Moving into weeks 7-10 in the Gopher’s schedule marks the start of the critical “50/50” BIG10 games. These are the games where the middle-of-the-pack teams have the opportunity to differentiate themselves from the others who are in similar situations, while also pushing for wins to get to a bowl game. In these weeks the Gophers will see the UCLA Bruins, Maryland Terrapins, and the Illinois Fighting Illini.
WEEK 7 (Oct. 12)
- @ University of California-Los Angeles
Week 8 will bring Minnesota back to Pasadena for the first time since 1962, this time to match up against the Bruins instead of a postseason Rose Bowl Game. UCLA will be their second BIG10 newcomer that they will see, while also getting to see new head coach DeShaun Foster. The Bruins 2024 season will be interesting, as it would seem to be a rebuilding year, but Foster has done a great job building a squad that could be vying for a bowl game in his first season. If UCLA is in contention for a bowl game, especially with the high difficulty of their schedule, then games like this, against Minnesota, will be nearly must-win for the Bruins.
UCLA will have a QB-WR duo that is in the top half of the BIG10, between Ethan Garbers and J. Michael Sturdivant. Sturdivant likely would have been an NFL draft pick, had he decided to go that route last season, but instead will be coming back for another year in college. Garbers will be the starter for the Bruins in 2024 at QB, after going back and forth with Dante Moore and other QBs a season ago. Garbers looked the most seasoned of the QBs last year, as he finished with an 11-3 TD-INT ratio and had some impressive wins to go with it. With Moore transferring to Oregon, it will be Garbers’ job to lose. Before Foster took over, Chip Kelly had the Bruins running his high-powered spread option offense. Now with former Kansas City Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy running the offense, I would expect them to be much more balanced with a stronger passing attack and utilizing more play action to get Garbers into space to make plays. This game for the Gophers will be tight and gritty, but they will have the advantage in the trenches, so if they can force UCLA to play their game instead of vice versa, they could have success stopping this offense.
The Bruins saw their best player and leader of their defense get selected in the 1st round of the 2024 NFL Draft , that being DL Laiatu Latu. Their D-Line and Secondary will be relying on transfers to fill many holes from 2023. After being in the top 10 in sacks and rush defense, the D-Line will likely be a quick rotation of players until some begin to differentiate themselves from the rest. This game being in week 7 means this inexperienced group will have some games under their belt and should only get better as the season goes on. The secondary saw 6 players who started at least one game last year leave the program, meaning a lot of spots for transfers and recruits to fill. With UCLA having some solid run-stopping linebackers and D-lineman, it will be critical to get the passing game in rhythm against an inexperienced secondary. As the linebacking group, this will be the highlight of the defensive unit. Two seniors, Oluwafemi Oladejo and Kain Medrano, will be the main guys anchoring this unit. With them, Foster also added a first-team All-Ivy League linebacker from Yale, in Joseph Vaughn, amongst other depth pieces. This linebacking room is one of the better the Gophers will see all year, furthering the point that getting a pass game established will be critical.
Score Prediction
WEEK 9 (Oct. 26)
- Vs. University of Maryland
The Gopher will finally get their first bye week in week 8, before welcoming the Maryland Terrapins to town in week 9. Maryland finished 2023 with an 8-5 record and a bowl win against Auburn, and it could have been even better after giving a few games away. They had an explosive offense and a solid defense to match but will have some question marks in 2024 as they look to reload at numerous positions. This marks the second straight matchup that could make or break the season for Minnesota, as it will be necessary they take care of business against equal or lesser-skilled teams.
