The Minnesota Gophers take on the Western Illinois Leathernecks Saturday at noon (EST). Minnesota is a 37.5 favorite over the Leathernecks (1.5 more than last week) The Gophers have a 99.1% chance to beat the Leathernecks according to ESPN’s FPI. Minnesota is coming off of a 38-0 win over the New Mexico State Aggies (0-2) in their season opener. Western Illinois suffered a loss last week in their first game, losing 42-25 to the UT Martin Skyhawks. Let’s take a look at what to expect from Western Illinois and Minnesota this weekend.
Minnesota Gophers
The Gophers are coming off a 38-0 win against the New Mexico State Aggies last Thursday. Minnesota controlled the game from start to finish, not giving the Aggies any chances. They held the Aggies to 91 yards of total offense and 15:30 in time of possession. The Gophers on the other hand had 485 yards of total offense and 44:30 time of possession. It is also worth noting that the Gophers scored on all of its eight possessions.
The Gophers look to continue their week one dominance against the Leathernecks. Western Illinois gave up 577 total yards of offense, allowing 317 yards passing and 260 rushing. Minnesota should have a similar offensive performance to last week. The Gophers should have no trouble running the ball, given the Leathernecks defensive struggles. The Leathernecks should provide a tougher opponent than the Aggies, with an offense that should be more productive than the Aggies, who only attempted 12 passes and 21 rushes last week.
Who To Watch
Last week against UT Martin the Leathernecks surrendered 260 yards rushing. It’s safe to say that Mohamed Ibrahim and Trey Potts should both have big games. Last week Ibrahim had 21 carries for 132 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 6.2 yards per carry. Potts ran for 89 yards and one touchdown on 17 carries, averaging 5.2 yards per carry. Both were also coming back from season ending injuries in 2021 and both are having outstanding returns. I expect both to have at least 100 yards rushing and for the team to eclipse 300 yards total rushing for the game.
Western Illinois Leathernecks
The Leathernecks season didn’t start the way the team wanted, losing 42-25 to UT Martin. Western Illinois was able to move the ball racking up 405 total yards of offense and had 17 first downs. The offense also had a time of possession of 26:36. Unfortunately, they did have two turnovers, something they can’t afford to do if they want to have a shot at beating the Gophers.
The biggest issue for the Leathernecks will be their defense. Their defense will need to step up to give the offense a chance at scoring on the Gophers tough defense. After giving up 577 yards of total offense and 30 first downs to UT Martin, they will need to be a lot better to even have a chance at beating Minnesota. They did get a takeaway, something they will likely need if they want to do what Bowling Green did last year to the Gophers.
Who To Watch
Junior quarterback Nick Davenport will be very important for the Leathernecks this week. He will need a monster game to give his team a chance at upsetting the Gophers. Last week Davenport threw for 180 yards and three touchdowns, one interception with a 47.3% completion percentage. He was also their leading rusher with eight carries for 62 yards. Davenport cannot turn the ball over Saturday and give the Gophers any opportunities. Davenport should test the Gophers defense more than the Aggies who only attempted 12 passes last week.
Bold Prediction
My bold prediction for the game is that the Gophers defense will shutout Western Illinois. Now many of you might be thinking that’s not much of a bold prediction, but last week the Gophers got their first home shutout since 2006. It’s hard to shutout a team, and it’s even harder to do it back-to-back. Minnesota held New Mexico State to just 91 yards of total offense and six first downs. While the Leathernecks offense appears to better than New Mexico State, the Gophers defense is just too good.
Where To Watch The Game
The game will be aired on the Big 10 Network this Saturday. Streaming Services that have the Big 10 network are Big 10 Plus, Fox Sports, Directv Stream, fubo TV, Hulu (with live TV), Sling (with live TV), and Vidgo.
Game Prediction
I predict a similar outcome to week one for the Gophers. The Gophers should dominate the game in a similar fashion. The Leathernecks should prove a tougher opponent to the Gophers than New Mexico State (but not by much). The Leathernecks offense should move the ball more than the Aggies did, but it won’t be enough. Pair that with the struggles their defense will face, and the Leathernecks will simply be overwhelmed by Minnesota. Gophers win 42-0.
