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Five Reasons why the Minnesota Golden Gophers will win the Big Ten West.
By: Noel Thompson | August 23, 2022
–> Follow @N0elthompson on Twitter
gopherhole.com
1.The dangerous duo of Ibrahim and Potts.
The good news is this: The 2020 Big Ten Running Back of the year is all good to go from his Achilles injury he suffered in the season opener last year. The great news is that his back up, Trey Potts is all healed up as well. Ibrahim rushed for an incredible 1076 yards and 15 touchdowns in just seven games in 2020. All reports are saying he looks like his 2020 self. Trey Potts has also looked great in camp and the Gophers will rely on him to produce along side Mo. Ibrahim and Potts create one of the most dangerous backfield duos in the conference that will have many defensive coordinators worried on game day. I expect both of them to have a great 2022 season.
2. Tanner Morgan having a great year.
Tanner had one of the best seasons any quarterback has ever had in Minnesota back in 2019. That year, he threw for 3,253 yards and 30 touchdowns, which ended up being school records. Since 2019, he has only thrown 3,418 yards and 17 touchdowns, but no doubt having a change in offensive coordinators and a pandemic no doubt influenced some of those numbers. Tanner is primed for a bounce back year as he finishes his career at Minnesota as his 2019 offensive coordinator, Kirk Ciarrocca returns to Minnesota. With the weapons around him, I expect Tanner to have a year more like 2019 than what we have seen the last two years.
3. Transfers and Depth step up on Defense.
The Minnesota secondary gets a huge boost with transfers Beanie Bishop (Western Kentucky) and Ryan Stapp (Albiene Christian) coming in to compliment Justin Walley and Terell Smith. They lost linebacker Jack Gibbens to the NFL, but Braelen Oliver and Cody Lindenberg are ready step in and make an impact. The defensive line will have new faces in the starting line up but that doesn’t mean there isn’t talent or depth. Look for Thomas Rush, Trill Carter, Jalen Logan-Redding, and Austin Booker to make an immediate impact this season. Minnesota will be led by linebacker Mariano Sori-Marin and one of the top safety duos in the conference in Tyler Nubin and Jordan Howden. Defensive Coordinator Joe Rossi has a lot of depth and athleticism at his disposal to make the defense good enough to win the West.
4.Dylan Wright and Brevyn Spann-Ford becoming Minnesota household names.
Spann-Ford had a career year last season when he had 23 catches for 296 yards and one touchdown. In his first season with Minnesota, Wright led the team with 20.28 yards per catch and showed glimpses of his incredible playmaking ability throughout the season. Both have worked incredibly hard in the off-season sharpening their skills to be a bigger part of the offense on a weekly basis. Wright will have every opportunity to make plays as defenses will throw their best corner at Chris Autman-Bell. Minnesota hasn’t had a pass-catching tight end like Spann-Ford since Maxx Williams. As teams focus on the running game, Chris Autman-Bell, Wright and Spann-Ford will become Minnesota household names and have a huge impact.
5. The offensive line will be just fine.
Everybody knows how old and experienced the offensive line was for Minnesota last year. They are replacing four starters who played a lot of games and had a lot of size. Minnesota has done a pretty good job of recruiting and hitting the transfer portal to replace those starters with guys who have the size and maturity to get the job done. Axel Rushmeyer comes in with a good amount of game experience at left guard, while Aireontae Ersery has had a great camp to be a solid left tackle. Michigan transfer Chuck Filiaga brings his experience at right guard, while Martes Lewis or Quinn Carroll will be the right tackle. Lots of new faces but there is no reason for this group to be good enough to create holes for Ibrahim and Potts. The line won’t have the size as last year, but you could argue that they will be more athletic. Who will be starting at center? Only one of the best centers in the nation in pre-season All-American John Michael Schmitz. The offensive line will be just fine for Ibrahim to run, to give Morgan time to pass and make plays.
