Sports
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Friday, October 30, 2015 — 7

Breakdown: Michigan at Minnesota

By JAKE LOURIM

 Managing Sports Editor

The game against Northwestern 

had shades of it, and the game 
against Michigan State did, too. 
But the Michigan football team’s 
game Saturday at Minnesota will 
have old-fashioned power football 
written all over it.

The Wolverines and Golden 

Gophers match run-first offenses 
and 
hard-nosed 
defenses 

Saturday at TCF Bank Stadium 
in 
Minneapolis. 
Minnesota 

cruised in last year’s meeting at 
Michigan Stadium, 30-14, but 
Michigan won six straight in the 
series before that.

The Wolverines have a good 

chance to win this one, too, if 
they can limit mistakes in a tough 
road environment. The Golden 
Gophers have been decimated 
by injuries this season but could 
play their best game Saturday in 
the spotlight.

Here’s how the teams match up:

Michigan 
pass 
offense 
vs. 

Minnesota pass defense

Fifth-year senior quarterback 

Jake Rudock is averaging just 
186.1 yards per game passing 
this season, and he failed to 
meet that mark in his last game 
against Michigan State. He did, 
however, establish a big-play 
component, throwing four of his 
15 completions for more than 
20 yards. Just as impressively, 
he threw them to four different 
receivers: 
senior 
tight 
end 

A.J. Williams, redshirt junior 
wide receivers Amara Darboh 
and Jehu Chesson and the 
Wolverines’ 
newest 
offensive 

weapon, 
redshirt 
freshman 

safety Jabrill Peppers.

In all, Rudock has thrown this 

year to 21 different receivers, 
including himself (he caught a 
deflected pass against Michigan 
State). The deep passing game 

still needs work, but Rudock will 
need to focus on taking care of the 
football above all else Saturday.

The Golden Gophers have been 

average at forcing interceptions 
(six total) this year, and their 
pass rush has been weak (tied 
for 103rd in the nation). Their 
pass defense has been stingy, 
though, 
allowing 
just 
177.3 

yards per game. Defensive back 
Jalen Myrick leads Minnesota 
with three interceptions, and 
Adekunle 
Ayinde 
and 
Eric 

Murray have added four pass 
breakups each.

Edge: Minnesota

Michigan rush offense vs. 
Minnesota rush defense

The Wolverines managed just 

83 yards on 28 carries last season 
against Minnesota, but their 
offensive line has been much 
more successful this year. A big 
reason for that is continuity: 
Michigan has started the same 
linemen at the same positions 
in every game this season, and 
many of them have previous 
starting experience.

Junior running back De’Veon 

Smith leads the team with 436 
yards, and he figures to get more 
than the nine touches he had in 
last year’s meeting. After missing 
one game and being limited in 
another, he returned to being the 
featured back against Michigan 
State, earning 19 carries while no 
one else had more than three.

Minnesota 
ranks 
52nd 

nationally 
against 
the 
run, 

giving up 151.4 yards per game, 
so the Wolverines could find 
daylight on the ground. The 
defensive line has been one of the 
Golden Gophers’ healthiest units 
this season, however. Defensive 
linemen Steven Richardson and 
Theiren Cockran have combined 
for 12 tackles for loss and will 
look to create havoc in the 

Michigan backfield as they did 
last season.

Edge: Michigan

Minnesota pass offense vs. 
Michigan pass defense

Like Michigan, Minnesota’s 

passing game is its second option. 
Quarterback Mitch Leidner has 
seven fewer yards than Rudock 
through seven games. He, too, has 
six interceptions, but also seven 
touchdowns. And the Gophers’ 
passing attack is conservative like 
Michigan’s, with a season-long 
play of 38 yards.

Michigan 
secondary 
coach 

Greg Jackson touted the play of 
Minnesota wide receivers KJ 
Maye and Eric Carter, and the 
Gophers also rely heavily on 
tight end Drew Wolitarsky.

The Wolverines allowed a 

season-high 328 passing yards 
against 
Michigan 
State, 
but 

it took a strong effort from 
Spartans quarterback Connor 
Cook, and they won’t face a 
receiver like Michigan State’s 
Aaron Burbridge this week. If 
they can limit the deep ball as 
they have all season, they won’t 
have any trouble.

Edge: Michigan

Minnesota rush offense vs. 
Michigan rush defense

The Gophers’ bread and butter 

is their power running game, 
but they haven’t been able to 
establish it as they did last year, 
when running back David Cobb 
steamrolled the Wolverines for 
183 yards on 32 carries. Cobb 
graduated, 
and 
Minnesota 

hasn’t 
been 
able 
to 
replace 

him with another workhorse. 
Running backs Rodney Smith 
(467 yards, one touchdown) and 
Shannon Brooks (316 yards, three 
touchdowns) have shared the load.

