Ryan Burns, Minnesota Football publisher for GopherIllustrated, graciously answered 5 questions for Cal fans about what to expect in Saturday night's ACC-Big Ten matchup between Cal and Minnesota.
It should be a good one!
Q: Which players or units should Cal fans keep an eye on in Cal's matchup vs. Minnesota?
On offense, Cal fans will get their first look at another promising freshman quarterback in Drake Lindsey. He and Sagapolutele are both completing north of 60% of their throws, with 3:1 TD to INT ratios, and both possess 83+ Pro Football Focus passing grades. With star tailback Darius Taylor's status up in the air, I expect Minnesota to lean on Lindsey more if things stagnate on the ground. I'll also be curious to see how Minnesota's mass and size on the offensive/defensive line holds up against the smaller and quicker ACC type bodies.
I've seen them overwhelm teams such as Georgia Tech, Syracuse and Virginia Tech, but also have seen them struggle against North Carolina. -
Q: There's been word that Minnesota's starting RB and DT may miss the game or be limited. If that's the case, how might that affect the game and what's expected from their backups and might any other key players be held out?
Both running back Darius Taylor and defensive tackle Jalen Logan-Redding left last week's contest against Northwestern State and did not return. Head coach P.J. Fleck does give injury updates to the media of any kind, as in his mind, that'll give the opponent an advantage in game planning. If Taylor can't go, I'd expect to see a trio of running backs fill in for him in Marshall transfer A.J. Turner, Washington graduate transfer Cam Davis and freshman Fame Ijeboi. Turner profiles as more of an early down back that possesses explosive speed, while Davis is more of a between the tackles runner and is vital on passing downs. Ijeboi is a blend of both, but I'd expect to see all three if the former All-Big Ten tailback can't go.
If Logan-Redding can't go, I'd guess you'd see some combination of seniors Rushawn Lawrence and Nate Becker, with Anthony Smith also potentially sliding inside more from his defensive end spot.
Q: What is Minnesota's outlook this season competing in the always-tough Big Ten?
Vegas' preseason win total for Minnesota was 6.5 wins, which is interesting considering Minnesota has won seven or more regular season games in four of the last five seasons. But they lost six Gophers to the NFL that made 53-man rosters, and that's tough to replace at a place like Minnesota. The schedule isn't incredibly daunting outside of trips to places like Ohio State and Oregon, so their success will come down to something Cal fans know plenty about from last season. One-possession games. Minnesota went 3-4 in those last year, and spent a lot of time this offseason detailing how they need to improve there. I'd imagine they'll get their first shot this weekend in Berkeley.
Q: What's the general perception of the Cal football program two weeks into the season and do you have a prediction for this game?
My outsider perspective is that Cal's offense was *supposed* to be mediocre at best considering they lost QB1, RB1, RB2, TE1 and WR1-4 to the portal, and I believe all went to P2 schools. But that isn't the case considering that Jaron Keawe Sagapolutele has looked like the real deal as a freshman, but it's also not the Bears team with Marshawn Lynch and Jahvid Best that ran all over Minnesota 15 years back.
Defensively, I knew that Justin Wilcox always ran good defenses, but didn't know how good they were last year in the ACC, and that's carried over to the first two weeks. #00 (Cade Uluave) and #43 (Ryan McCulloch) are all-conference types of players, and the addition of #5 (Paco Austin) at corner should be an outstanding test. I think these two teams are actually really similar with freshmen quarterbacks, revamped skill positions and offensive lines, plus both teams that want to lean on their defenses.
This to me comes down to who you believe can learn from last year's struggles in one-possession games. Minnesota went 3-4, while Cal was 2-5. I'd lean Minnesota winning a 23-20 type of game, but in all reality, which freshman quarterback makes the plays in the final moments is the likely victor.
What will Minnesota have to do well to win Saturday's game and what do you think Cal will need to do to pull off an upset win?
Minnesota has to find something in the run game, as Cal's rushing defense has only allowed 117 yards in two games, and that's a season after ranking 2nd in the ACC in that same stat. It's going to be crucial that Lindsey/Harbaugh keep Minnesota in 3rd down and manageable, as Cal's defense has allowed only 24% of third-downs to be converted for a total of six conversions in two games.
While the Gopher offense has converted 50% of their 3rd downs to start the year, something has to give on Saturday night. And then defensively, you've got to tackle well in space and get Cal to third down where they've struggled immensely through the first two weeks. I also believe that they can't let Jacob De Jesus do anything in the return game, as he's been outstanding in flipping field position for Cal.
If Minnesota wins, I'd imagine it'll revolve around getting pressure on JKS and hoping for poor decisions or getting the ball on the turf. And on the flip side offensively, they get enough of a run game going to let Lindsey find something through the air.
If Cal wins, their multiple-front defense doesn't allow Minnesota's offensive line to protect Lindsey and allow holes in the running game, and then the P4 athletes for the Cal offense make Minnesota's defense miss tackles, and JKS looks like he did in that Oregon State game. Should be an outstanding PAC-1...errrr....ACC after dark game!
