The Minnesota Golden Gophers will look for a season-defining win on Saturday afternoon when they face the No. 4 Penn State Nittany Lions. If the Gophers are going to find a way to pull the upset as a 11.5-point underdogs, they'll have to be sure to hit each of these three keys to victory.

If Minnesota is going to win this game, they'll need it to be in low-scoring fashion. They're not going to be able to win a track meet or shootout with Penn State, and the best way to ensure that doesn't happen is by shortening the game. The Gophers need to be able to establish the rushing attack and be able to run the ball consistently. It doesn't have to be for four or five yards a carry but they need to be able to at least average around that three-yard mark. Additionally, the Gophers need to stay ahead of the sticks. This is a largely lopsided matchup when it comes to Minnesota's third-down offense against Penn State's third-down defense, in favor of the Nittany Lions. The Gophers need to find a way to convert on at least 40% of their third down attempts in all likelihood to give themselves a legitimate chance of winning this game. The goal for the Gophers should be to get this game to the fourth quarter with the lead or in striking distance. Being able to run the ball successfully while also being to keep drives alive will be paramount to doing so.

Despite averaging nearly 250 passing yards per game, this Penn State passing attack is one that you can exploit especially with a good secondary, which the Gophers have. Penn State's weapons in the passing attack are mostly tight end Tyler Warren, wide receiver Harrison Wallace III, and running back Nicholas Singleton. The goal for the Gophers' defense this afternoon should be to eliminate the Penn State rushing attack as much as possible, forcing the Nittany Lions to try and beat the Gophers through the air constantly. It's a gamble, Drew Allar is a very capable quarterback and the best the Gophers have faced this season, he can make every throw in the book. But again, the Penn State passing attack is one that can be slowed down, when forced to be one-dimensional.

The best player on the field Saturday will be Penn State tight end Tyler Warren. There is no stopping Warren, let's make that clear. The best the Gophers will be able to do on Saturday is contain him and slow him down. As P.J. Fleck said on Monday, the Gophers have their hands full with the likely John Mackey Award winner.

"Really, really good player," Fleck said about Warren on Monday during his weekly press conference. "We got our hands full," he added.

"I think when we talk about consistency is the truest measure of performance, I think that's what you see every single week," Fleck said about Warren's performance in 2024. "It's the versatility to do so many things."

That versatility is what makes Warren so dangerous. This season, the senior has lined up at tight end, in the slot, or in the backfield as a wildcat. He even threw a handful of passes while also one time snapping the ball and then catching a touchdown on the same play.

He's a special player and the stat line of 67 receptions for 808 yards and five touchdowns plus 16 carries for 157 yards and four touchdowns shows just that. While the Gophers' linebackers will be tasked with slowing down Warren for the most part on Saturday, it will be a task that also requires full help from the secondary.

If Warren is able to take over on Saturday, the Gophers' chances of winning drastically go down. Finding a way to slow him down or contain him would go a long way, however, in an avenue to a potential Minnesota victory.

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