The Minnesota Golden Gophers will take on the Iowa Hawkeyes on Saturday afternoon in Iowa City, looking to snap an eight game losing streak to their rival from the south. If the Gophers are going to pull off the win on Saturday, they'll need to have strong game plans to contain these Hawkeyes below.
OFFENSE - RB Leshon Williams
With no Erick Hall and no Luke Lachey, Williams becomes the Hawkeyes top offensive weapon on Saturday. Williams has had a solid season this year when given opportunities. In week three, he had a breakout performance against Western Michigan with 12 carries for 145 yards, as well as two receptions for 27 yards and one touchdown. He's also had back-to-back strong performances against Purdue and Wisconsin the last two weeks, going for a combined 248 yards on 38 carries. Expect the Hawkeyes to rely heavily on Williams on Saturday afternoon.
Honorable Mention: RB Kaleb Johnson
DEFENSE - LB Jay Higgins
This could've been Cooper DeJean, after all he's an All-American caliber safety having a great season, but we'll go with linebacker Jay Higgins. The senior out of Indianapolis has been fantastic this season for defensive coordinator Phil Parker and the Hawkeyes. Higgins leads all Hawkeyes with 87 tackles while also recording one interception, three pass deflections, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery. In seven games this season, Higgins has five double-digit tackle performances, including an 18 tackle performance against Penn State late last month. The Gophers on Saturday will look to have a strong presence on the ground, and Higgins will be one of the Hawkeyes' key players when it comes to stopping that rushing attack.
Honorable Mention: DB Cooper DeJean
SPECIAL TEAMS - PR Cooper DeJean
We didn't select DeJean as the player to watch on defense, but he's our player to watch on special teams. DeJean has been a great punt returner for Iowa throughout his career, averaging 14.3 yards per return for his career. This season, DeJean picked up his first career punt return for a touchdown against the Michigan State Spartans while averaging 13.0 yards per return. If he makes the first man miss, it can become worrisome and dicey for the opposition quickly. In what is expected to be a low-scoring game, special teams could prove to be one of the deciding factors.
We would be amiss not to mention punter Tory Taylor here as well. Taylor has been arguably the country's best punter this season, averaging 48.3 yards per punt. He can flip the field position in favor of Iowa, no matter where he's booting the ball from.
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