Minnesota Players To Watch

With 4 games to go, there is nothing to be taken for granted. Nothing. Michigan will be traveling to face Minnesota this week, where they have an all-time record of 67-22-3 in the series,  carrying a 5-3 (3-1) record. Minnesota is also 5-3 but (1-3) in the Legends Division, and Michigan has lost to Minnesota only 3 times since 1968.

When you look at how Michigan has done so far, it's not encouraging for the simple fact that except for Purdue, Michigan has loss every road contest, and won every home stand. That makes Saturday's game against the Golden Gophers that much trickier. Both teams do pretty well on the pass defense part of the game--Michigan is 1st, Minnesota is 7th. It's the other facets of the game that both teams seem to struggle with. Denard Robinson was hurt last week against Nebraska, and although he is supposed to be "fine" this week...it still begs the question of how "fine" will he be after being knocked out of the game for over half of it?  And what will happen with Michigan's running attack, or lack thereof? Will Michigan retain the Little Brown Jug that's been passed around since 1903?  Well here is some players to keep on eye on for Minnesota:

Previewing Big Ten Football: Minnesota

 So far, I've written about Illinois and Indiana football, and today I'm going to touch upon the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Minnesotoans haven't had a whole lot to cheer about in recent seasons, but don't disregard their rich history. Many people are unaware that Fritz Crisler coached at Minnesota for two seasons in the early 30s, compiling a 10-7-1 record. Bronco Nagurski--the NFL Hall of Fame halfback? Yep, played at Minnesota. Possible Hall of Fame coach Tony Dungy? He played there as well.


Jerry Kill is now the head coach at Minnesota. Last season was his first in which he compiled a 3-9 record. Before assuming this position with the Golden Gophers in December 2010,[2] Kill served as the head coach at Saginaw Valley State University (1994–1998), Emporia State University (1999–2000), Southern Illinois University Carbondale (2001–2007), and Northern Illinois University (2008–2010). The sad part is what most fans will remember about Kill, and about Minnesota, is that he suffered a series of seizures on the sidelines last season. It wasn't the first time he's had to deal with that; being diagnosed with kidney cancer back in 2005. Let's all pray he has better health fortunes this upcoming season. Also keep in mind that in his head coaching career, he's amassed a record of 130-82, so he is a worthy coach of a Big Ten program.