Erik Bacharach, USA TODAY NETWORK - TennesseePublished 1:02 p.m. CT Sept. 12, 2017 | Updated 10:26 p.m. CT Sept. 12, 2017
MTSU (1-1) will head to Minnesota this weekend to take on the Big Ten's Gophers (2-0). Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. CT Saturday at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
USA TODAY NETWORK - Tennessee caught up with Gophers beat writer Randy Johnson of The Star Tribune in Minneapolis to preview the upcoming matchup.
Why did it take two games to establish Conor Rhoda as the starting quarterback for Minnesota? What did he do against Buffalo and Oregon State to convince coach P.J. Fleck that he was the guy?
Fleck was waiting and hoping for one of the two QBs to seize the starting job, and that hadn’t happened during training camp or the Buffalo game. But Rhoda’s solid first half at Oregon State -- 5-for-6 for 134 yards and a 67-yard TD pass to Tyler Johnson – helped the coach settle on Rhoda. Also, Demry Croft fumbled and tried to pick up the ball rather than falling on it deep in Minnesota territory, enabling Oregon State to recover and score three plays later to cut the Gophers’ lead to 17-14. Croft didn’t get back into the game until late in the fourth quarter, when he had a 64-yard TD run. And on Tuesday, Fleck announced that Croft would not be with the team on Saturday because of “personal reasons.’’ Redshirt freshman Seth Green likely will be Rhoda’s backup.
Sep 9, 2017; Syracuse, NY, USA; Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders wide receiver Richie James (3) beats Syracuse Orange defensive back Evan Foster (14) on a passcatch to score a touchdown during the third quarter of a game at the Carrier Dome. Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports
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Shafer, MTSU's first-year defensive coordinator and a former Syracuse head coach, discusses the Blue Raiders' 30-23 win over Syracuse at the Carrier Dome. Erik Bacharach/DNJ
MTSU's Achilles' heel has been the play of its offensive line. What can the unit expect from Minnesota's defensive front?
You can expect defensive tackle Steven Richardson to be a difficult matchup for pretty much any team, and he’ll likely face a lot of double-teams, which frees things up for the linebackers. Defensive end Carter Coughlin, a converted linebacker, played well against Oregon State, so he has to be accounted for, too.
Is there one facet of the team that has surprised you through the first two weeks of the season?
I’ve been surprised a bit that the defense has played as well as it has after a lot of offseason losses. Giving up a total of 104 second-half yards in two games is surprising, too. And the 48-14 score at Oregon State did surprise me because I thought it would be a much tighter game.
What’s your prediction for Saturday's game, and what do you think will be the determining factor for Minnesota?
Two big things for the Gophers will be how well their offensive line plays – it struggled vs. Buffalo but was strong against Oregon State – and how well the secondary covers Richie James. As for prediction, I’ve pointed to this game as one that might be a bit of a trap for the Gophers. I’ll give them the nod in a close one, 27-23.
http://www.dnj.com/story/sports/col...-writer-randy-johnson-star-tribune/657045001/
MTSU (1-1) will head to Minnesota this weekend to take on the Big Ten's Gophers (2-0). Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. CT Saturday at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
USA TODAY NETWORK - Tennessee caught up with Gophers beat writer Randy Johnson of The Star Tribune in Minneapolis to preview the upcoming matchup.
Why did it take two games to establish Conor Rhoda as the starting quarterback for Minnesota? What did he do against Buffalo and Oregon State to convince coach P.J. Fleck that he was the guy?
Fleck was waiting and hoping for one of the two QBs to seize the starting job, and that hadn’t happened during training camp or the Buffalo game. But Rhoda’s solid first half at Oregon State -- 5-for-6 for 134 yards and a 67-yard TD pass to Tyler Johnson – helped the coach settle on Rhoda. Also, Demry Croft fumbled and tried to pick up the ball rather than falling on it deep in Minnesota territory, enabling Oregon State to recover and score three plays later to cut the Gophers’ lead to 17-14. Croft didn’t get back into the game until late in the fourth quarter, when he had a 64-yard TD run. And on Tuesday, Fleck announced that Croft would not be with the team on Saturday because of “personal reasons.’’ Redshirt freshman Seth Green likely will be Rhoda’s backup.
Sep 9, 2017; Syracuse, NY, USA; Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders wide receiver Richie James (3) beats Syracuse Orange defensive back Evan Foster (14) on a passcatch to score a touchdown during the third quarter of a game at the Carrier Dome. Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports
FULLSCREEN
Shafer, MTSU's first-year defensive coordinator and a former Syracuse head coach, discusses the Blue Raiders' 30-23 win over Syracuse at the Carrier Dome. Erik Bacharach/DNJ
MTSU's Achilles' heel has been the play of its offensive line. What can the unit expect from Minnesota's defensive front?
You can expect defensive tackle Steven Richardson to be a difficult matchup for pretty much any team, and he’ll likely face a lot of double-teams, which frees things up for the linebackers. Defensive end Carter Coughlin, a converted linebacker, played well against Oregon State, so he has to be accounted for, too.
Is there one facet of the team that has surprised you through the first two weeks of the season?
I’ve been surprised a bit that the defense has played as well as it has after a lot of offseason losses. Giving up a total of 104 second-half yards in two games is surprising, too. And the 48-14 score at Oregon State did surprise me because I thought it would be a much tighter game.
What’s your prediction for Saturday's game, and what do you think will be the determining factor for Minnesota?
Two big things for the Gophers will be how well their offensive line plays – it struggled vs. Buffalo but was strong against Oregon State – and how well the secondary covers Richie James. As for prediction, I’ve pointed to this game as one that might be a bit of a trap for the Gophers. I’ll give them the nod in a close one, 27-23.
http://www.dnj.com/story/sports/col...-writer-randy-johnson-star-tribune/657045001/
