Gophers to face potent rushing attack against Maryland

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Fresh off the bye week, the Golden Gophers football program looks to extend the winning streak to four games with a win over Maryland.

The Terrapins look to rebound after a disastrous showing against UCF and for the third time this season, Head Coach D.J. Durkin will have a new signal-caller under center.

While having to start a third different quarterback in four games may take away from the explosive play ability of the offense through the air, the big play ability in the running game should remain present. That will be the challenge for the Gophers when the two schools kick off Big Ten Conference play.

Prior to the bye week, the Gophers defense under Defensive Coordinator Robb Smith has yet to yield a 100-yard rusher while also failing to surrender any second-half points through three non-conference contests. In order to keep that impressive stat line intact, here are a few keys to success for Minnesota.

Bring the heat

We have seen it in the last few games, but there really hasn’t been any consistent pressure on the quarterback for Smith’s defense. There have been times where they have been able to get home and at least make the quarterback hurry his delivery, but for the most part, quarterbacks have been fairly comfortable inside the pocket.

With Max Bortenschlager slated to make his first career start for the Terps Saturday, it would only seem fitting that Smith shows a little more creativity with his pressure packages. Whether it’s simply stacking the A gaps or displaying more complex coverages, the more he can throw at the “green” quarterback the better. Last week against UCF, the sophomore signal caller appeared to show his youth, holding onto the ball. However, he also showed a bit of a gunslinger mentality, trying to force the ball into tight windows.

Stop the run

Despite a new signal caller, this will be the ultimate challenge for the Gophers. The Terps may have the most talent in the backfield Minnesota has seen through the short season. And it all starts with junior Ty Johnson. In fact, the Terps have their own two-headed rushing attack with Lorenzo Harrison III. Johnson, a 5-foot-8, 208-pound speedster has the ability to break loose while also displaying the durability to run inside. Against Towson, Johnson recorded a season-long 74-yard scamper simply by utilizing his speed to get to the edge.

Harrison III, on the other hand, provides a little more of the Shannon Brooks feel for the Terps simply due to his compact frame. Although, unlike Brooks, Harrison III has the ability to move like Johnson.  Both backs are reliable receivers out of the backfield. However, they do most of their damage on the ground. Through three games, Maryland has rushed for 672 yards. They want to establish a running game because it opens up options in their playbook.

A predominately a spread offense, prior to losing both their starter and backup quarterback to season-ending ACL injuries, the offense displayed a dynamic array of formations that had just as many wrinkles. Just in a one-back setting, the Terps showed a tendency to run some sort of zone-read, whether it was gut or midline read with their typical sweeps and outside zones. However, in a split back setting, there were more designed quarterbacks runs (counter, power, draw).

They would also show load read, where the back from the read side would kick off the edge defender on the line of scrimmage. Now it is difficult to say whether or not the designed quarterback runs will still be a staple of the offense as Maryland went away from it. Although a large part of that was due to the deficit. However, it’s shown just the slightest, it was just another wrinkle the Gophers defense will have to diligent about.

Don’t underestimate a “greenhorn”

It’s been nothing but bad luck for Coach Durkin and quarterbacks this season. With the offense rolling and holding a two-score lead against Texas, Pigrome was lost for the season with an ACL injury. What looked like the genesis of the Kasim Hill era, the former Under Armour All-American not only managed to leave Austin with a win but rolled over Toledo to a give the Terps a 2-0 start prior to the bye week.

However, scrambling on a third down late in the first quarter ended the Hill era for 2017 as the highly-touted recruit suffered the team’s second ACL injury to a quarterback.

However, just because the Gophers are facing the Terps third quarterback doesn’t mean the team should sleep on Bortenschlager.Due to the offensive philosophy, reads come fairly fast. In fact, there is little time – when in a rhythm that is – for the defense to get home and the sophomore from Indiana has a strong arm. At least, he has the confidence of one possessing a strong arm. He’s fairly fearless in the limited amount of tape he has. That’s where the creativity from Smith comes in. Despite the emphasis early being on establishing the run, if Durkin is able to get Borthenschlager comfortable early, the Gophers secondary could have a test with receiver D.J. Moore.

Prospects to watch

Moore and Johnson are two guys that NFL personnel will continue to have their eyes on throughout the season. I will provide a full analysis in the recap from Saturday’s contest. Moore is the go-to playmaker for whoever the Terps throw in at quarterback. A sudden route runner with the body control to keep his balance when making his breaks. He possesses strong hands and good size to be a mismatch to most of the corners in the conference. Oh and he provides just another wrinkle to the Terps running game.

It will be intriguing to watch him against a Gophers secondary that has a bevy of size and talent.

Game Notes

The Gophers announced that the helmets this week will have a nod to military installations in the state with their patch as a sticker on the helmet.

Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. from TCF Bank Stadium.

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Joshua Zimmer

Josh Zimmer is the Lead NFL Draft analyst for NGSC Sports as well as serving as a contributor for NHL coverage.
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Joshua Zimmer
Josh Zimmer is the Lead NFL Draft analyst for NGSC Sports as well as serving as a contributor for NHL coverage.

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