Gophers have highest-graded Power Five players at 4 positions
How good is the Minnesota Gophers football team? Well, they're not ranked in the AP Top 25 but they boast some of the most impressive offensive and defensive numbers in the country. And what's more is that their skill position players are literally at the top of the Pro Football Focus charts.
According to PFF, quarterback Tanner Morgan, running back Mohamed Ibrahim, tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford and cornerback Terell Smith are the highest-graded players at their positions among all Power Five conference players.
Highest-graded Power Five players by position:
— PFF College (@PFF_College) September 19, 2022
QB: Tanner Morgan, Minnesota
RB: Mohamed Ibrahim, Minnesota
TE: Brevyn Spann-Ford, Minnesota
CB: Terell Smith, Minnesota pic.twitter.com/ygdeKvBUrM
Minnesota has played a soft schedule so far, but they've done what they were supposed to do by completing dominating, outscoring New Mexico State, Western Illinois and Colorado 149-17.
Morgan's 92.5 offensive grade is second in the nation but tops among Power Five quarterbacks, just ahead of Michigan's J.J. McCarthy (92.5). Ohio State's C.J. Stroud, who is a Heisman hopeful, is fourth among Power Five quarterbacks with a 91.4 grade.
Ibrahim is the highest-graded running back. Period. His 91.4 offensive grade is almost five points higher than No. 2, Miami's Harry Parrish Jr. (86.4). He's way ahead of the two running backs getting the most Heisman steam, Alabama's Jahmyr Gibbs (80.7) and Texas's Bijan Robinson (80.6).
Related:
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Spann-Ford's 90.8 grade is higher than Georgia's Brock Bowers (85.5), who is considered by most to be the best tight end in the country.
Smith is tops among Power Five cornerbacks with an 85.8 grade.
More incredible Gophers stats
The Gophers are second in the FBS with 938 rushing yards through three games, only trailing Air Force at 1,188 yards. Minnesota's 16 rushing touchdowns are No. 1 in the nation, one ahead of Big Ten power Michigan.
Minnesota's third-down offense is No. 1 in the country by a wide margin, as the Gophers have converted 31 of 40 third downs (77.5%). The next best team is Kansas at 68.6%, followed by Ohio State at 62.2%.
At 49.7 points per game, the Gophers' have the No. 7 scoring offense in the FBS, trailing only USC (50.7), Kansas (51), North Carolina (51.3), Tennessee (52), James Madison (53.5) and Michigan (55.3).
Minnesota has allowed just 17 points all season, putting them in a tie with Michigan for the third-best scoring defense in the country. Only Iowa and Ole Miss (tied second) and defending national champion Georgia are better.
What's more is that the Gophers are allowing just 170 yards per game, which ranks second nationally. They're also second in the country in total offense at 554.7 yards per game, just over 10 yards shy of No. 1 Ohio State.
How about another? Time of possession: Minnesota is ranked second nationally, having held the ball for 119 minutes compared to just 39 minutes for their opponents.
To recap, Minnesota ranks:
- 2nd in rushing offense
- 1st in rushing touchdowns
- 1st in third-down percentage
- 7th in scoring offense
- 2nd in total offense
- 2nd in total defense
- 3rd in scoring defense
- 2nd in time of possession
And somehow, the Gophers are not ranked in the AP Top 25.
Title: Bring Me The Sports co-owner, editor Email: joe@bringmethenews.com Twitter: @JoeBMTN Education: Southwest Minnesota State University Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota Expertise: All things Minnesota sports Nelson has covered Minnesota sports for two decades, starting his media career in sports radio. He worked at small market Minnesota stations in Marshall and St. Cloud before joining one of the nation's highest-rated sports stations, KFAN-FM 100.3 in the Twin Cities. There, he was the producer of the top-rated mid-morning sports show with Minnesota Vikings announcer Paul Allen. His radio experience helped blossom a career as a sports writer, joining Minneapolis-based Bring Me The News in 2011. Nelson and Adam Uren became co-owners of Bring Me The News in 2018 and have since more than tripled the site's traffic and launched Bring Me The Sports in cooperation with the Sports Illustrated/FanNation umbrella. Nelson has covered the Super Bowl and numerous training camps, NFL combines, the MLB All-Star Game and Minnesota playoff games, in addition to the day-to-day happenings on and off the field of play. Nelson also has extensive knowledge of non-sports subjects, including news and weather. He works closely with Bring Me The News meteorologist Sven Sundgaard to produce a bevy of weather and climate information for Minnesota readers. Nelson helped launch and manage the Bring Me The News Radio Network, which provided more than 50 radio stations around Minnesota with daily news, sports and weather reports from 2011-17.