How Minnesota Is Preparing for No. 4 Penn State

Once again, the Nittany Lions visit the Golden Gophers as the nation's fourth-ranked team.

Penn State Nittany Lions tight end Tyler Warren smiles after scoring a touchdown during the second half against the Purdue Boilermakers at Ross-Ade Stadium. / Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

Just two games remain in Penn State’s regular season, the first being its final road trip. In an away matchup against Minnesota, the Nittany Lions will be facing a 6-4 squad that also owns wins over Illinois, USC and UCLA.

Penn State (9-1) enters Saturday’s game with momentum on both sides of the ball, recently outscoring Washington and Purdue by a combined total of 85-16. But the Golden Gophers are the Nittany Lions’ biggest remaining threat to finishing the regular season 11-1. Coming off its second bye week, Minnesota is rested and prepared to host fourth-ranked Penn State.

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Benefits of a second bye

One advantage that Minnesota head coach P.J. Fleck and his team have for Saturday’s matchup is their preparation time. Following Minnesota’s 26-19 loss against Rutgers, which snapped a four-game win streak, Fleck said his group used its second bye of the 2024 season to get healthier, self-scout and game-plan for an elite Week 13 opponent.

“It gave us a lot more time to work on Penn State as well and get a jump start on that,” Fleck said. “I thought we had a really productive week of not only working on Penn State, [but] working ahead and working on ourselves.”

The first time Minnesota came off a bye week this season, it routed Maryland 48-23 behind a standout performance from quarterback Max Brosmer, who threw for a season-high 320 yards and four touchdowns. Coupled with the advantage of playing at Huntington Bank Stadium, which Penn State coach James Franklin called “a tough place to go play,” the Golden Gophers hold several external advantages against Penn State. 

“The margin for errors to winning in the Big Ten are really, really small and they're going to continue to be really small,” Fleck said. “So we have to do a really good job of closing that gap every single week.”

Handling Tyler Warren, Penn State’s versatility

Among the first things Big Ten coaches mention about Penn State is its offensive versatility and creativity. Fleck was no exception. The consistent trickery and wrinkles within offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki’s play-calling have become ingrained in the Nittany Lions’ 2024 identity. Tight end Tyler Warren (808 receiving yards, 157 rushing yards, nine touchdowns) significantly complicates defensive game plans. 

“Really, really good player, and we got our hands full,” Fleck said of Warren. “I'll put it that way, but it's the versatility to do so many things. And I think that's when you're looking at Penn State, Penn State has the ability to do a lot of different things and they do it very consistently.”

The difficulty of tracking Warren while stopping one a two-back run game and two quarterbacks capable of throwing or running any given play requires a talented, disciplined defense. Minnesota undoubtedly has one, led by linebacker Cody Lindenberg (76 tackles), defensive lineman Jah Joyner (4.5 sacks) and defensive back Koi Perich (five interceptions).

“They're going to give you things you've never seen before and you're going to have to stop it,” Fleck said of Penn State’s offense. “You have to be really disciplined with your eyes. You have to be really good at tackling in space. You've got to play really good up front. But they have weapons everywhere.”

Drew Allar vs. another top-ranked defense

Penn State quarterback Drew Allar has proven himself against a few top-tier defenses already this season, but Minnesota’s secondary presents yet another test. The Golden Gophers rank among the elite FBS teams in several defensive stats, including interceptions (tied for fourth with 16), total defense (17th with 176.6 yards allowed per game) and scoring defense (12th with 17.7 points allowed per game). Minnesota’s success stems from a zone-heavy scheme, something Franklin described on Monday.

“When you're playing zone defense, the argument there is, you have the ability to have your eyes on the quarterback, which typically can lead to you being in a better position for interceptions,” Franklin said. “The thing that they're doing a really good job [of] too is, they're one of the better pass defense teams in the country and turnovers, so [a] combination of both.”

Allar’s performance against a formidable secondary, which has a knack for turnovers, is one of the top head-to-head matchups Saturday. Both Franklin and Fleck were asked about Allar’s recent growth as a quarterback, with Fleck noting that he’s “processing at a higher level than he ever has” and Franklin praising Allar’s improved mobility and leadership. 

“I don't think he's getting talked about enough. I don't think he gets enough credit,” Franklin said of Allar. “But I'm very, very proud of the young man and how he plays and how he goes about his business. His humility is phenomenal at that position in today's day and age.”

The Nittany Lions and Golden Gophers are meeting for the first time since 2022, an October matchup that Penn State won 45-17. Before that, Minnesota and Penn State met as unbeaten teams in 2016, when Fleck’s defense intercepted Sean Clifford in the end zone in the fourth quarter to preserve a 31-26 win.

Coincidentally, Penn State was ranked No. 4 at that time, as it is now. Fleck said his team’s 2019 victory over the Nittany Lions “has nothing to do” with the 2024 edition of the matchup due to a full influx of talent for each program since then. But Fleck noted that, if there’s anything to take from that win, it’s the massive impact that each team’s stars make.

“We need our best playmakers to play their best,” Fleck said. "Penn State's going to need their playmakers to be their best. That's what happens in November football. We took from it what we needed to take from it and moved on since then. Shoot, what’s that, five years ago? We’ve done a lot in the program since then. But it's going to be a one-game season. It's gonna be 60 minutes, and we gotta be at our best, period."

Penn State visits Minnesota on Saturday at Huntington Bank Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS.

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Daniel Mader, a May 2024 graduate of Penn State, is an Editorial Intern with The Sporting News. As a student journalist with The Daily Collegian, he served as a sports editor and covered Nittany Lions women’s basketball, men’s volleyball and more. He has also covered Penn State football for NBC Sports and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, with additional work in the Centre Daily Times, Lancaster Online and more. Follow him on X @DanielMader_    or Instagram @dmadersports.