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Week 5: Minnesota

Nickname:  Golden Gophers

Head Coach:  Glen Mason (55-45 in 9 seasons at Minnesota)

Record:  4-0 (1-0 in the Big Ten)

Series Record:  Tied 4-4 (Minnesota has won the last 4)

Surprising Statistic:   Penn State's last 13 scoring drives have all lasted less than 3 minutes.  This statistic has helped to keep Penn State's average time of possession at just over 25 minutes per game through the first 4 games.

He Said:  QB Michael Robinson shared his emotions following Penn State's game-winning TD drive against Northwestern:

            "I looked at everybody's eyes to see if each guy was on the same page as I was.  I  knew that if they looked in my eyes, they would believe that we were going to win this game.  'Cause, there was not a doubt in my mind."

Watch Out For:

·        Laurence Maroney (RB):  Against Purdue, Maroney accounted for 333 total yards, running for 217 yards on 46 carries, catching 5 passes for 59 yards, and picking up an additional 57 yards returning 2 kickoffs.  On the season, Minnesota's Heisman candidate has rushed for 698 yards and 6 touchdowns, averaging 6.2 yards per carry.  Maroney leads the nation in rushing with 174.5 yards per game and all-purpose yards with 220.8 yards per game.

·        Gary Russell (RB):  Minnesota's OTHER running back has tallied 324 yards and 8 touchdowns thus far this season, averaging a whopping 8.1 yards per carry.  Along with Maroney, he's helped Minnesota become the best rushing offense in the nation, averaging 326.5 yards per game and 6 yards per carry.

Intriguing Matchup:

·        Minnesota's pass offense vs. Penn State's linebackers and secondary:  It goes without saying that Penn State must find a way to contain Minnesota's high octane, run-oriented offense in order to stay in the game.  Laurence Maroney and Gary Russell will pick up their share of yardage against the Lions this weekend and Penn State must avoid giving up long gains.  However, the aspect of Minnesota's offense that concerns me most is what their play action pass will be able to do to Penn State's linebackers and safeties if they get too caught up in stopping the run.  One weakness I've seen in Penn State's secondary this season is the pass coverage skills of the safeties over the middle.  Look for gopher QB Bryan Cupito to dry and drag his receivers and TE Matt Spaeth behind the Nittany Lion linebackers and safeties for some big plays.

Keys for Penn State to pick up the W:

·        Put up points early: One sure way to take a run-oriented offense out of their gameplan is to get an early lead on them and force them to do some things they may not be accustomed to.  While Minnesota has had some success this season throwing the football, most of that is based off of the success of their running game.  Making Bryan Cupito become a dropback passer may end up being an added ace up Tom Bradley's sleeve.

·        Control the line of scrimmage:  Against the Wildcats, the Lions did a fair job of protecting Michael Robinson while managing to get pressure on Northwestern QB Brett Basanez.  The sacks didn't show up on the stat sheet, but Basanez was forced out of the pocket on several occasions due to Penn State's strong line push.  Minnesota's offensive line is a lot of the reason for Maroney's success.  I would really like to see the Lions hold their own against the gophers without having to have to use an overabundance of run blitzes.  Also keep an eye on the endurance of Penn State's defensive front as the game progresses.  Run-oriented offenses tend to wear their opponents down as the game enters the fourth quarter.  With Penn State's lack of depth across the line, this could be a serious concern.

·        Out coach Glen Mason:  Minnesota has beaten Penn State the last 4 times the two have met and I'm sure most will agree that it wasn't because they have had superior talent.  Since Glen Mason has taken over in Minneapolis, he has played Joe Paterno tough and arguably outcoached him each time.  I'm sure all Lion fans can remember the two straight games in which Minnesota attempted and recovered an onsides kick.  How about the game winning drive in 1999 that started the downfall of the program that we've all experienced over the past 5 seasons.  It's time for Joe and his staff to put in the collective man hours that it's going to take to scour the films and develop a game plan that will rival that of Mason's.  If they can do it, we might just witness the reverse of the curse…

JoePa's Take:

·        Penn State's trouble with turnovers is due to a combination of a lack of concentration and inexperience.  Coach Paterno also mentioned that some players may be trying a little too hard to make big plays.

·        Minnesota has one of the better offensive lines that Joe has seen in college football.  He feels that they make up their mind that they are going to run the football and then they intimidate their opponents.

·        JoePa thinks that Laurence Maroney is a great back and compared him to Curtis Enis.

·        Joe feels that right now, PSU is a pretty good football team but still somewhat of a project.

·        Injury update – Reserve OL Chris Auletta will return this week while Greg Harrison will likely miss a few more weeks.

Bet You Didn't Know:  Linebacker Paul Posluszny made 22 tackles against Northwestern, which earned him Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honor.  However, that was only good enough for 4^th best in the Penn State record books.  Another former great linebacker, Greg Buttle, holds the record with 24 stops against West Virginia in 1974.

My Prediction:  Penn State 31, Minnesota 27

 

For a full recap of Joe Paterno's weekly press conference, check out gopsusports.com.

 

For more information regarding the Minnesota Golden Gophers, head to gophersports.com.

Until next time, S-T-A-T-E, Go State!!!

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