- Maryland Offensive Outlook
Maryland will begin 2024 similarly to almost everyone else in the BIG10, that is with a new quarterback behind center. They will be replacing longtime starter Taulia Tagovailoa and will be looking at last year’s backup Billy Edwards Jr. or NC State transfer M.J Morris to do so. Edwards has the slight edge so far, as he has more experience with the playbook and has looked better throwing the ball so far this fall. Regardless of who begins the season for the Terrapins, they will likely have one set by the time this matchup happens in late October. Minnesota will have its hands full with stud running back Roman Hemby, so keeping the box bottled up against a transfer portal-filled offensive line will be key for the Gophers to slow down the Maryland attack. If the Terrapins do not get consistent passing out of one of their QBs, it will likely not be on the wide receivers to blame. Tai Felton and Kaden Prather make up one of the better duos in all of the Big Ten. The question marks for this matchup will come down to whether Maryland has solidified a QB by this point and also gotten consistent play out of them.
- Maryland Defensive Outlook
Maryland’s defense stepped up in 2023, having an above-average squad and having one of their best seasons in a decade. Their linebacking unit saw one of their best guys leave for Michigan, but should still be very good, which is a testament to the good recruiting job done by Locksley. LB Ruben Hyppolite will likely be the leader of the defense followed by their safety duo and transfer CB Jalen Huskey should step in and have success. Locksley’s defenses the last few seasons have been average to below average against the run and pass, but the things that they have done very well that pushes them to being a solid unit is creating turnovers. As long as Minnesota does not shoot themselves in the foot and allow Maryland to take the ball away multiple times, they should be able to work their way down the field. This seems like the type of game where P.J. Fleck will really try to enforce his style of football, that being methodical run-heavy drives. If they are able to convert 3rd-downs and get downhill, then I see Minnesota having success in this matchup.
Score Prediction
- Minnesota 27 – Maryland 9
WEEK 10 (Nov. 2)
In week 10, Minnesota will travel to Champaign to look to hand Bret Bielema his first-ever loss to the Gophers. The Fighting Illini have had the Gophers’ number for the last few seasons, having the odds stacked against them on numerous occasions but always seeming to be able to come out on top. This Illinois team plays a very similar style to the Gophers, having a strong defense and trying to supplement the run with some passing. Much like Minnesota, Illinois suffered some stars heading to the NFL or transferring, but they did not bring in as much talent to make up for the losses.
- Illinois Offensive Outlook
Luke Altmyer will again be leading the Illinois offense in 2024 after finishing in the middle of the pack amongst other BIG10 QBs last year. Altmyer has his moments of looking like a solid QB, but being able to stay consistent and stay healthy will be key. The job will get harder this year with the loss of stud WR Isaiah Williams. They will look towards UTSA transfer Zachari Franklin as the guy to take over as the top receiver, but the lack of other options and depth may hurt. As for the run game, the Illini lost top back Reggie Love III to rival Purdue, so the majority of the workload will fall on Kaden Feagin. Feagin is a mammoth running back at 6’3 and 250 pounds, which will be a force to stop. Although with RB, much like other positions on offense, they have a guy or two that can be productive but will need younger guys to step into bigger roles in order to have success. The Gophers defense needs to get pressure on Altmyer and make him feel uncomfortable while creating turnovers to get the offense as good of field position as possible.
- Illinois Defensive Outlook
The Illinois defense will have to replace DT Jer’Zhan Newton, who at times last year seemed like he could be the only guy on the field and would find a way to get a stop. They brought in FSU transfer Dennis Briggs and brought back TeRah Edwards on the inside, but it will likely be a rotation of guys that need to not only replicate the production from last year but improve it. The linebacking crew is solid at getting sideline to sideline did well creating pressure a season ago, and returns nearly the same group from 2023. Dylan Rosiek and Seth Coleman will be the two big names at linebacker and should be the leaders of this defense. As for the secondary, they also will be headed by a solid duo in Xavier Scott and Miles Scott at safety. Supplementing them on the outside will be Texas transfer Terrance Brooks and Zachary Tobe, who should all team up to be a solid secondary, but one that needs to force more turnovers to be successful. Minnesota must get chunk plays on the ground, as the run defense will be the weakness, while also finishing drives consistently. If they do not have to settle for field goals, they should be able to have success against Bret Bielema’s squad this season.
Score Prediction
- Minnesota 34 – Illinois 10
