Quick Hits: What to know about the Minnesota Golden Gopher

Penn State on Saturday will look to bounce back from their 41-17 loss to Michigan by facing a similar team in the Minnesota Golden Gophers. While the Gophers are losers of two straight and don't have nearly the talent that Michigan has on their own roster, P.J Fleck's program will likely look towards a similar gameplan on Saturday as Penn State head coach James Franklin alluded to during his weekly press conference on Tuesday.

Not a Subscriber? Join us With Our FREE 30-Day Premium Trial

For the Nittany Lions, bouncing back from the loss has historically been difficult under James Franklin. In four of their last five seasons, the Nittany Lions have lost their next game immediately after their first loss. Can Franklin get his team back on track on Saturday or will the Nittany Lions allow the demoralizing loss against Michigan to snowball out of control? The Nittany Lions of course will have 107,000 on their side as the Big Ten matchup will mark the program's annual White Out.

With that, let's take a closer look at the Gophers with 10 quick hitters.

1. After a strong 4-0 start, Minnesota has come a bit back down to earth....

After a 4-0 start with wins over New Mexico State, Western Illinois, Colorado, and Michigan State, the Gophers have lost their last two games to Purdue and Illinois.

The Gophers' defense which was strong through the first four games, allowing just 24 points has allowed 20 and 26 points in their two losses to Purdue and Illinois. Their offense which was averaging over 45 points in their first four games of the season has totaled 24 points in their last two games combined.

2. The health of Tanner Morgan

While we await to find out the health of Penn State's Sean Clifford, Minnesota's own sixth-year quarterback Tanner Morgan is also questionable at this time for Saturday's primetime matchup.

Morgan left the Gophers' loss to Illinois last week's game on a cart with a head injury. Minnesota head coach PJ Fleck said on Monday that Morgan woke up Sunday feeling better but that his availability for this weekend's matchup was currently unclear.

If Morgan can't go, freshman Athan Kaliakmanis or junior Cole Kramer will go for the Gophers.

3. The offensive line is the real deal