Game Day Primer: Indiana Hoosiers vs. Minnesota Golden Gophers

Written by: TJ Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)

What: Indiana Hoosiers (2-8) vs. Minnesota Golden Gophers (6-4)

When: Saturday, November 20 at 3:30 on BTN

Where: Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, IN

How to Watch: The game will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network and can be heard on the IU Radio Network.

Series History: The Indiana Hoosiers and Minnesota Golden Gophers first played in 1906 as Minnesota won a 8-6 contest in Minneapolis. The Gophers won 10 of the first 11 games in the series before IU started to make it competitive. The Hoosiers won four in a row in the early 90s under Bill Mallory and have won 26 meetings total. Minnesota has won 39 times and the two have tied on three occasions. Minnesota has won the last three sporadic meetings but they’ve all been close. IU’s last win was in 2007 (Bill Lynch versus Tim Brewster!) and Minnesota pulled out a frustrating 38-30 victory in 2018.

What’s at Stake: The stakes do not get any lower than this. There is no sugar coating it, the Indiana Hoosiers have nothing of substance to play for. It is Senior Day in Bloomington and quite possibly the last home game for players like Jaylin Williams, Peyton Hendershot and Micah McFadden among others. Pride is really the only thing on the line for Indiana. Minnesota is sitting at 6-4 so they will be going bowling. If they can win out and get a couple of losses by Iowa, Minnesota would be the West champion and represent the division in the Big Ten title game. More realistically, Minnesota can reach seven wins and ensure a winning season by prevailing on Saturday.

A FEW THINGS TO LOOK FOR

1.    Do the Hoosiers Have Any Fight Left?

This season has been as rotten as any that IU football fans can remember (and there are a whole lot of choices for that distinction). Expectations have not been met by each and every position group and it’s hard to find any positives. Last week, the effort appeared to be gone and it was the first time in the Tom Allen era it appeared the team had “quit”. A 38-3 beatdown at the hands of Rutgers was unimaginable and the performance was perhaps even worse than the scoreline indicated. IU turned the ball over six times, not counting the two turnovers on downs, and were never competitive against a very mediocre opponent. The “X’s and O’s” of this game are very much secondary to whether or not the players on the field have anything left in them to try and get a Big Ten win.

2.    Searching for Offensive Positives

Over the course of seven Big Ten contests, IU has scored a grand total of 73 points. That averages out to 10.42 points per game and it includes a 35 point performance. Take the Maryland game out and IU has scored more than seven points in one Big Ten game (15 against MSU). It has been a level of futility that is hard to understand. Injuries to the quarterback and running back positions have played a part but the issues run far, far deeper. Minnesota’s defense is definitely not the best on IU’s schedule but the Gophers are capable of holding opponents down (14 for Illinois, 14 for Northwestern, 16 for Maryland 0 for Colorado). It’s unclear who will start at quarterback but the best guess is true freshman Donaven McCulley. If that’s the case, the plan should be to attempt to get McCulley into an early rhythm and at least allow him to attempt to stretch the field. IU is clearly not likely to go on prolonged drives so they will need to find a way to generate explosive plays downfield. Minnesota relies on Boye Mafe, Thomas Rush and Trill Carter to get into the backfield with Mafe being their most disruptive defensive player. The offensive line has to figure out a way to provide at least some protection if the offense is to have any kind of chance.

3.    The Defense Must Get Takeaways

Lost in the torrent of negativity surrounding the offensive performances for IU is the change we’ve seen on the defensive side of the ball. The Hoosiers have gone from one of the nation’s best teams at getting takeaways to one of the worst. The Hoosiers are averaging less than one takeaway per game and are a stunning minus ten on the season. Tanner Morgan has thrown seven interceptions in a very poor season for the Gopher quarterback and the Hoosiers need to find a way to win the turnover battle and preferably, give the offense a short field on multiple occasions. If this does not turn into a chaotic game with takeaways, it’s hard to see how the Hoosiers stand up against Minnesota. The Gophers passing game is not particularly strong with no real standout receiver. They’ll likely lean on the ground game with Trey Potts and Ky Thomas getting the bulk of the carries.