Q&A: What can Lobo fans expect from the Gophers? 

Journal staff writer Sean Reider was joined by Ryan Burns, 24/7 Sports’ Minnesota beat writer, to preview New Mexico’s Rate Bowl matchup against the Gophers on the latest episode of Reider’s Block, the only podcast exclusively dedicated to covering New Mexico football.

A few excerpts from the full conversation, available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts and Spotify:

Questions and responses have been edited for clarity.

Journal: Minnesota finished the regular 7-5 overall, 5-4 in the Big Ten. What does that record mean for the Gophers relative to preseason expectations?

Ryan Burns: “The Vegas win total for this team was 6.5. So Minnesota hit the over, but their way (of) getting there was a rollercoaster every single Saturday, Friday, whatever it may have been.

“Minnesota finished the season 7-0 at home. That’s the first time they’ve gone undefeated at home since 1967. I mean, they took care of business where they needed to. But the issue is, on the other side of things, they were absolutely — and I think putting it kind — dreadful away from Minneapolis this year.

“ … But at the end of the season, you look up and they’re above .500 in the Big Ten. Again, just the way (Minnesota) got there was exhausting, I think, for both media and fans alike.”

J: Statistically, this season featured the worst rushing offense the Gophers have had under head coach P.J. Fleck. What was your overall read on Minnesota’s offense this season?

RB: “Yeah, the run game, how much time do you have? (laughs). In Minneapolis, RTB doesn’t stand for just ‘Row the Boat’ — it’s supposed to stand for ‘run the ball,’ and they weren't able to run the football really at any point this year. Now, there’s a multitude of different factors that go into that.

“A big part — and I would say the biggest part — was the fact that their star tailback, Darius Taylor … he missed 75% of the season. Soft tissue injury after soft tissue injury after soft tissue injury. And when you don’t have your best back, and then your number two back, who you got from Marshall, AJ Turner, tears his knee in the non-conference … they’re not built for that.

“Now, for this specific bowl game, Darius Taylor is healthy. He’s ready to go. And as we have seen in the previous two bowl games with Darius Taylor — I can assure you I’m not going to be telling (UNM defensive coordinator Spence Nowinsky) anything different that he doesn’t know — but they’re going to try and force feed him the football.

“But also … the offensive line for Minnesota was not up to snuff. I mean, I had people that I really respect telling me that this was the least physical offensive line they’ve seen in the Fleck era. Now, they’ve gotten a couple of weeks to rest their bodies. They’re going against a defense that I’m well aware is the (second-best) — at least against FBS opponents — run defense in the Mountain West.

“ … But I feel very confident (there will be) a very steady dose of Darius Taylor in Phoenix the day after Christmas.”

J: Redshirt freshman quarterback Drake Lindsey threw 16 touchdowns and six interceptions this season as Minnesota’s starter. What did you see out of Lindsey this season?

RB: “I think Drake Lindsey is the most promising freshman quarterback the Gophers have had in a very long time. One of the most underrated parts about Drake is his ability to take care of the football — he went the entire month of November without an interception.

“He is not the most fleet of foot quarterback you will watch. He’s taller than me at 6-5. He’s got a really good arm, but he is certainly a pocket-passing quarterback. He’s got the arm to make any throw on the field.

“The question is who is going to be catching the football from him, who is going to be trying to keep him upright against (UNM defensive end Keyshawn James-Newby) there (in the Rate Bowl).”

J: Minnesota’s defense generated an exceptional 35 sacks on the season, the most in the Fleck era. Why has this group been so good rushing the passer?

RB: “Yeah, (defensive end) Anthony Smith. He’s the guy you’re talking about where he was one of the best defensive linemen in the country in terms of sacks, in terms of tackles for loss. I don’t know that New Mexico has really gone against a defensive lineman that looks like him this season.

"And I mean that with no shade to the Mountain West, but he is 6-6, 285 pounds of pure power. He’s not going to beat you with speed, but what he is going to do is press you back into the quarterback. I mean, he is very, very good at that. He’s got great length, great size, and he’s been able to do that all season long.

"Now, the thing you also have to know about the Gopher defense is they were incredibly Jekyll or incredibly Hyde. They’re either giving up 38 points to a Northwestern offense that looks like the ‘Greatest Show on Turf’ with Isaac Bruce and Kurt Warner out there running around, or they’re going to put you on the turf seven to nine times in the game.

“I mean, that’s been the issue all season long. They’ve been much better at home. On the road, they have been one of the worst pass defenses in the entire country where they’ve turned every opposing quarterback into a Heisman Trophy contender. So, that’s the thing I’m going to be very curious to see — which version of the Gopher defense travels?”

Sean Reider covers college football and other sports for the Journal. You can reach him at sreider@abqjournal.com or via X at @lenaweereider.