Across The Field: Minnesota Beat Writer Randy Johnson Says Gophers Have “Been Good But Not Great,” Eight or More Wins Would Be Successful Season

Ahead of Minnesota’s trip to Columbus, Gophers beat writer Randy Johnson of the Star Tribune joins us to share what he’s seen from the team he covers so far this season, what he thinks would constitute a successful season for P.J. Fleck’s squad, what’s enabled the Gophers to rank top 10 in total defense so far this year, Minnesota’s top players to watch and how he expects Saturday’s game to play out.

Minnesota is 3-1 but lost to Cal before squeaking by Rutgers in their Big Ten opener. Overall, what’s your assessment of the Gophers through four games?

Johnson: They’ve been good but not great so far. There wasn’t much to take away from the Buffalo and Northwestern (La.) State games, other than the fact that they lost star running back Darius Taylor to an apparent hamstring injury on his third carry against NW State. At Cal, the Gophers made uncharacteristic mistakes, especially a muffed punt by Koi Perich that led to a touchdown and 10-point lead for the Golden Bears with 6:55 to play. Against Rutgers, the Gophers fell behind 14-0 early in the second quarter before turning the ball over to redshirt freshman QB Drake Lindsey, who went 31-for-41 for 324 yards and three TDs, including the winner with 3:19 to play in a 31-28 win.

P.J. Fleck said at Big Ten Media Days that the goal was to make the College Football Playoff, but that would likely require a road win over Ohio State or Oregon. Given that, what do you think would constitute a successful season for Minnesota?

Johnson: I believe a good season for the Gophers would be at least eight wins in the regular season. If they win seven, that’s leaving some meat on the bone and would mean they dropped a couple of winnable games. Six wins or fewer would be a disappointment. If they got 10 wins, fans would be ecstatic.

Minnesota ranks ninth nationally in total defense with just 230 yards allowed per game but allowed 28 points to Rutgers last week. What have been their biggest strengths and weaknesses on defense so far this season, and how capable do you think they are of limiting Ohio State’s offense?

Johnson: The strength of the defense would be a deep group of safeties, led by Kerry Brown and Koi Perich. Their best defensive player this season has been defensive end Anthony Smith, who ranks third in the Big Ten with 4.5 sacks and sixth with six tackles for loss. Weakness has been passing defense against Power Five opponents, in which they’re allowing an average of 264 yards per game. Ohio State will have a lot of matchup advantages against the Gophers, so the defense will need help from the offense and special teams to hold the Buckeyes’ scoring down.

Who are the top Minnesota players that Ohio State fans need to know about entering this game?

Johnson: Well, the Buckeyes fans probably know about Koi Perich, who turned down Ryan Day’s late offer and stayed true to his commitment to coach P.J. Fleck in December of 2023. Anthony Smith is a good one to watch, and he’s having an All-Big Ten type of season. Redshirt freshman QB Drake Lindsey has been poised though his first four games as a starter. If Darius Taylor returns, that would be a huge boost for the Gophers. Redshirt freshman WR Jalen Smith can stretch the field.

RELATED Five Things to Know: Minnesota Driven By Defense With a Blossoming Young Quarterback and How the Gophers Became Golden

How do you see the game playing out?

Click here to read article