Week 12 Iowa opponent preview: Breaking down the Minnesota Golden Gophers’ offense
Week 12 rolls on for the Iowa Hawkeyes in Big Ten play as they look to continue building on their three-game winning streak. This weekend sees the Hawkeyes hit the road and travel to a bitterly cold Minneapolis to take on the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
Iowa enters the matchup at 6-4 overall while Minnesota is 7-3 overall. Each of the teams sit at 4-3 in Big Ten conference play. Both also are tied for first place in the Big Ten West. What looked like a standard matchup a few short weeks ago has blossomed into arguably the most important game in the Big Ten West, if not entire Big Ten, this weekend.
Minnesota has been rather boom or bust this year marred with some inconsistency. The Golden Gophers rattled off four straight to start the year and look like Big Ten contenders. They followed that up with three straight conference losses. They have now won their last three, albeit it wasn’t exactly murderer’s row of Rutgers, Nebraska, and Northwestern.
This sort of inconsistency really mirrors their head coach, P.J. Fleck. He is very much riding the highs and sulking in the lows. He is great when things are going well but when it goes bad, he goes bad.
Minnesota 2022 Statistics
Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports
Minnesota is going to try to run the ball. That is just who they are. They run the ball 67.5% of the time. On the year, they average 211.7 yards per game on the ground, 15th in the nation. Throwing the ball they are just 119th in the country with 161.1 passing yards per game. They are right in the middle of the pack with 27.1 points per game.
The recipe for Iowa is simple. Stonewall the ground game, make Minnesota have to throw it, and benefit from using your strength against their weakness.
Mohamed Ibrahim, RB
Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports
Minnesota goes as Mohamed Ibrahim goes. He is a bell cow running back and this year has shown that. Minnesota relies on him to churn out first downs and win games.
This year Ibrahim has tallied up 1,295 yards and 18 touchdowns on 238 carries. He averages 140.1 yards per game and 5.3 yards per carry.
Minnesota RB Mohamed Ibrahim puts the Illinois defender in the spin cycle. Mo has some deceptive elusiveness. Makes defenders miss in tight spaces. pic.twitter.com/SFAXBqqCuc
— Ryan Roberts (@RiseNDraft) October 19, 2022
Tanner Morgan or Athan Kaliakmanis, QBs
Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports
As this time, Tanner Morgan’s status is uncertain due to injury hence the discussion of two quarterbacks. Morgan is the seasoned vet who has been at Minnesota for 18 seasons. Kaliakmanis is seeing his first collegiate action this season.
Morgan has thrown for 1,324 yards and seven touchdown at a completion percentage of 67.3%. Kaliakmanis has played the last few weeks but is completing just 46.5% of his passes. Where he lacks the ability to throw the ball, he can be more mobile than Morgan as he averages 5.0 yards per carry.
If Kaliakmanis is the guy, Iowa will undoubtedly load the box and make the young kid lead an already suspect passing attack against a great pass defense.
Brevyn Spann-Ford, TE
Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports
Minnesota’s passing game is not going to strike fear into any opponent, but they do get solid production out of tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford. He is an absolute handful at 6-foot-7 and 269 pounds.
He leads Minnesota in receptions (31) and receiving yards (374) to go with a pair of touchdowns. Iowa’s secondary and linebackers have to be keen for him leaking out on play-action passes.
Brevyn Spann-Ford is 270 pounds and doing this 😳 pic.twitter.com/WY3Rm2RJVj
— Joe Broback (@joebroback) October 23, 2022
Daniel Jackson, WR
Matt Blewett-USA TODAY Sports
Should Iowa slow down Ibrahim, the Golden Gophers will be forced to look outside for big plays in the passing game to move the ball. Their best wide receiver is Daniel Jackson.
On the year he has just 26 catches for 355 yards but that is more of a byproduct of the offensive system he is in.
Daniel Jackson sets up the short TD run, and Minnesota makes this interesting late in the game.
Ohio State – 38
Minnesota – 31 pic.twitter.com/sVypUZ1W28— Rahl Reviews (@RahlReviews) September 3, 2021
[lawrence-related id=13064]
[lawrence-related id=12987]
[lawrence-related id=12969]
[listicle id=13046]
[listicle id=13042]
Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions.
Follow Riley on Twitter: @rileydonald7
Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.
