BadgerBlitz.com brings back it's Behind Enemy Lines series, where we get an opposing beat writer's take on the upcoming matchup.
For Week 14, we spoke to Dylan Callaghan-Croley of Gophers Nation and touched on how Minnesota's season has unfolded, the play of quarterback Max Brosmer and more:
Sitting at 6-5 but with some big wins this fall, what’s been the perception of how this season has gone for Minnesota?
Callaghan-Croley: Yeah, it’s been a season of highs and lows for the Gophers. They started 1-3 and it looked early that it was going to be a long season, especially after a double-digit loss to Iowa. But throughout the season, the Gophers showed flashes, including in a close loss to Michigan.
One week later they’d beat USC and it would begin a four-game winning streak to put them at 6-3. Now they’re on a two-game skid. Overall, Minnesota, outside of its loss to Iowa, has really been only one play or so away from potentially winning those games, so there has been some frustrations about this season as a whole. It’s a good mixture of being happy with their overall level of play but also frustrated because the record could be significantly better.
How would you evaluate the play of quarterback Max Brosmer this season?
Callaghan-Croley: For the large majority of this season, Brosmsr has been an efficient and smart quarterback. He has done a great job at not turning the ball over this season. Of course, last week he had two turnovers that proved costly for the Gophers. But prior to a second-quarter interception last week against Penn State, the New Hampshire transfer hasn’t thrown an interception since September.
You could tell he’s a veteran quarterback who’s played a ton of college football in how he handles the ebbs and flows of the game well. He has also handled the speed of the FBS and Power 4 game well this season; it’s never looked too fast for him. He’s not a quarterback who is going to overly wow you but he’s a “steady eddy” who is rarely going to hurt his time either. His lone season as a Gopher has been a high quality one and I expect he may get picked up as a UDFA in the spring perhaps with a strong build up to the draft he can become a seventh-round pick.
Who are the most dangerous players on both sides of the ball?
Callaghan-Croley: Most dangerous players for Minnesota is quite easy. Offensively it’s Darius Taylor, the star running back, and wide receiver Daniel Jackson. The Gophers have struggled run blocking this season but you wouldn’t be able to tell with Taylor’s stat line as he’s still almost averaging five yards per carry this season. He’s a phenomenal running back with a good mix of speed and physicality. Jackson is one of the program’s all time leading receivers and every game finds himself making a handful of catches for at least 50 yards or so. He’s a strong route runner and has a great catch radius to go with incredible hands. I can see him being a Day 2 pick in April.
Defensively, true freshman Koi Perich has been one of the best safeties in the country. He plays well against the run but has done great things against the pass with five interceptions this season. Last week, he was the Gophers best defender when it came to slowing down Penn State star tight end Tyler Warren as well. Also worth mentioning is defensive end Jah Joyner who has had an overall quiet season with a handful of sacks but has the ability to get into the backfield at high rates.
Who are some under-the-radar players to watch on Friday?
Callaghan-Croley: In terms of under the radar players, watch for wide receiver Elijah Spencer, linebacker Cody Lindenberg and cornerback Ethan Robinson. Spencer in his first season with the program last year had a really quiet season but this year he’s exploded for 41 receptions for 528 yards and four scores. Lindenberg is the heart and soul of the Gophers defense - not an overly athletic linebacker but a high football IQ player who constantly is in the right position and finds himself around the ball. He leads the Gophers with 90 combined tackles. Finally, Robinson in his first and only year with the program, transferred in from Bucknell this offseason. He’s done a great job of elevating his draft stock, keeping a large majority of wide receivers he’s faced this season quiet. He has 40 tackles this season as well as six pass deflections and three interceptions.
Prediction for the game?
Callaghan-Croley: I think this should be a good one on Friday. I’m going to go with the Gophers to win - I think they played really good football last week against Penn State despite the loss while the Badgers are in a bit of a tailspin. I’m just not sure that I’ve seen enough from the Badgers in recent weeks outside that close loss to Oregon to think they’ll be able to get out of it on Friday. I expect a close one, a one-score game. Give me Minnesota 23, Wisconsin 20.
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