Opponent Breakdown: Minnesota
At a Glance Oregon State at Minnesota When: 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 1
Where: TCF Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota
TV/Radio: Big Ten Network/Beaver Sports Radio Network
Series history: Minnesota leads 2-1.
Last meeting: 1981. Minnesota defeated Oregon State, 42-12, at Memorial Stadium behind a 20-point second quarter. The Golden Gophers rushed for 296 yards and gained 497 yards on offense, while holding OSU to 247 total yards offense. Randy Holmes led the Beavers with 69 yards rushing.
2015 in Review
Record: 6-7 overall, 2-6 Big Ten (3-4 home, 2-3 away, 1-0 neutral site)
Bowl game: Won the Quick Lane Bowl, 21-14, against Central Michigan.
Quick numbers: Points per game — 22.5, Opponents’ points per game — 25.2; Rushing yards per game — 144, Opponents’ — 166; Passing yards per game — 214, Opponents’ — 179; Time of possession — 29:00, Opponents’ — 31:00; Red-zone scoring percentage — 86 percent, Opponents’ 89 percent.
Top performers: Passing: Mitch Leidner — 2,701 yards, 14 TD, 11 INT, 59 percent completion rate; 253 rushing yards, and 6 TD; Rushing: Shannon Brooks — 709 yards, 7 TD, 6 YPC; Receiving: KJ Maye — 73 catches, 773 yards, 5 TD; Tackles — Antonio Johnson, 102 tackles, 2 for loss, and 1 INT.
Notable games: Lost 29-26 to Michigan at home; lost 28-14 the following week to Ohio State in Columbus; followed by a 40-35 loss to Iowa in Iowa City the next week; won Quick Lane Bowl Game against C. Michigan, 21-14.
Sept. 4 Outlook
Key returners: Leidner (QB), Brooks (RB), and Brandon Lingen (TE) — 33 catches, 428 yards and 3 TD in 2015; Cody Poock (LB) — 99 tackles, 5.5 for loss, Jack Lynn (LB) — 66 tackles, 11 for loss, Jalen Myrick (DB) — 27 tackles, 3 INT.
Key losses: Maye, Drew Wolitarsky (524 receiving yards, 3 TD in 2015), ; Johnson, DeVondre Campbell (92 tackles, four sacks), Eric Murray (66 tackles, 7 pass breakups)
Key strength: Running game. Minnesota returns its top two rushers from last season in Brooks (704 yards, 7 TD) and Rodney Smith (670, 2), as well as Leidner who rushed for 6 TD. Both Brooks and Smith are in the 6-foot, 200 pound range, so expect the Golden Gophers to run and run often at Oregon State’s inexperienced front seven.
Key question: Secondary. Standouts Eric Murray, Briean Boddy-Calhoun, and Antonio Johnson have departed (and several are in the NFL). So Minnesota will be looking for players to step up and help fill the void left by some very talented players. Look for opponents to test this unit early and often this season.
Raju’s Take
Forget that Minnesota has struggled in recent seasons; this will be a tough matchup for the Beavers. The Golden Gophers have enough returning talent and experience on offense to create problems for OSU’s untested defense. If that wasn’t enough, they have extra motivation to win — as it will be Tracy Claeys debut as official head coach after serving as interim HC part of last season in Jerry Kill’s absence due to health issues.
Expect Minnesota to run the ball 30+ times and use that open the passing game. Speaking of which, the Beavers need to be aware of TE Brandon Lingen, a big target at 6-5, 250 pounds. He is just one piece Minnesota will use to be physical and try to wear the OSU defense down. While stopping the run will be paramount to Beavers’ chances to win, just as important will be the ability to move the ball through the air.
Minnesota likely will stack the box and dare Darrell Garretson to beat them — and he must be able to take advantage of the Golden Gophers’ new-look secondary. However, the key to the passing game rests on how well the offensive line can open holes for Ryan Nall and Co. and protect Garretson. There are a lot of questions surrounding the line, and this game will be an excellent test for the unit.
In fact, Beaver Nation should be able to learn a lot about the 2016 squad from this matchup. If the Beavers come out strong, smack Minnesota in the mouth, and never look back, it’s a great sign. If they get rolled, well, at least they get to rebound with Idaho State. Ultimately, this game should be a close one — and could be decided by whoever strikes first. Who will prevail? The OSU passing game or the Minnesota rushing game?