Coming off a last second loss to Iowa at home, can Michigan rebound against Minnesota on the road in a Big Ten matchup?
Michigan (3-1) has had an eventful season so far and for all of the wrong reasons. Michigan got a 13-12 win against Western Michigan to begin the season, but it was not without controversy. The team also got a slim 17-10 win over Oklahoma. However, its one loss came last week against Iowa on a last second touchdown by the Hawkeyes to hand the Wolverines a 20-19 loss.
Bryce Underwood went 17-for-28 for 276 yards and two touchdowns, but one interception. The star of the night was JJ Buchanan, who had five catches for 130 yards and two touchdowns. He has been Underwood’s go-to receiver so far this season.
As for Minnesota (3-1), the team has also had an up and down season so far. Just when it seemed like Minnesota’s season was going to be a rough one, in large part due to an 38-13 loss to Mississippi State, the team got an unexpected 27-24 win at Washington. This is the 107th meeting for the Little Brown Jug. Michigan is 78-25-3 in the series, winning the last five since 2014.
The Minnesota Golden Gophers host the Michigan Wolverines in a Big 10 showdown Saturday in a Week 5 college football matchup on FOX. Head coach Kyle Whittingham and the Wolverines were on the wrong end of a last-second touchdown last week, falling 20-19 to Iowa. Michigan is now unranked for the second time in three weeks. Quarterback Bryce Underwood threw for the second-most yards of his career, but the offense could not put the game away with two minutes remaining. Now, the Wolverines must regroup as they leave Ann Arbor for the first time this season.
Minnesota head coach P. J. Fleck may have gotten a little carried away celebrating the Golden Gophers 27-24 win over Washington last week, smearing one of his players’ blood on his face. But, Minnesota is 3-1 for the second straight season and has a chance to open conference play 2-0.
From FOX Sports Research: Minnesota scored at least 27 points in just three conference games last season and finished with exactly 27 in its conference opener this year. Now, its middle-of-the-pack offense faces a Michigan defense that has not allowed more than 21 points in a game this season. The Wolverines are allowing the seventh-fewest yards in the country (236.3 per game) and just 14.8 points per game.
Michigan’s offense has not been a high-scoring machine either. The Wolverines average 25.3 points per game, the second-fewest in the Big Ten ahead of only Michigan State. Underwood and the offense have topped 20 points just once, against UTEP. With Michigan’s dominant defense and both offenses struggling to score consistently, expect a classic, low-scoring Big Ten matchup. Take the under in this showdown between the Wolverines and Golden Gophers.
