The Michigan Wolverines (3-1, 1-0) host the Minnesota Golden Gophers (2-2, 0-1) in their fifth straight game in the big house on September 28, with a noon kickoff. The Wolverines are coming off a huge comeback win against USC, while Minnesota struggled to stay competitive with Iowa. Can Michigan football channel a victory against Minnesota?
Michigan Wolverines vs. Minnesota Golden Gophers Football History & Excerpts
Michigan opens as a 10-point favorite versus Minnesota, and will look to channel a victory for the football team this weekend. This will be the 99th game in the historic Little Brown Jug rivalry. The Little Brown Jug is the second oldest rivalry trophy in all of FBS. Michigan has a 77-25-3 record versus Minnesota and has won 26 of the last 28 matchups.
Last week’s matchup told fans and coaches a lot about the Wolverines’ future, particularly at the running back position. Kalel Mullings‘ dominant performance against USC cemented his status as this team’s starting running back.
Head coach Sherrone Moore said Mullings played, “like a man possessed.” However, the compliments didn’t end there. He added, “Every time he touched the ball it felt like he might break”, and described his late 63-yard run as “one of the greatest runs in Michigan history.”
The former linebacker is genuinely one of the best backs in the country, and proved it last weekend.
Moore has a lot of respect for Minnesota head coach P.J. Fleck, a guy who has truly turned that program around. Entering this matchup, Moore had this to say about the Golden Gophers’ head coach.
“I mean, I think always coach Fleck has a tough physical discipline football team that they’re going to play together. They’re going to play team ball … play ball-control offense … play smart defense. They’re going to try to control the clock, do things to make you make mistakes. So we’ve got to go out there and execute at a high level, be detailed.”
Michigan Football Head Coach Sherrone Moore spoke to the media on Monday.
On playing the Minnesota football team this Saturday.
"We can't have any complacency," said Coach Moore #GoBlue #Michigan #Detroit #GrandRapids #Minnesota #TraverseCity pic.twitter.com/60iaimNo1F
— Hear Our City Media (@HearOurCity) September 24, 2024
Minnesota will always try to play a brand of football similar to Michigan. This means you simply cannot make mistakes, or they will capitalize on them.
On the Minnesota side, Fleck is no stranger to playing in the Big House.
“So the environment, we create a lot of that,” Fleck mentioned about the noise component. “You can’t hear at our practice anyway, you guys have been there before. Our guys can’t hear, but the Big House is not called the Little House. It’s called the Big House for a reason. We can’t let circumstance dictate our behavior.”
Every coach must prepare their team to play in a hostile environment like the Big House.
Fleck also talked about the challenge of stopping the Michigan run game by saying, “Again, I don’t know if you stop Michigan’s run game, but you can slow it down. We got a lot of respect for them and what they do and how they do it and they do it at will. And that’s the one thing that Michigan is Michigan. I mean, they’re doing it. They run the football at will. That’s what they do.”
If Minnesota can slow down the Michigan run game and force them to throw the ball down the field, the Golden Gophers could channel some success of their own – and potentially win the football game.
Key Players for Michigan
Running back Kalel Mullings proved he was the guy for Michigan last week. Mullings has added to his strong season, and looks like the best Michigan running back at the moment. He will head into this week against Minnesota as the true starter.
SEE YA‼️
Kalel Mullings goes 53 yards to help No. 18 @UMichFootball strike first vs. No. 11 USC.#B1GFootball on CBS 📺 pic.twitter.com/kvloVMD8v8
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) September 21, 2024
Meanwhile, running back Donovan Edwards has struggled this year primarily with vision issues. However, his big play and receiving ability will still provide a solid complement to Mullings’s bruiser style of running.
Tight end Colston Loveland was unavailable last week. As he looks to get healthy, he could boost a passing game that only totaled 32 yards a week ago. With struggling wide receivers, Loveland would allow quarterback Alex Orji to be more comfortable in the pocket.
A key piece to the offense having success as well, is right tackle Evan Link. Link has struggled this year (primarily in pass protection), sporting a 7.1 PFF grade in pass blocking. Against Texas and USC, he struggled as well, so using this game against Minnesota to improve is critical.
Defensively, cornerback Will Johnson and defensive tackle Mason Graham were the show’s stars last week, and the All-Americans will look to be game wreckers once again.
In the secondary, cornerback Jyaire Hill also had the best game of his collegiate career last week, allowing just 22 yards on three targets. He is slowly cementing himself as a lockdown corner opposite Will Johnson. Slot cornerback Zeke Berry also played well, considering his tough matchup. The secondary has been able to channel their preparation into efficient play, making the unit one of the best on the Michigan football team.
Key Players for Minnesota
Running backs Darius Taylor and Marcus Major are the stars of the Minnesota offense. They have accounted for 543 scrimmage yards and are averaging 5.1 yards per carry. Transfer quarterback Max Brosmer has also been solid for the Golden Gophers, with a 65 percent completion percentage.
The offensive line is where Minnesota shines, particularly at tackle with Aireontae Ersery, a projected first-round pick, and Quinn Carroll. In the passing game, wide receiver Daniel Jackson is their best and most consistent wideout. Their offense relies heavily on the run, while passing plays a supporting role.
Defensively, the secondary is where this unit shines. Cornerback Ethan Robinson has had a solid year, and the Golden Gophers have an excellent secondary. They tend to struggle more on the defensive line, but edge defender Jah Joyner has put together quite a good season.
Keys to Victory for Michigan
Run the Ball
Michigan proved last week that if they channel their rushing attack, they can win games. Whether gaining consistent yardage on early downs or busting through with big explosive runs, the run game proved to be the unit that makes this team go.
The offensive line has been improving each week, and they are getting more comfortable as a run-blocking unit for both Mullings and Edwards. Running the ball will be key for Michigan, as run defense is where Minnesota struggled.
Iowa beat Minnesota last week while only passing the ball for 56 yards but running the ball 45 times for 272 yards. Michigan matches up well offensively as their strength is Minnesota’s weakness.
Let Alex Orji Make More Throws
Last week, Michigan limited Orji significantly. They let him throw over the middle of the field sparingly. When they did let him throw, it was on rollouts for dump-off passes that would go for little gain. There seemed to be a lack of confidence in his ability to read a defense over the middle of the field, and they had to put great emphasis on giving him easy throws on the outside.
This week versus a lesser opponent, it will be necessary for Michigan to let Orji get more comfortable in the pocket. If Orji isn’t comfortable making these throws, defenses will have a much easier time game planning against Michigan. Before the Big Ten schedule starts to ramp up for the Wolverines, they need to ensure Orji is comfortable making more throws in a live game environment.
Make Minnesota Throw the Ball
Last week, Iowa completely negated Minnesota’s run game, forcing them to adopt a more traditional passing approach. Brosmer was forced to throw the ball 37 times, completing just 22 passes. He averaged 5.6 yards per attempt, and threw two interceptions.
This is not the style of football Minnesota wants to play. They want to be able to run the ball and wear out a defense as the game progresses. If Michigan is able to force them into throwing the ball early in the game by putting them in third and long situations, their defense should win the matchups and force a lot of punts.
