Week 2 – New Hampshire at Minnesota

Week 2 CFN Fearless Prediction – New Hampshire at Minnesota

New Hampshire (1-0) at Minnesota (1-0) Sept. 8, 12:00, BTN

Here’s The Deal: Minnesota might have needed three overtimes to get by a mediocre UNLV team, but it came through when it had to and got the win in the season opener. It wasn’t pretty and there were lots of problems, but the Gophers are 1-0 with a chance to be 2-0 for the first time in three years. Considering they lost to North Dakota State last year and struggled against so many bad teams, New Hampshire should have a shot to pull off the upset. The Wildcats started out the season impressively with a dominant 38-17 win over Holy Cross, and this is their chance to make a statement. A contender for the Colonial title, they’re going to be dangerous.

Why New Hampshire Might Win: The Wildcat passing game should give the Gopher defense fits. Freshman quarterback Sean Goldrich played like a seasoned veteran against Holy Cross completing 21-of-31 passes for 193 yards and two touchdowns, and he ran ten times for 61 yards. Basically, he did in Week One what UNLV quarterbacks were trying to do. The Rebels don’t have an efficient passing game and didn’t do much of anything against the Minnesota secondary, but they were able to move the ball on the ground when needed. New Hampshire should be able to balance out the attack with several options to run the ball, along with Goldrich coming out of the backfield.

Why Minnesota Might Win: Minnesota was active and aggressive up front against UNLV, and the production should continue this week. New Hampshire didn’t give up a sack, and Goldrich should be dangerous on the move, but Minnesota should be able to sell out a bit to get into the backfield and force him to make plays. Goldrich might be good, but he’s still a true freshman going into a Big Ten environment. As long as the Minnesota running game is working, and if the defensive line can be disruptive on a regular basis, a scary game could be kept under control early on.

What To Watch Out For: MarQueis Gray has to be better. The veteran Gopher quarterback ran for 68 yards and threw for 269 yards and two scores, but he was a bit too indecisive at times on third downs and got pressured a little too much. The O line didn’t get the push it should’ve against the bad UNLV defensive front, and the linebackers got too many clean shots, but Gray has to start being the best player on the field on a regular basis. On defense, sophomore Derrick Wells is coming off a huge performance making eight tackles with two picks.

What Will Happen: New Hampshire is going to give the Gophers a major fight. Gray will be more consistent and the passing game should be stronger on third downs, but the defense is going to get a push. Minnesota won’t be okay until midway through the fourth.

CFN Prediction: Minnesota 31 … New Hampshire 23
ATS Consultants Line (Click for more lines and picks) None O/U: None
Must Watch Rating (5 – Phineas & Ferb, 1 – Steve Harvey): 2