Part of the issue for the 

Gophers is also their health, or 
lack thereof, on the offensive line. 
While Michigan has maintained 
a consistent group, eight different 
players have started on the line 
for Minnesota, and the Gophers 
have used five combinations of 
starters in seven games.

Minnesota 
will 
need 
to 

establish some continuity to 
brace for Michigan’s defense. 
Sixteen 
different 
Wolverines 

have teamed up for 55 tackles 
for loss, led by redshirt junior 
defensive end Willie Henry’s nine 
and redshirt junior defensive 
tackle Chris Wormley’s eight. If 
Michigan comes out angry after 
a heartbreaking loss to Michigan 
State, the Gophers will have 
their hands full.

Edge: Michigan

Special teams

Finally, the Wolverines can 

confidently say their special 

teams are a strength. Senior 
kicker Kenny Allen is now 
10-for-12 on field goals, and 
fifth-year senior punter Blake 
O’Neill’s 80-yard bomb against 
Michigan State has been the 
highlight of a strong season for 
the Australian punter. In the 
return game, Peppers continues 
to be a weapon.

The Gophers have similar 

numbers. Ryan Santoso is 10-for-
13 on field goals, and Peter 
Mortell is averaging 44 yards per 
punt with only one touchback on 
the season.

Edge: Push

Intangibles

This is the toughest category to 

judge this week. Both teams are 
at difficult points in their seasons. 
Michigan must recover from a 
last-second loss to Michigan State 
and prove its Big Ten title hopes 
aren’t dead yet. The Wolverines 
must also manage the atmosphere 

on the road, where they have 
played just two times this year, 
one of which was a fairly pro-
Michigan crowd at Maryland.

Minnesota, meanwhile, will 

play without head coach Jerry 
Kill, who retired Wednesday 
amid health concerns. Defensive 
coordinator Tracy Claeys will 
lead the team Saturday night, so 
the Gophers, too, could respond 
in one of two ways. They could 
play an inspired game in honor 
of their highly respected coach 
and pull off an upset to put 
their season back on track, or 
they 
could 
be 
disorganized 

and struggle to hold off the 
Wolverines.

Coming off bye weeks, both 

teams should respond well from 
their setbacks. But Minnesota 
should be fired up to win one for 
Kill under the lights on its home 
turf.

Edge: Minnesota

Pick: Michigan 23, Minnesota 17

ALLISON FARRAND/Daily

Michigan’s defense gave up 27 points against Michigan State but will look for a bounce-back performance at Minnesota.

‘M’ heads into Big 
Ten Tournament

By SYED FAHD AHSAN

Daily Sports Writer

With 34 minutes on the clock 

in the Michigan women’s soccer 
team’s Oct. 8 contest against 
Northwestern, Michigan senior 
midfielder 
Corinne 
Harris 
rocketed 
a 

shot into the 
back of the 
net from 25 
yards out. It 
proved to be 
the 
decisive 

moment in a 
1-0 
victory 

for 
the 

Wolverines.

The score line could have 

been worse for the Wildcats 
(7-3-1 Big Ten, 13-4-2 overall), 
who were lucky to have finished 
the 90 minutes only a goal down, 
as Michigan failed to convert 
many of the chances it created.

Now the two are set to lock 

horns once again in the Big 
Ten Tournament quarterfinals 
this Sunday in Wilmette. The 
Wolverines (6-3-2 Big Ten, 11-6-
2 overall) will be looking to pull 
off a performance much like the 
one they gave in October. 

“If we play the way we did 

last game, we should be fine,” 
said 
Michigan 
coach 
Greg 

Ryan. “We’ve been organized 
defensively for most of the year, 
and if we can do that again, we’ll 
been successful. We just need to 
take our chances.”

However, 
since 
that 
loss 

in Ann Arbor, Northwestern 
has won four out of its last 
five games, scoring nine goals 
and conceding just two in the 
process. Michigan, on the other 
hand, hasn’t been nearly as 
stellar in that stretch, with a 
2-2-1 record.

The Wolverines’ last game 

was their 3-1 loss to No. 10 
Penn State, a game defined 
by a seven-minute onslaught 
that saw Michigan sophomore 
goalkeeper Megan Hinz pick the 

ball out of her net three times. 
Senior midfielder Cassie Collins 
grabbed a late consolation goal, 
but it was a case of too little, too 
late for the Wolverines.