By: Noel Thompson | August 23, 2022
–> Follow @N0elthompson on Twitter
Five Reasons why the Minnesota Golden Gophers will win the Big Ten West - GopherHole.com
–> Follow @N0elthompson on Twitter The dangerous duo of Ibrahim and Potts. The good news is this: The 2020 Big Ten Running Back of the year is all good to go from the Achilles injury he suffered in the season opener last year. The great news is that his backup, Trey Potts is all healed up as […]
1.The dangerous duo of Ibrahim and Potts.
The good news is this: The 2020 Big Ten Running Back of the year is all good to go from his Achilles injury he suffered in the season opener last year. The great news is that his back up, Trey Potts is all healed up as well. Ibrahim rushed for an incredible 1076 yards and 15 touchdowns in just seven games in 2020. All reports are saying he looks like his 2020 self. Trey Potts has also looked great in camp and the Gophers will rely on him to produce along side Mo. Ibrahim and Potts create one of the most dangerous backfield duos in the conference that will have many defensive coordinators worried on game day. I expect both of them to have a great 2022 season.
2. Tanner Morgan having a great year.
Tanner had one of the best seasons any quarterback has ever had in Minnesota back in 2019. That year, he threw for 3,253 yards and 30 touchdowns, which ended up being school records. Since 2019, he has only thrown 3,418 yards and 17 touchdowns, but no doubt having a change in offensive coordinators and a pandemic no doubt influenced some of those numbers. Tanner is primed for a bounce back year as he finishes his career at Minnesota as his 2019 offensive coordinator, Kirk Ciarrocca returns to Minnesota. With the weapons around him, I expect Tanner to have a year more like 2019 than what we have seen the last two years.
3. Transfers and Depth step up on Defense.
The Minnesota secondary gets a huge boost with transfers Beanie Bishop (Western Kentucky) and Ryan Stapp (Albiene Christian) coming in to compliment Justin Walley and Terell Smith. They lost linebacker Jack Gibbens to the NFL, but Braelen Oliver and Cody Lindenberg are ready step in and make an impact. The defensive line will have new faces in the starting line up but that doesn’t mean there isn’t talent or depth. Look for Thomas Rush, Trill Carter, Jalen Logan-Redding, and Austin Booker to make an immediate impact this season. Minnesota will be led by linebacker Mariano Sori-Marin and one of the top safety duos in the conference in Tyler Nubin and Jordan Howden. Defensive Coordinator Joe Rossi has a lot of depth and athleticism at his disposal to make the defense good enough to win the West.
4.Dylan Wright and Brevyn Spann-Ford becoming Minnesota household names.
Spann-Ford had a career year last season when he had 23 catches for 296 yards and one touchdown. In his first season with Minnesota, Wright led the team with 20.28 yards per catch and showed glimpses of his incredible playmaking ability throughout the season. Both have worked incredibly hard in the off-season sharpening their skills to be a bigger part of the offense on a weekly basis. Wright will have every opportunity to make plays as defenses will throw their best corner at Chris Autman-Bell. Minnesota hasn’t had a pass-catching tight end like Spann-Ford since Maxx Williams. As teams focus on the running game, Chris Autman-Bell, Wright and Spann-Ford will become Minnesota household names and have a huge impact.
5. The offensive line will be just fine.
Everybody knows how old and experienced the offensive line was for Minnesota last year. They are replacing four starters who played a lot of games and had a lot of size. Minnesota has done a pretty good job of recruiting and hitting the transfer portal to replace those starters with guys who have the size and maturity to get the job done. Axel Rushmeyer comes in with a good amount of game experience at left guard, while Aireontae Ersery has had a great camp to be a solid left tackle. Michigan transfer Chuck Filiaga brings his experience at right guard, while Martes Lewis or Quinn Carroll will be the right tackle. Lots of new faces but there is no reason for this group to be good enough to create holes for Ibrahim and Potts. The line won’t have the size as last year, but you could argue that they will be more athletic. Who will be starting at center? Only one of the best centers in the nation in pre-season All-American John Michael Schmitz. The offensive line will be just fine for Ibrahim to run, to give Morgan time to pass and make plays.
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