The Penn State Nittany Lions (9-1) have begun a new win streak on the heels of the Ohio State loss, beating Purdue and Washington by a combined 84-16 over the last two weeks. James Franklin and company will look to continue that trend on Saturday afternoon, traveling to Minneapolis to take on the Minnesota Golden Gophers (6-4).
Prior to Saturday afternoon clash between the Nittany Lions and Gophers, Happy Valley Insider takes a first look at PJ Fleck's Minnesota squad.
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Game/Broadcast Details:
Where: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Stadium: Huntington Bank Stadium (Official capacity of 50,805)
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Television: CBS - Brad Nessler (PxP), Gary Danielson (Color), Jenny Dell (Sidelines)
Odds: Penn State opened as a -12.5-point favorite, over/under is 45.5 points.
Another sneaky good team in Minneapolis:
PJ Fleck has been one of the more underrated coaches since entering the Big Ten in 2017 as head coach of the Golden Gophers, having a record of 56-38 in Minneapolis, which has including two nine-win seasons, along with an 11-win campaign in 2019.
The Gophers may not reach the 9-win mark in 2024, but are still having a successful year. After starting the season 2-3, Minnesota rattled off four straight wins to get to 6-3 on the year. Those victories came over USC in what was then an upset, as well as UCLA, Maryland and another win over a ranked opponent, Illinois.
A 26-19 loss to Rutgers snapped Minnesota's four-game winning streak last weekend, but PJ Fleck and company look to notch another upset win on Saturday when Penn State comes to town for an afternoon showdown.
Key Minnesota stats and notes to know...
Run game takes another step back:
In 2022, Minnesota had one of the top rushing attacks in the country, averaging north of 200 yards per game behind Mo Ibrahim. Since then, Darius Taylor has assumed the role of lead back for the Gophers, but the team success has dipped in each of the last two years.
Minnesota is mustering 104 yards per game on the ground this season, which ranks 17th in the Big Ten and 121st in the country. Taylor has been banged up, but still has 672 yards and nine touchdowns this season, but that is off from his pace as a freshman a year ago.
Max Brosmer ready for the Big Ten:
In the absence of a consistent run game, quarterback Max Brosmer has shown he's ready for the Big Ten stage. The New Hampshire transfer has thrown for 2,251 yards, with 14 touchdowns and just four interceptions on the season, and hasn't had an interception since September.
Brosmer has been a consistent option under center for the Golden Gophers and has guided them to a 6-4 mark this season, as well as the sixth-best scoring offense in the conference.
Defense remains king in Minneapolis:
One thing you can almost always count on in Minneapolis is a stellar defense from PJ Fleck's unit. 2024 has been no different.
The Gophers rank fifth in the Big Ten and 12th nationally in scoring defense, allowing just 17.7 points per game this season. After a down year in that regard in 2023, Minnesota has turned the page and produced another top ranked defense this fall. The Gophers are also fifth in total defense, surrendering less than 300 yards per game.
Series history:
Penn State has historically had the upper hand in 16 matchups against Minnesota, with a mark of 10-6 in the all-time series, but recent memory has been a bit more favorable for the Golden Gophers. Over the last four, the two teams have split those games 2-2, each defending their home turf.
That followed both teams putting together four-game winning streak against each other, beginning with Penn State from 1993 to 1998, then Minnesota from 1999 to 2004 and finally Penn State from 2005 to 2010.
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