Minnesota (6-3, 4-2 Big Ten) is set to face Rutgers (4-4, 1-4) this Saturday at 12 p.m. EST, broadcast on NBC. The betting odds via BetMGM favor Minnesota by 6.5 points, and the series record currently stands at 3-0 in favor of Minnesota.
The stakes are high for Minnesota, which is looking to extend its impressive four-game winning streak—their longest in three years of Big Ten competition. With bowl eligibility already secured, the Gophers aim to solidify a top-five finish in the newly expanded 18-team league. The team’s recent success has been bolstered by their enhanced passing game led by transfer quarterback Max Brosmer, who joined from FCS-level New Hampshire. His arrival followed Athan Kaliakmanis’ transfer to Rutgers, making this match a particularly contentious one. Having just come off a bye week, Rutgers will be eager to break their current four-game losing streak.
A crucial face-off in this game will be between Rutgers’ struggling defense and Minnesota’s explosive offense. Rutgers has allowed almost 40 points per game during their last three outings, with losses to Wisconsin, UCLA, and Southern Cal. Defensive coordinator Joe Harasymiak, who previously spent three seasons (2019-21) at Minnesota, will need to devise a strategy to counter Gophers offensive coordinator Greg Harbaugh Jr.’s unit, which is averaging nearly 30 points during their current winning stretch.
Notable players to watch include Minnesota cornerback Justin Walley, who has been a key player in the Gophers’ formidable pass defense. In his fourth year, Walley has contributed two of the team’s 15 interceptions—ranking second in the FBS—and leads the squad with nine pass breakups. Over his career, he has accumulated 26 pass breakups, just five shy of the program record. On the other side, Rutgers wide receiver Dymere Miller, a transfer from Monmouth, has also made headlines by matching his career high with 11 catches for 131 yards. He is the first Scarlet Knight to secure at least ten receptions in a game since Mohamed Sanu in 2011.
Several intriguing facts surround this matchup: Minnesota’s coach, P.J. Fleck, served as Rutgers’ receivers coach from 2010 to 2011 under Greg Schiano before moving to the NFL with him in 2012. Additionally, Brosmer’s completion percentage of 68.2 is poised to set a program record among quarterbacks with over 100 attempts. Impressively, he has gone four consecutive games without an interception, marking the Gophers’ longest such stretch since Mitch Leidner’s five-game interception-free performance spanning the 2014-15 seasons. Meanwhile, Kaliakmanis had a standout game against Southern Cal, recording a career-high 27 completions and a season-best 313 passing yards. Not to be overlooked, Rutgers running back Kyle Monangai is just 69 rushing yards away from achieving 1,000 yards for the second consecutive season, while Minnesota’s offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca previously held the same title at the school from 2017 to 2019 and again in 2022.