The final weekend of the regular season is here, and for
Minnesota that means a trip to East Lansing, Mich., to take on Michigan State.
The Spartans have already wrapped up the Big Ten Legends Division and enter
Saturday's game with a 10-1 overall record. The Gophers' four-game winning
streak was snapped last weekend with a loss to Wisconsin, dropping Minnesota to
8-3 on the year. Jerry Kill's team will have its hands full again this weekend
the 11th-ranked Spartans. Here are five things to watch for in Saturday's game.
1. Can Minnesota move the ball against the Big Ten's best
defense?
The Gophers struggled against Wisconsin's defense last
weekend, as Minnesota's offense failed to score a point; its only points of the
game came on an interception returned for a touchdown. While the Badgers'
defense has been stout this season, Michigan State's defense has been even
tougher. The Spartans have given up just 12.5 points per game, fewest in the
Big Ten. They also allow only 236.6 total yards per game, which is also the
best of any defense in the conference. Opponents average a mere 59.4 rushing
yards per game against the stingy Spartans defense and 177.3 yards per the air,
both of which are the lowest of any Big Ten defense. Simply put, this Michigan
State team gives up very little on the defensive side of the ball. Against
another tough defense last weekend, Minnesota finished with just 102 total
yards; its running game, which had success the previous four games, was also stymied.
The Gophers will have to figure out some way to move the ball against the
Spartans or it could be a long day in East Lansing.
2. The Gophers must limit the turnovers
Scoring against Michigan State is hard enough; Minnesota
doesn't need to make things any tougher by turning the ball over. That was the
case last weekend when the Gophers had three turnovers versus Wisconsin --
fumbles by running back David Cobb, tight end Maxx Williams and quarterback
Philip Nelson -- and it resulted in a 20-7 loss. Michigan State enters Saturday's
game with the best turnover margin in the Big Ten at +14. The Spartans'
opportunistic defense has intercepted 14 passes and recovered 10 fumbles, while
their offense has coughed up the ball just 10 times all year. Minnesota still
has a positive turnover margin on the year (+4) but the three turnovers this
past Saturday were costly. That can't happen again this weekend if the Gophers
hope to win.
3. Philip Nelson needs to establish a go-to target -- and
his receivers need to help him out, too
Minnesota is playing without top wide receiver Derrick
Engel, who missed Saturday's game with a knee injury and won't play again this
weekend. The Gophers' passing game struggled with Engel on the sideline. Nelson
was just 7-for-23 passing for 83 yards. Williams had a pair of catches
but also had the costly fumble, while running back David Cobb also caught two
passes. No wide receiver had more than one grab, although Nelson targeted his
wideouts plenty. Freshman Drew Wolitarsky, who has emerged as a solid receiver
during the second half of the year, was targeted plenty but couldn't come up
with a catch. Fellow freshman Donovahn Jones had a big drop on a third-down
play in the first quarter that forced the Gophers to punt. These young receivers
will need to step up this Saturday to give Nelson some help. It's hard enough
to pass against the Spartans' defense, so Minnesota can't afford to drop
passes.
4. Limit MSU's Jeremy Langford
Michigan State's offense ranks in the middle of the Big Ten
in most categories, but the Spartans do have a stud on that side of the ball in
running back Jeremy Langford. The junior is fifth in the conference in rushing
yards per game (97.8) and leads the Big Ten in scoring (8.7 ppg). Langford's 16
total touchdowns are also the top mark in the conference, with 15 of them
coming on the ground. Minnesota had its hands full last weekend with Wisconsin
running backs James White and Melvin Gordon in town, but the Gophers' rushing
defense stood tall and held the Badgers to 197 rushing yards. Langford isn't
quite at the level of White and Gordon but he's still the biggest threat on
Michigan State's offense. If Minnesota can slow him down, perhaps it can limit
MSU's offensive output as a result.
5. There's something on the line for the Gophers in this
game
While Minnesota can't win the Big Ten Legends Division --
Michigan State locked it up with a win last weekend -- that doesn't mean there's
nothing to play for Saturday. Another win would bring the Gophers to 9-3 on the
season, which would even further surpass many peoples' expectations for the
Gophers this year. But Minnesota could help bolster its bowl game standing with
one more victory, especially an impressive one against a Top 25 team. Current
bowl projections have the Gophers playing anywhere from the Texas Bowl to the
Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl to the Gator Bowl. However, if Minnesota improves to
9-3 and pulls off an upset of Michigan State, it's not crazy to think that the
Gophers could perhaps jump up to an even better bowl -- say, the Outback Bowl.
Of course, the bowl positioning will depend quite a bit on what happens with
the rest of the Big Ten teams this weekend, but Minnesota can make a strong
case for itself to improve its standing with a signature road win.