“The (Penn State) game will 

be extra motivation to maintain 
focus and discipline,” Ryan 
said. “We played well in the 
beginning, but it was just that 
seven-minute 
collapse 
that 

defined the game, and we paid 
for it.”

The 
Wolverines 
finished 

the regular season fifth in the 
Big Ten standings, but the 
Wildcats were able to finish one 
spot higher given their recent 
success. That’s concerning news 
for Michigan, as its home record 
tells a completely different story 
from its away record.

With only one loss at home 

all 
season, 
the 
Wolverines’ 

dominance in Ann Arbor is 
apparent. But a 1-5-2 record on 
the road shows just how much 
they struggle when not playing 
on familiar ground.

Michigan started this season 

playing 
a 
4-3-3 
formation 

that utilized its wingers and 
fullbacks 
to 
spread 
play, 

widening the field and creating 
space in the middle. For the 
most part, this has remained the 
trademark of the Wolverines’ 
style this season.

Michigan will rely on its 

star forwards, sophomores Ani 
Sarkisian and Taylor Timko, 
who have scored seven goals 
each. They will need to be sharp, 
considering that Northwestern 
has only allowed 10 goals this 
season.

In what looks to be an 

extremely well-matched game 
in the Big Ten Tournament 
quarterfinals, the importance 
isn’t lost on the Wolverines.

“At this point, we’re just 

looking for a chance to move 
on in the Big Ten Tournament,” 
Ryan said.

“It’s 
a 
must-win 
game, 

especially if we want to move 
onto the NCAA Tournament. 
It’ll definitely be a battle.”

WOMEN’S SOCCER

Michigan at 
Northwestern

Matchup: 
Michigan 11-6-2; 
Northwestern 
13-4-2

When: Sunday 
1 P.M.

Where: 
Wilmette, Ill.

Behind Enemy Lines: Mitch Leidner

By ZACH SHAW

Daily Sports Editor

While 
much 
of 
the 
talk 

leading up to the No. 15 Michigan 
football team’s trip to Minnesota 
surrounds 
the 
head 

coaches 
(Michigan 
coach 
Jim 

Harbaugh 
and recently 
retired Minnesota coach Jerry 
Kill), the players will still have the 
biggest impact on the game. Among 
those players is Golden Gophers 
quarterback Mitch Leidner, who 
is playing the best football of his 
career with 1,310 passing yards 
and seven touchdowns as a junior.

As a quarterback in a run-first 

offense for a football team in a 
hockey-first state, Leidner often 
gets overlooked, but not here. 
Leidner spoke with the Daily 
about building momentum as a 
program, alcohol at stadiums, 
bonding with the team in the wild 
and getting rid of social media.

The 
Michigan 
Daily: 

Michigan had a down year last 
year, but was it still big to get 
the win and the Jug at Michigan 
Stadium?

Mitch 
Leidner: 
It 
was 

huge. It was huge for the state 

of Minnesota, it was huge for 
recruiting and huge for our 
football team. Coming back from 
a game like Michigan, we were so 
excited — the adrenaline took us 
all the way back to our complex. 
We had a bunch of Minnesota 
fans lined up to greet us. It was an 
unbelievable feeling.

TMD: Why don’t you have 

social media?

ML: I had a Twitter last 

summer. I got one and had it up 
until like three games into the 
season when finally — I wasn’t 
using it at all three games into the 
season and a lot of people were 
talking trash so I was like, “What 
is this? C’mon!” So I just deleted 
it. And then I had had Facebook 
since high school, and before our 
bowl game I was just like, “You 
know, I’m just going to be done 
with social media.” And I deleted 
that too. I don’t know, life’s been 
pretty good since. I haven’t had 
to waste any time. I get all my 
homework done since I’m not 
scrolling through my Facebook 
feed. Unfortunately, you guys (the 
media) don’t have a choice.

TMD: After a couple strong 

seasons, it seems your team is 
gaining popularity among fans 
again. How have things changed 
with the wins?

ML: It’s been awesome. When 

I first got to campus, people 
didn’t like the football players too 
much, to be honest with you. It 
wasn’t that much of a thing. It was 
hockey, basketball. Football, it 
was just like “Eh, you guys suck.” 
So basically, we start winning 
some games, and to have people 
in class, teachers, professors be 
excited about your games and 
other students, it’s a really cool 
feeling. It’s something I hadn’t 
really experienced since high 
school, to be honest.

TMD: 
To 
go 
with 
that 

momentum, Minnesota got its 
own stadium close to campus and, 
after some debate, decided to sell 
alcohol at the stadium this year. 
You won’t benefit from it, but did 
they make the right call?

