The Minnesota Golden Gophers (4-3, 2-2) will take on the Maryland Terrapins this afternoon at Huntington Bank Stadium. The Gophers fresh off their first bye week of the season will look to earn their third straight win after defeating USC and UCLA in the two weeks prior to the bye week.
Here are three keys to victory for the Gophers on Saturday.
1. Find a way to establish the rushing attack
ife is always easier when you can run the ball, but unfortunately for the Gophers this season, they haven't made life too easy. The Gophers are only averaging 105.9 yards per game this season and have only eclipsed the 100-yard mark three times in their first seven games. They're 3-0 in those three games while being 1-3 in their other four games, in which they kept under 100 yards. The lone win? Their last time out against UCLA, a 21-17 win in comeback fashion.
That being said, they'll have a tough matchup this weekend against Maryland, whose run defense has been very good this season—the strength of their defense—allowing just 102.7 yards per game. Opposing rushing attacks have only gone over 100 yards three times, with two of those games ending with Maryland on the losing side.
It won't be easy, but establishing the run on Saturday would go a long way toward a potential Minnesota victory.
2. Getting off the field on third down
The Gophers have struggled getting off the field on third down this season, opposing offenses aer converiting at a 47.06% clip which ranks 119th in the nation. The Terrapins offense has been slightly above average in that aspect this season, coverting 40% of their third down attempts. There are simply too many weapons on this Maryland offense, if you continously allow them to convert on third down, they will make you pay for it, more than not.
3. Getting Max Brosmer in a rythmn early
While the Gophers need to establish their rushing attack on Saturday, they must also get Max Brosmer into a rhythm early. The Terrapins’ biggest defensive weakness is their secondary, which is allowing 288.3 passing yards per game — ranking 125th nationally. Throughout the season, Brosmer has shown that once he finds a rhythm, the Gophers’ passing attack is difficult to stop. This season, the senior quarterback has completed 68.1% of his passes with a 135.1 passer rating. Look for the New Hampshire transfer to potentially set a new season high against Maryland, surpassing his current top performance of 271 yards from week two against Rhode Island.
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