The Rutgers Scarlet Knights will travel to take on the Minnesota Golden Gophers as part of a loaded Week 5 slate in College Football. Rutgers is off to a 3-1 start to the season, while Minnesota is 2-1 and coming off a bye week. This will be just the fifth matchup between these two programs in their history, with Minnesota winning their first three matchups. Rutgers pulled off a 26-19 victory last year and look to make it two straight this Big Ten matchup.
Minnesota enters as a 5.5-point favorite with -205 moneyline odds on DraftKings Sportsbook. Rutgers holds +170 odds of pulling off the outright upset, and the game total is set at 51.5.
This article will take a brief preview of both teams and a pick for the Week 5 matchup.
Rutgers vs. Minnesota prediction, preview
Rutgers Preview
The Scarlet Knights got off to a 3-0 start to the season with victories over Ohio, Miami OH, and Norfolk State. They then fell 38-28 to Iowa last week. Through the opening four games, Rutgers is averaging 41.8 points per game, which ranks 22nd in the country, while giving up 24.0 points per game, which is tied with Colorado State for 76th. They are producing 445.8 yards per game while allowing 343.5. The defensive concerns are legitimate, especially against the level of competition they have faced.
Athan Kaliakmanis stands in at quarterback for Rutgers and has completed 68.8% of his pass attempts for 1,150 yards, seven touchdowns, and an interception while adding a pair of touchdowns with his legs. He has leaned heavily on WR Ian Strong, who’s tied for the team lead with 24 receptions for 367 yards and two touchdowns. KJ Duff has 336 yards and two scores in as many receptions. DT Sheffield has 252 receiving yards and two touchdowns of his own, with no other pass catcher having more than 59 yards on the year.
Antwan Raymond headlines the running back production with 310 yards and seven touchdowns on 61 carries. CJ Campbell Jr. was expected to be the lead back, but suffered a season-ending injury in the first drive against Norfolk State. This has not proven problematic to the outlook of the team to this point, but is worth monitoring.
More concerns are evident on defense. They allowed 31 points to Ohio in the season opener and gave up 38 points to Iowa just last week. The Scarlet Knights have allowed over 150 rushing yards per game and are vulnerable in the trenches. The secondary has been adequate, but it has still allowed some chunk plays at bad times. Rutgers has six total sacks and three turnovers forced on the season.
Minnesota Preview
The Golden Gophers picked up victories over Buffalo and Northwestern State, but fell 27-14 to the University of California in their most recent game. Minnesota will have the rest advantage after being off last week. They are averaging 34.3 points per game, which ranks 50th in the country, while only giving up 12.3 points per game. While it’s the 18th-best rate in college football, the weak competition has played a role.
Drake Lindsey is in his first season as the starting quarterback and has completed 60.5% of his pass attempts for 634 yards, four touchdowns, and two interceptions with a rushing touchdown. Javon Tracy leads the team with 150 receiving yards and a touchdown. Lemeke Brockington is the lone other wide receiver with triple-digit receiving totals, racking up 136 yards so far.
Minnesota leans more on its rushing attack as an offense. Darius Taylor, Fame Ijeboi, and Grant Washington each have 126+ rushing yards already this year, with Cam Davis and A.J. Turner also in the mix for carries. All five running backs have tallied 16+ carries through the opening three games, with the team averaging 180.3 yards on the ground collectively. The Golden Gophers are completely content keeping the ball on the ground and allowing their running back room to wear on the Scarlet Knights throughout the matchup.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Minnesota unit has been impressive, even if they have not faced its biggest tests yet. The front seven have consistently won their battles at the line of scrimmage and produced 19 tackles for a loss, seven sacks, and forced five turnovers so far this season. The Golden Gophers’ defense leads the FBS with 177.7 total yards and 41.3 rushing yards allowed per game.
Rutgers vs. Minnesota pick, best bet
Rutgers’ offense had some positive moments, but allowing 38 points to Iowa was a concern. This is a matchup where Minnesota should have a notable edge in the trenches. The Golden Gophers played poorly against Cal, which included turning the ball over twice and allowing 85 yards via penalty, but had a full week off to put this game behind them and fix their mistakes.
Minnesota has won each of its last eight September games as home favorites against non-AP-ranked teams and covered the spread in seven of its last eight September games as home favorites. Rutgers has also lost 11 of their last 14 road games against conference opponents. There is a solid case to be made that Rutgers has the better offense, but the Minnesota defense has looked to be the best collective unit in this matchup overall.
Count on Minnesota having success playing their brand of football and leaning on the running game throughout. Rutgers was gashed for 160 yards on the ground against Iowa, and Minnesota has an even more intimidating overall rushing attack. Expect the Golden Gophers to have success winning the line of scrimmage battle on both sides of the ball, especially since Kaliakmanis yet to prove his ability to lead an aerial attack and launch a comeback. Buckle up for some old-fashioned football and look for Minnesota to bounce back from its previous loss by covering the 5.5-point spread and getting its first conference victory of the season.
