What are realistic expectations for the Gophers after yet another key injury?
Going into the season, I would have named Rodney Smith as the player Minnesota could least afford to lose on offense. On defense, it’s less clear-cut. You could make an argument for Blake Cashman, Thomas Barber, or Carter Coughlin. My choice, however, would have been Antoine Winfield Jr., mainly because of his value on both defense and special teams.
Of course, we all know what has transpired since. Four games into the season, both Smith and Winfield are done for the year. Minnesota was pummeled by Maryland in a game they probably needed to win to have a shot at six victories and a bowl game. How much do we have to adjust our expectations for the Gophers at this point?
Next Four Games: Iowa, at Ohio State, at Nebraska, Indiana
Iowa is 3-1, but their wins are against Northern Iowa, Iowa State, and Northern Illinois. Wisconsin bested them 28-17. I worry about the Gophers’ ability to cover 6’5″ tight end Noah Fant, who has emerged as the main red zone target for the Hawkeyes. Any advantage Minnesota might have from coming off of the bye week is nullified, as Iowa is off this weekend as well. As long as the Gophers can keep the score close, they have a shot, but if Iowa goes up by more than a couple of scores early, Floyd of Rosedale will remain in Iowa City.
Ohio State? Yeah, they’re not winning this one.
The Nebraska game will be interesting. This could be a good chance for Minnesota to get back on track. On the other hand, the ‘Huskers will likely be thinking the same thing after facing Purdue, Wisconsin, and Northwestern in the meantime. There’s a good chance Nebraska comes into the game 0-7 and desperate. The return of quarterback Adrian Martinez this weekend should help the ‘Huskers. But, at the moment I still like Minnesota to win this game.
Indiana is very similar to Iowa. Both have two wins over Group of Five teams and one over a mediocre Power Five team, plus one non-terrible loss to a ranked team. Like the Gophers, they have very few returning starters this season. This is another game that I could see going either way; the best-case scenario for Minnesota is that they’re riding a high after beating Nebraska and manage a second consecutive victory.
Two-Thirds of the Way Through…
I’ll be an optimist and predict that Minnesota will have two more wins and be 5-3 after eight games. Coming next week: Part Two, covering realistic expectations for the Gophers’ last four games of the season.
