The year was 2019, Billie Eilish’s “Bad Guy” was the top digital single, Disney+ came to TVs across America and the Gophers football team knocked off undefeated Penn State, 31-26 at TCF Bank Stadium.
A lot changed from that game five years ago, but one thing stayed constant.
The Gophers continue to terrorize opposing quarterbacks. Minnesota picked off Penn State three times back in 2019. This season, the Gophers sit fourth in the nation in interceptions (16) with freshman Koi Perich leading the way with five.
Gophers senior cornerback Justin Walley said takeaways are one of the main things the defense focuses on in games.
“When you play a team that’s ranked top five in the country, a team like Penn State, if you don’t get any takeaways it’s hard to win a game like that,” Walley said.
The Gophers’ secondary is coming off of a game against Rutgers where former Minnesota quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis threw for 240 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.
Minnesota’s offense is preparing to face one of the healthiest defenses they have faced all season, according to head coach P.J. Fleck.
“They’re really good at the small things,” Fleck said. “Yes they have a ton of talent but can you get that ton of talent to do the little things really well? We’ve got to play really good, sound football.”
Gophers quarterback Max Brosmer said he has never seen someone spend as much time as offensive coordinator Greg Harbaugh Jr. on a game plan.
“It’s about how much he cares to be in the right call every single time and that’s an amazing help for me as a quarterback,” Brosmer said. “He simplifies things a lot.”
The offense hit its stride with Harbaugh heading into the Rutgers game on Nov. 9, but a fumble that turned into points for the Scarlet Knights was the difference in the loss.
Harbaugh said people misinterpret what goes into game planning and how he learned the skill back when he started coaching at North Carolina Wesleyan, a Division III school.
“Everyone thinks that you start the game plan on Sunday night, Monday’s a heavy, Tuesday’s a heavy day and then once you get through practice (Wednesday) the game plan is done,” Harbaugh said.
The Gophers defense will have to plan for Penn State’s Tyler Warren, a do-it-all tight end for the Nittany Lions. Warren leads all Power Four tight ends in receiving yards (808), yards after the catch (509) and missed tackles forced (13).
Penn State capitalizes on Warren’s ability to move all over the field. Gophers fifth-year defensive lineman Danny Striggow said Warren is a handful whether he is snapping, throwing, catching or running the ball.
“It’s important to know where he is because a lot of their offense is surrounding him,” Striggow said.
Although Gophers defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman admitted he does not know much about the Heisman Trophy, he believes Warren could be in the conversation for the award solely for the impact he has on Penn State’s offense.
Come Saturday, the Gophers will look for their third-ranked win of the season and improve on their six-win bowl-eligible season before heading to Madison, Wisconsin for the annual border battle.
