Gophers have not lost a season-opening game. He holds a 42-35 career record as a head coach after a successful tenure at Western Michigan.
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The Gophers have had the reputation of being young under Fleck. The 2018 team had the most freshmen in the nation with 58 on their roster. Overall, there were 78 underclassmen on Fleck's team. In 2017, 76 underclassmen were on the 2017 Minnesota roster.Â
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While the Gophers were not included in the preseason AP Top 25 Poll, the program did receive seven votes.
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OFFENSE
With having two freshman quarterbacks last season, the Gophers relied on a more experienced running game to be their biggest strength. In total, the offense recorded 2,478 yards on the ground. Mohamed Ibrahim led the way with 1,176.Â
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Minnesota returns sixth-year senior Rodney Smith, who missed almost all of 2018 due to injury. He ran for 977 yards in 2017 and racked up 1,447 all purpose yards in 12 games. In 2016, he played in 13 games and recorded 1,158 yards on the ground and scored 16 touchdowns.
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Shannon Brooks also returns for the Gophers after missing nearly all of 2018. After a breakout freshman season in 2015, which included 709 rushing yards on 119 carries, the fifth-year senior has struggled to stay healthy during his collegiate career after rushing for 650 yards in 2016 despite missing three games and was out with an injury for six more games in 2017.Â
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As quarterback Zack Annexstad remains sidelined with a foot injury, it is expected that sophomore Tanner Morgan will start Thursday night's game. Morgan threw for 1,401 yards in nine games played in 2018.Â
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Wide receiver Tyler Johnson returns as the biggest receiving threat for the Gophers. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound junior has risen in several categories on the all-time Minnesota charts. Johnson set the single-season school record with 1,169 receiving yards and was first-team all-Big Ten a season ago.
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Johnson is joined by another Gopher underclassman who made an impression a season ago in Rashod Bateman. His 51 receptions and 704 yards set a school record for a freshman in 2018.
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DEFENSE
A trio of senior linebackers headline the defense for Minnesota. A 2018 all-Big Ten second-team member, Carter Coughlin returns after recording 48 tackles, 9.5 sacks and four forced fumbles last season. Alongside Coughlin is Thomas Barber, who recorded 81 tackles, recovered two fumbles and had one interception in 2018, and Kamal Martin, who finished with 59 tackles.
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Despite giving up more than 40 points against conference foes such as Maryland, Iowa, Nebraska and Illinois in 2018, Minnesota's defense held opponents to an average of 14.8 points their final four games.Â
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The Gophers defense allowed 2,254 rushing yards last season, which was fourth-worst in the Big Ten in 2018.Â
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Minnesota leads the all-time series, 7-0, with the most recent game coming in 2009,when the Gophers defeated the Jacks 16-13 at TCF Bank Stadium.
-GoJacks.com-
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With Fleck as head coach, the Gophers have not lost a season-opening game. He holds a 42-35 career record as a head coach after a successful tenure at Western Michigan.
Â
The Gophers have had the reputation of being young under Fleck. The 2018 team had the most freshmen in the nation with 58 on their roster. Overall, there were 78 underclassmen on Fleck's team. In 2017, 76 underclassmen were on the 2017 Minnesota roster.Â
Â
While the Gophers were not included in the preseason AP Top 25 Poll, the program did receive seven votes.
Â
OFFENSE
With having two freshman quarterbacks last season, the Gophers relied on a more experienced running game to be their biggest strength. In total, the offense recorded 2,478 yards on the ground. Mohamed Ibrahim led the way with 1,176.Â
Â
Minnesota returns sixth-year senior Rodney Smith, who missed almost all of 2018 due to injury. He ran for 977 yards in 2017 and racked up 1,447 all purpose yards in 12 games. In 2016, he played in 13 games and recorded 1,158 yards on the ground and scored 16 touchdowns.
Â
Shannon Brooks also returns for the Gophers after missing nearly all of 2018. After a breakout freshman season in 2015, which included 709 rushing yards on 119 carries, the fifth-year senior has struggled to stay healthy during his collegiate career after rushing for 650 yards in 2016 despite missing three games and was out with an injury for six more games in 2017.Â
Â
As quarterback Zack Annexstad remains sidelined with a foot injury, it is expected that sophomore Tanner Morgan will start Thursday night's game. Morgan threw for 1,401 yards in nine games played in 2018.Â
Â
Wide receiver Tyler Johnson returns as the biggest receiving threat for the Gophers. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound junior has risen in several categories on the all-time Minnesota charts. Johnson set the single-season school record with 1,169 receiving yards and was first-team all-Big Ten a season ago.
Â
Johnson is joined by another Gopher underclassman who made an impression a season ago in Rashod Bateman. His 51 receptions and 704 yards set a school record for a freshman in 2018.
Â
DEFENSE
A trio of senior linebackers headline the defense for Minnesota. A 2018 all-Big Ten second-team member, Carter Coughlin returns after recording 48 tackles, 9.5 sacks and four forced fumbles last season. Alongside Coughlin is Thomas Barber, who recorded 81 tackles, recovered two fumbles and had one interception in 2018, and Kamal Martin, who finished with 59 tackles.
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Despite giving up more than 40 points against conference foes such as Maryland, Iowa, Nebraska and Illinois in 2018, Minnesota's defense held opponents to an average of 14.8 points their final four games.Â
Â
The Gophers defense allowed 2,254 rushing yards last season, which was fourth-worst in the Big Ten in 2018.Â
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Minnesota leads the all-time series, 7-0, with the most recent game coming in 2009,when the Gophers defeated the Jacks 16-13 at TCF Bank Stadium.
-GoJacks.com-
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