Wisconsin Badgers post-spring review: A look at Minnesota

As players, coaches, fans and, yes, even the media await the start of fall camp to arrive for the Wisconsin Badgers in less than two months, BadgerBlitz.com takes a look at UW's 2019 opponents.

On Nov. 30, Wisconsin travels to Minnesota for its final regular season game of the fall. Returning for his third season, head coach P.J. Fleck is looking for back-to-back wins over the Badgers.

We caught up with Matt Jessen-Howard of GopherReport.com to answer some questions we had about Purdue before it heads into fall camp.

1) Minnesota won three of its last four games to end 2018 with a 7-6 record. That included taking Paul Bunyan's Axe back on the road at Wisconsin and securing a bowl win against Georgia Tech to cap it all off. What likely should be the expectations for P.J. Fleck's program this season?

Jessen-Howard: I would expect a small step forward. Minnesota was young last season and had bumps along the way, but they finished the season strong and like a team that could compete for the Big Ten West in 2019. There's a case to be made that both sides of the ball will improve from last year. The offense had as many as nine freshmen starting at times last year and lead the country in percentage of yards returning, at 97.1 percent. The defense improved after Fleck made a replacement at defensive coordinator; the Gophers gave up 43 points per game in Big Ten play in six games under Robb Smith and gave up just 15 points per game in the final four games under Joe Rossi.

2) Tyler Johnson and Carter Coughlin return for the Gophers as key contributors. Who else comes back from the 2018 squad that will likely have an impact on the team?

Jessen-Howard: Antoine Winfield Jr. was thought to be Minnesota's best defensive player going into last season, but missed the final nine games with injuries. He's one of the most talented players on Minnesota's roster and if he can stay healthy -- that's a big if -- he could be the Gophers' most valuable player this upcoming season.

Running backs Rodney Smith and Shannon Brooks both missed nearly all of last season with injury. The two of them have nearly 5,000 career rushing yards between them, so they'll be impact players if they return healthy. Last season, Mo Ibrahim filled in admirably for them, rushing for 1,160 yards on 5.7 yards per carry. He returns, as well. At receiver, Rashod Bateman had 51 receptions, 704 yards, and six touchdowns as a true freshman last year and steadily improved throughout the season. He may compete for All-Big Ten honors in 2019.

3) Gone is Blake Cashman to the NFL. Who potentially steps up in his place, and where could be areas of concern that Minnesota will need to address in fall camp and during the season?

Jessen-Howard: Minnesota will definitely miss Cashman's playmaking abilities. I'd expect Thomas Rush, who played mostly on special teams last year, to start in his place. Carter Coughlin, who normally plays as a stand-up rush end, may also play some as at linebacker. Coughlin was recruited by Tracy Claeys to play linebacker and started his career at Minnesota as an outside linebacker.

Minnesota's biggest areas of concern right now are safety and defensive tackle. The Gophers had to start walk-on true freshman Jordan Howden at safety for half of last season due to injuries. A healthy Antoine Winfield Jr. would go a long ways to stabilizing what was at times a shaky safety group in 2018. Next to Winfield in 2019 will be Howden or another mostly unproven underclassman.

Minnesota loses Gary Moore and OJ Smith at defensive tackle. Sam Renner and Jamaal Teague got plenty of reps last season but weren't as steady as Moore. The Gophers also add Notre Dame transfer Micah Deh-Treadway and a JUCO transfer, Keonte Schad, to the mix; both should compete for playing time. Mayan Ahanotu, a big defensive end who was last year's Scout Team MVP, could also see playing time at defensive tackle. Who from this group can be counted on against strong Big Ten offensive lines is a question mark heading into the 2019 season.

The offensive line's depth is also a bit of a question mark heading into 2019. Minnesota returns three All-Big Ten Honorable Mention linemen and redshirt freshman Curtis Dunlap Jr. impressed in the games he didn't sit out last year. However, the fifth, sixth, etc. linemen either struggled last season or haven't played in the Big Ten before, and it's important in this conference to have offensive line depth.

4) Which one to two players in the spring potentially earned more fall camp reps and could contribute this season?

Jessen-Howard: Tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford and linebacker Thomas Rush both impressed in spring camp and showed flashes of potential last season. Gopher tight ends caught just six passes last season, and I think Spann-Ford alone will have more than that in 2019. Rush is athletic and may start in Blake Cashman's place.

5) I feel it could be an interesting Big Ten West in 2019 with a good chunk of programs as contenders to head to the conference championship game. What's your season prediction for Minnesota, and what one thing has to happen on either side of the ball for the Gophers to go to Indy?

Jessen-Howard: I agree it could be an interesting Big Ten West in 2019 and look forward to seeing how it plays out. I would take the Gophers at over the 6.5 wins that Vegas has them at. Minnesota has a relatively unproven second-team on defense other than at defensive end and cornerback, so staying healthy will be important. Perhaps the biggest x-factor is safety play -- can Antoine Winfield Jr. make it a full season without injuries in 2019 and will whoever's playing next to him be reliable?