Campus Clash 

Minnesota Golden Gophers at (20) North Carolina Tar Heels

Minnesota: Week one was a game they had to grind out against the new look Nebraska Cornhuskers under Matt Rhule. While the defense won the game for them, the offense looked iffy to say the least. In week two, they dominated Eastern Michigan. Since this program turned to P.J. Fleck to be the Head Coach, they’ve seen some success. The Gophers best season was in 2019 when they battled for the Big Ten West and finished the season with an 11-2 record and a win in the Outback Bowl. Actually, in four of P.J.’s five seasons as Head Coach, they’ve gone bowling. Here’s what I will say about the Big Ten West. Each year, it’s always an unpredictable battle and there’s never a clear cut favorite as we see in the Big Ten East. The Big Ten West the last few seasons has come down to who gets on a run. If you’ve watched this team this season, their success has come from not allowing much of a passing attack. So far on the young season, they’ve allowed 114 yards passing per game and that ranks 44th best in college football. I’m still looking for some offensive consistency from them because they haven’t necessarily put their best performance on display so far. To be honest, I’m still trying to figure out Quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis. He hasn’t moved that needle for me and anyone who watches Big Ten Football knows you must have strong play at the most important position on the field, which is Quarterback. It’s safe to say they haven’t fully replaced Tanner Morgan who was electric for them a few years ago with his running mate, Rashod Bateman. On Saturday, they make a trip to Chapel Hill.

North Carolina: I was so impressed with them in their first game against South Carolina. I remember Mack Brown saying they wanted to be more balanced of a football team, but he also added that he wanted to see more of a physical effort and we did in that first game. Running Back British Brooks was my X factor for that week one showdown and he didn’t disappoint. They played a downhill style of football, but Drake Maye was still Drake Maye. I also remember saying prior to that game that we know the North Carolina Tar Heels will score. That’s not even a debate as this is one of the best offensive teams in the country. The biggest question mark for them is their defense and with former Auburn Head Coach, Gene Chizik now calling the defense, they don’t have to be Georgia Bulldogs great (nobody can!) All they must do is make stops, force a turnover to get the ball back to their offense and most importantly, get off the field on third down. So far, UNC has the second best run defense in the nation which is a vast improvement. I also like how they were trying to be more downhill as I mentioned up top. Their last game against Appalachian State showed me that as Running Back Omarion Hampton was a work horse for the Heels in this win in week two as he rushed for 234 yards and three touchdowns. Again, stop leaning on Drake to bail you out. The ACC is interesting this year because I feel it’s the Florida State Seminoles on top, then everyone else looking up to them. Clemson isn’t who many thought they still are and no other team has stood out to me. It could be this group Mack Brown has in Chapel Hill. On Saturday, they’re back home for a showdown with a Big Ten opponent.

Minnesota X-Factor: Danny Striggow– He’s been a tackling machine early on for this Gophers defense. Danny is 6’5 with long arms and long strides to get home to the passer or ball-carrier. Danny is very aggressive off the snap of the football and he’s a former wrestler who’s brought that background with him to the gridiron. Prior to coming to Minnesota, Danny was very undersized and to play Defensive End in college and of course, the NFL, you have to bulk up and he definitely has.

North Carolina X-Factor: Omarion Hampton– I want to see what he does for a second consecutive week. If you notice, many teams playing the Tar Heels don’t necessarily load the box because they’re all in on Drake Maye. It’s always good to see a team still make an effort to run the football in between the tackles although it’s a very pass driven and Quarterback happy sport. Running the ball actually makes the passing attack and the play action very lethal.

Three Things I’m Watching

1. Tar Heels Defense: Can they get back to their week one performance? They swarmed all over the field and put relentless amounts of pressure on Spencer Rattler. They’ve improved for sure, but can the consistency be maintained? That is what I want to see from them. I’ll go as far as to say this. This could be the biggest threat to the Florida State Seminoles in the ACC if everything is clicking for them.

2. Gophers Offense: Will they be able to generate some type of offensive drive? Pay close attention to this because when you play teams that can score at will, the worst thing you can do is try to make it a shootout because you will never beat a team trying to outduel them at what they do best. This Offensive Line will have to get push up front to allow Darius Taylor to get some yards.

3. Gophers Test?: As I said up top, Minnesota has shown to have a solid pass defense early this year. Let’s also be real here. Nebraska and Eastern Michigan don’t have the passing attacks that the Tar Heels are about to show them. What Minnesota will see is speed on the perimeter and Drake will be the best Quarterback the Golden Gophers will have played all season long. I can’t wait to see how they gameplan.

Final Thoughts: It’s an ACC/Big Ten Showdown. These teams have contrasting styles of football and couldn’t be more opposite from one another. One likes to slow the game down while the other likes to use tempo, no huddle and speed the game up to throw off the defense. North Carolina is by fr the stronger team on both sides of the football and I’m unsure if Minnesota has enough firepower on the offensive side to keep up with them. I like the Tar Heels to get a win at home in this game.

Prediction: North Carolina 31, Minnesota 17