ML: Yeah. People are usually 

in the parking lot getting pretty 
ripped up anyway, but I think 
it’s a great thing to serve it at the 
stadiums, because I think it gets 
your fanbase a little more crazy 
and gets ‘em louder, so I’m all for 
that, especially at home games. 
That’s too bad that the rest of the 
teams aren’t doing that.

TMD: Do you feel like your 

team has to battle the hockey 
team for prominence on campus? 
Hockey is pretty big in Minnesota.

ML: I think the hockey team not 

winning a national championship 

last year kind of helped us out a 
little bit. We were playing on Jan. 
1, and because those guys didn’t 
win the national championship, 
it felt like people got a lot more 
excited about us and football 
was bigger than hockey for a bit. 
But you never really know. It’s 
a hockey state, that’s the way it 
goes. I like playing a little pond 
hockey myself here and there. 
But we all get along. It’s not like 
there’s any tension or bitterness 
between the sports.

TMD: 
Minnesota 
has 
a 

different culture than the coasts 
or the South where a lot of 
Minnesota’s players come from. 
Do they have to adjust to the 
culture at all?

ML: 
It 
was 
funny. 
Josh 

Campion, our right guard, he 
lives up in Fergus Falls, which 
is in northern Minnesota, and 
we brought quite a few guys up 
there back in late June, and it 
was just fun seeing all the guys 
floating down the river and stuff 
like that, and to see KJ (Maye, 
the team’s leading receiver) up 
there exploring nature and having 
a good time. We had a lot of fun. 
Guys like to get out and go to 
the lakes. That’s a big thing to 
do in Minnesota in the summer 
time, and I think guys have been 
enjoying it.

FOOTBALL

BEHIND
ENEMY
LINES

coach Tracy Claeys.

“I think that’s probably very 

indicative of who (Kill) is, and 
maybe the best credit to him is 
they would play like their hair’s 
on fire regardless,” said Michigan 
tight ends coach Jay Harbaugh. “I 
think that says a lot about who he 
is and how he coaches. You’re not 
going to show up and see a differ-
ent team. I think that’s how he 
would want it, too, and that’s how 
those guys play.”

The Golden Gophers run a fairly 

balanced offense in which they 
rush slightly more than they pass. 
Running back Rodney Smith is the 
primary ball carrier, and he has 
earned a solid 4.1 yards per carry 

so far this season, totaling 487. 
Outside of Smith, change-of-pace 
back Shannon Brooks has cranked 
out 321 yards on just 45 carries.

But the player to watch for 

Minnesota is quarterback Mitch 
Leidner. Leidner is on pace for 
a career year with 1,310 passing 
yards through seven games. Of 
course, racking up yards against 
the Michigan defense has proven 
a near-impossible task all season 
long for opponents.

Of the seven quarterbacks 

Michigan has faced, just two — 
Utah’s Travis Wilson and Michi-
gan State’s Connor Cook — have 
eclipsed 200 yards passing. And 
with the Wolverines coming off 
a devastating loss on the final 
play against Michigan State, the 
Golden Gophers’ offense is in the 
unenviable position of getting the 

next crack at them.

“I feel bad for Minnesota,” said 

senior defensive end Royce Jen-
kins-Stone on Monday. “We’re 
going to be coming out with a lot 
of energy now.”

Even after giving up 27 points 

and 386 yards to the Spartans, 
the Wolverines boast the nation’s 
No. 1 scoring defense and the 
No. 1 total defense. Anchored by 
a stout, veteran line, Michigan 
has wreaked havoc in opponents’ 
backfields all season. Leidner 
can expect to be forced out of the 
pocket early and often, at which 
point he’ll be tasked with finding 
receivers blanketed by one of the 
Big Ten’s top secondaries.

On the other side of the ball, 

things are a little less certain for 
the Wolverines. De’Veon Smith 
will get his carries against a Min-

nesota defense that ranks in the 
middle of the Big Ten in rush 
defense, but he has proven to be 
a boom-or-bust back so far this 
season.

While Smith has gone over 120 

yards twice this year, he has also 
been held under 60 yards four 
times, including each of the last 
two games. But Smith’s bruis-
ing style remains a threat, and 
it can be bolstered by contribu-
tions from senior fullback Sione 
Houma and redshirt junior run-
ning back Drake Johnson.

Still, this contest will be heav-

ily influenced by the way each 
team harnesses its emotions. 
And while Michigan is favored 
by two touchdowns, the unpre-
dictable reactions to those emo-
tions could swing the contest in 
either direction. 

MINNESOTA
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