Gophers ready for physical Big Ten opener at Michigan State
When the Minnesota Gophers planned their offseason schedule, Saturday's Big Ten opener at Michigan State was one of the first games they had in mind.
P.J. Fleck crafted a training program that he called one of the most physical offseasons during his six years at Minnesota and with a trip to visit the Spartans on the schedule, he believes that work will pay off.
"I told you before when we went into this, knowing what kind of schedule we’d hit in Big Ten play...this is the most physical spring ball we’ve had, the most physical training camp we’ve had knowing that we were going to prepare for this," Fleck told reporters this week. "If you’re preparing for Michigan State now, it’s going to be a long day."
The Gophers passed the non-conference schedule with flying colors, winning all three games by a combined score of 149-17. But the Spartans bring a different type of challenge thanks to their physicality on both sides of the ball.
Running back Jalen Berger ran for 227 yards and four touchdowns in his first two games. Wide receiver Keon Coleman is also a star on the basketball team. Payton Thorne threw for 323 yards and three touchdowns in last week's loss at Washington and the Spartans have an offensive line that excels in pass protection and paves the way in the running game.
Mix in a defense that's led by Jacoby Windom's 5.5 sacks and the Spartans have all the makings of a really good team.
"They are a Mel Tucker-coached, Michigan State tough football team," Fleck said. "You can see it. The DNA is across every player that they have."
That's what made the loss to the Huskies so surprising. The Spartans were ranked No. 10 heading into last week but a bevy of early errors doomed them in a 40-29 loss that knocked them completely out of the AP poll.
Fleck doesn't believe the team that showed up in Seattle is the team they'll be facing on Saturday.
"This is the interesting thing about college football right now," Fleck said. "This was a top ten team last week and then this week, they’re in the poll and then they’re out of the poll. When you look at the Washington game, it was a few series early where they got behind. If it wasn’t just a few series or a few execution things, it’s interesting how that game would have turned out."
The Spartans aren't the only team that has made their mark with physicality. The Gophers rank second in the nation with 312.7 rushing yards per game and running back Mohamed Ibrahim really caught the eye of Tucker.
"He runs the ball the way you’re supposed to run the rock so I’m very impressed with the way they play the game and the way they run the football," Tucker said of Ibrahim. "I’m just really impressed when you turn on the tape and see the way they play the game of football. I love it."
Tucker also went on to praise the Gophers' passing game, calling Tanner Morgan one of the best quarterbacks in the country. Even with Chris Autman-Bell out for the season with a leg injury, Tucker believes the Gophers have enough depth to overcome the loss.
This leads to a showdown in East Lansing. The Spartans are sure to be angry after the loss to Washington and they'll be looking to give the Gophers a rude welcome to Big Ten play. Minnesota will be looking to show they belong in the top tier of conference contenders.
"The great thing about college football is you get 12 guaranteed opportunities," Fleck said. "Some are home. Some are away. But you need to prepare for all of these things before they’re actually here. We’ve been preparing to go on the road since January in hostile and chaotic environments we create for our players.
"We know it’s going to be a hostile environment. We know that. They’re a very traditional football team. They got a great fan base. They’ve got a wonderful stadium. We know it will be loud and we’ll be prepared for that."
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