MINNESOTA at RUTGERS

When: 11 a.m. CDT, Saturday
Where: SHI Stadium, Piscataway, N.J.
TV: NBC and Peacock
Radio: KFXN-FM, 100.3
Weather: 52 degrees, sunny, 8 mph south wind
Betting spread: Gophers, minus-6

Records: The Gophers (6-3, 4-2 Big Ten) have won four straight, including two against ranked opponents, with a 25-17 victory at then-No. 24 Illinois on Saturday. Rutgers (4-4, 1-4) won four consecutive to start the season, followed by four consecutive losses. They fell 42-20 to Southern California on Oct. 26 and had a bye last weekend.

History: Minnesota is 3-0 against Rutgers since 2016.

Big question: Can Minnesota continue to keep its mindset on being 1-0 each week or does the comfort of a winning streak creep in?

Key matchup: A clash of coaching circles. There’s more than just Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano vs. his former assistant in Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck.

It’s also former U offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca, now OC at Rutgers, going up against former Rutgers linebacker coach Corey Hetherman, now DC at Minnesota. “I’ve been in that situation before, but it’s focused on the team right now,” Hetherman said.

Plus, it’s former Gophers safeties coach Joe Harasymiak, now Rutgers’ DC. Rutgers has advantage of a bye week to better prepare for Minnesota, with Fleck repeatedly saying they have had to play catch-up in game-planning.

Who has the edge?

Gophers offense vs. Rutgers defense: Minnesota was able to run over a struggling rushing defense in Illinois last weekend (4.6 yards per carry) and Rutgers is worse. The Scarlet Knights are coughing up 5.1 yards per carry, which is 115th in the nation. … The Gophers commended Harasymiak’s defense for being sound, but have had a lot of injuries this fall. Harasymiak had Rutgers in the top 50 in the nation in scoring and total defense as well as rushing yards and passing yards allowed last season. This year, they have slipped to 70th or worse in all four categories. … With LG Tyler Cooper injured last week, the Gophers reconfigured its offensive line, and Quinn Carroll’s move from RT to RG came with him being named to the college football’s team of the week, per Pro Football Focus. Redshirt freshman RT Philip Daniels started his first game in Champaign and is considered a promising piece of future O-lines. We’ll see, however, if this lineup becomes the norm for the final three games. … DE Aaron Lewis leads team with 17 pressures, but fellow standout DE Wesley Bailey has played in only four games. … QB Max Brosmer competed only 59% of his passes against Illinois, tying a season low, but OC Greg Harbaugh said it was his best game so far because of how he battled through it and led the U on a key fourth-quarter touchdown drive. … RB Darius Taylor had 31 touches against the Illini, but had to overcome multiple ailments. A key will be how much might those bumps and bruises linger or can be aggravated. EDGE: Gophers

Gophers defense vs. Rutgers offense: The scheme of former Gophers’ OC Kirk Ciarrocca will look familiar to fans with its RPO (run/pass option) base. And former U QB Athan Kaliakmanis is in the middle of it. The redshirt junior has completed 54 percent of his passes, with nine touchdowns and five interceptions this year. He is the Knights’ second rushing option, gaining 200 yards on the ground. But the offense centers around stocky RB Kyle Monangai. The 5-foot-9, 209-pounder is second in the Big Ten with 931 yards and 10 touchdowns. He has 626 yards after contact, per PFF.. “He has got a lot of Mohamed Ibrahim in him, but probably faster,” Fleck said. “He is hard to find behind the big line they have.” … The Gophers’ issues with missed tackles haven’t been as pronounced during the winning streak, but they were glaring when Illinois RB Josh McCray busted a few arm tackles en route to a 42-yard TD last week. … Kaliakmanis completes 60 percent when kept clean in the pocket,  but only 38 percent when under pressure, per PFF. … DE Jah Joyner has a team-high 24 pressures, but isn’t 100 percent after having to come off with an issue late in the Maryland blowout. He played a season low 17 defensive snaps against the Illini. … Monmouth transfer Dymere Miller, who led FCS with 1,295 receiving yards a year ago, now tops Rutgers with 37 receptions for 480 yards and one TD. EDGE: Gophers 

Special teams: K Dragan Kesich tied a career high with four made field goals at Illinois, including a big 46-yarder with less than two minutes left to seal a victory. His bounce-back performance led to Big Ten special teams player of the week on Monday. … Rutgers’ K Jai Patel was 15 for 18 on field goals last season, but is only 6 for 10 this year. … Returner Koi Perich remains a threat to pull off an explosive play, but hasn’t done so in recent weeks. EDGE: Gophers

Prediction: Rutgers coaches having a bye week to prepare for a familiar foe is a real advantage, but Minnesota has been significantly better on the field in the last five weeks. If the U continues to win turnover margin — they are staggering plus-nine across the winning streak — this game could become a blowout. Gophers, 28-20

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