The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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134 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2020 FOOTBALL PREVIEW BY CLAYTON SAYFIE Minnesota was picked to finish sixth in the Big Ten West division entering 2019. Surprisingly, the Golden Gophers tied for first with Wisconsin, lost the tiebreaker with the Badgers and ended up with an 11-win season that included an Outback Bowl vic- tory over Auburn. For the second straight year, head coach P.J. Fleck's team should contend for the divi- sion crown, especially considering its favor- able schedule. The mid-October tilt against Michigan, at TCF Bank Stadium in Min- neapolis, is the only significant divisional crossover contest of the season. The Gophers only lost one game at home last season, meaning the Wolverines will have to bring their A-game with them to the Twin Cities. Minnesota's offense is ready to plug and play. Second-team All-Big Ten quarterback Tanner Morgan, the only player in Gopher history to throw for over 3,000 yards and 30 touchdowns in a season, will lead the charge in his redshirt junior season. He completed 66.0 percent of his passes a year ago, the 15th-best mark in the country. The weapons around Morgan are steady, too. If new offensive coordinator Mike San- ford Jr. can figure out how to use them prop- erly, the Gophers should boast another lethal attack. Wide receiver Tyler Johnson, who went off for 1,318 yards and 13 touchdowns last season, is now in the NFL. But the Go- phers have the luxury of being able to rely on reigning Big Ten Wide Receiver of the Year Rashod Bateman, a junior. The 6-2, 210-pounder reeled in 60 catches for 1,219 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2019, giving Morgan a proven and reliable threat. Bate- man is also a threat to burn defenses with the big play, posting an average of over 20 yards per catch last season. The Gophers will need several other skill players, including their veteran tight end corps, to step up. That being said, there's a solid foundation already in place with Bate- man and redshirt junior running back Mo- hamed Ibrahim, who rushed for 604 yards and seven touchdowns in 2019. On top of that, all five starters return along the offensive line, providing continuity up front. That group will look to improve on what was a solid effort last season, with the club finishing among the nation's top 50 in all major offensive categories. On defense, only five starters remain in place. The loss of unanimous All-American and first-team All-Big Ten safety Antoine Winfield Jr. is a big one, with the standout deciding to leave early to the pros. Still, the secondary should shape up to be just fine, with the other three starters back from a year ago, including former Wolverine and redshirt junior corner Benjamin St-Juste. Opposite of St-Juste will be redshirt senior corner Coney Durr, a 5-10, 200-pounder who tied St-Juste for the team lead with 10 pass breakups a year ago. Junior safety Jordan Howden is primed to make a huge impact, especially considering Winfield's departure. He is the team's lead- ing returning tackler, with 57. He also broke up six passes and had one pick last season to help the Gophers rank No. 9 nationally in pass defense, allowing just 184.2 yards per game through the air. The front seven will need some not-so- familiar names to step up. The only Gopher in that bunch that has made much of an impact so far is junior linebacker Mariano Sori-Marin. He notched 42 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss last season, and will be a key performer once again in 2020. Fleck's squad burst onto the scene in 2019. Now they're hoping for a first-ever Big Ten championship game appearance and victory. Notes Quarterback Tanner Morgan's 66.0 per- cent completion percentage was the highest mark in school history for a single season, while his average of 10.2 yards per attempt ranked fourth nationally in 2019 … Running back Mohamed Ibrahim actually led the Go- phers in rushing back in 2018, due to injuries to other backs, and has 1,764 yards and 16 touchdowns on the ground in his career. ❑ PLAYERS TO WATCH Offense: Rashod Bateman, Jr., WR Last season, he was a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award, which is given to the nation's top receiver, and earned third- team AP All-America honors … His 20.3 yards per catch in 2019 ranked eighth in the country … He has caught at least one pass in all 26 of his career appearances. Defense: Jordan Howden, Jr., S The 5-11, 200-pounder started 12 of his 13 appearances in 2019 … Forty of his 57 total tackles were solo takedowns. P.J. Fleck Has Golden Gophers Rolling 2020 SCHEDULE Date Opponent 2019 Result Sept. 3 Florida Atlantic — Sept. 12 Tennessee Tech — Sept. 18 Iowa L, 23-19 Sept. 26 BYU — Oct. 3 at Maryland W, 52-10 Oct. 10 at Wisconsin L, 38-17 Oct. 17 Michigan — Oct. 24 at Illinois W, 40-17 Oct. 31 at Michigan State — Nov. 7 Purdue W, 38-31 Nov. 21 Northwestern W, 38-22 Nov. 27 at Nebraska W, 34-7 Former Michigan defensive back Benjamin St-Juste is now a key piece in the back end of Minnesota's defense. He was named All- Big Ten honorable mention last year. PHOTO COURTESY THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA GAME 7 • MINNESOTA GOLDEN GOPHERS • OCT. 17 QUICK FACTS All-Time Series: Michigan leads 75-25-3 First Meeting: Minnesota 14, U-M 6 (Oct. 17, 1892 at Minneapolis) Last Meeting: U-M 33, Minnesota 10 (Nov. 4, 2017 at Ann Arbor) Head Coach: P.J. Fleck, 23-15 at Minnesota (4th year) and 53-37 overall (8th year) 2019 In Review: 11-2, 7-2 Big Ten (tied for 1st West) Final 2019 Ranking: No. 10 in the Associated Press and coaches' polls Returning Starters: 15 (8 offense, 5 defense, 2 spe - cialists) Last Bowl Appearance: 2019 (Outback Bowl vs. Au- burn, W 31-24) RETURNING LEADERS Passing: Tanner Morgan (3,253 yards, 30 TD, 7 INT) Rushing: Mohamed Ibrahim (604 yards, 7 TD) Receiving: Rashod Bateman (1,219 yards, 11 TD) Tackles: Jordan Howden (57) Sacks: Braelen Oliver (3) Interceptions: Coney Durr, Phillip Howard, Jordan Howden, Kiondre Thomas (1)