Two dominant defenses will dictate this game as the Michigan Wolverines (5-2) take on the Minnesota Golden Gophers (4-3). With losses in two of its last three, Minnesota comes into this game looking to rekindle a season that has lost its spark. The game starts at 7:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, Oct 31 and will be available on ESPN.
In its last game before the bye, Minnesota struggled mightily against Nebraska 48-25. KJ Maye had a solid performance in the loss, grabbing 11 receptions for 94 yards. Eric Carter had a great game as well, adding 91 receiving yards and a TD on four catches. Michigan also came up short, losing to Michigan State 27-23. Sione Houma had a good performance running the ball for the Wolverines, rushing three times for 30 yards and two TDs. Jehu Chesson had 58 receiving yards on four catches.
The Wolverines take on the Golden Gophers as a 10-point favorite this week. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is unavailable currently.
Sitting at 4-3 Straight Up (SU) and 2-5 Against The Spread (ATS), the Golden Gophers will look to improve heading into Week 9. In their five most recent matchups, the Golden Gophers went 3-2 SU and 1-4 ATS. Expect the Golden Gophers defense to restrict Michigan’s passing attack. The Golden Gophers have the 18th-ranked pass defense in the nation and give up only 177.3 passing yards per game.
As for their opponent, the Wolverines head into Week 9 with records of 4-3 ATS and 5-2 SU. Over their last five games, the Wolverines have a SU record of 4-1 and a 3-2 record ATS for those betting with them. During their last five games, the Wolverines have done a better job of keeping their opponents off the scoreboard. They’re allowing 9.3 PPG, but have given up an average of six over their last five. Michigan’s pass defense ranks fourth in the nation. This menacing unit gives up just 145.6 yards per game through the air. It’ll be hard to get the ball out of the hands of Michigan’s offense this week. The team’s average time of possession is 34:05, ranking them eighth in the country.
Predictions: SU Winner – Michigan, ATS Winner – Michigan
Notes
Minnesota is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games.
Minnesota is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games.
Minnesota is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games at home.
Minnesota is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Michigan.
Minnesota is 2-14 SU in its last 16 games when playing Michigan.
Minnesota is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Michigan.
Michigan is 5-1 SU when leading at the half this season. Minnesota is 2-0 SU when taking a lead into halftime.
Remarkably, Michigan is only 1-2 SU in games where it wins the turnover battle, yet undefeated (2-0 SU) when losing the turnover battle.
The Minnesota offensive passing attack is ranked only 95th in the nation, while the Michigan pass defense is ranked fourth. The Wolverines passing game is ranked just 97th, compared to the 18th-ranked pass defense of the Golden Gophers.
