Minnesota’s PJ Fleck focuses on slowing down Michigan’s ground game

Ann Arbor – Michigan is not hiding the fact that it will continue to run and run even more if that is possible. And Minnesota isn’t hiding the fact that it goes into this 106th meeting against the Wolverines with the goal of preventing that.

The No. 12 Wolverines (3-1, 1-0 Big Ten) and Minnesota (2-2, 0-1) will play for the Little Brown Jug for the 99th time on Saturday at Michigan Stadium. Michigan has a 73-23-2 record in Jug games, and the Gophers last won it in 2014.

Alex Orji will start at quarterback in a second straight game for Michigan after helping the Wolverines to a 27-24 come-from-behind victory over USC last weekend. Michigan ran for 290 yards and three touchdowns, including Kalel Mullings’ 159 yards and two touchdowns with the winning 1-yard score on fourth down with 37 seconds left.

Minnesota is coming off a loss to Iowa, in which Hawkeyes running back Kaleb Johnson racked up 206 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Iowa totaled 272 rushing yards and four touchdowns while throwing for 62 yards, which was almost a mirror image of what the Wolverines did against USC.

Minnesota head coach PJ Fleck said everyone knows Michigan is and is a run-first offense. But with Orji and his ability to play quarterback, the Gophers defense is on high alert.

“They do it in a lot of unique ways, especially with the quarterback change,” Fleck said of Michigan’s ability to run. ‘They’re big. They are strong. We have to be able to stop the flight and we know that. They are going to do something with that with the play-action pass.

“I don’t know if you can stop Michigan’s run game, but you can slow it down. We have a lot of respect for them and what they do and how they do it, and they do it at their discretion. And that’s the only thing they do.” that Michigan is Michigan, I mean, they do it. They run football as they see fit.”

Fleck said there was no panic after the loss to Iowa and said it wasn’t an alarming schematic issue that cost them the game. The tackles were not good in the second half and he believes that can be corrected.

Conversely, Michigan coach Sherrone Moore knows that Minnesota’s transfer quarterback Max Brosmer can cause problems, as can the rest of the offense.

“Coach Fleck always runs a disciplined, tough, physical program,” Moore said. “The running backs are really good. The offensive line is big, huge. They have the transfer quarterback. They always have receivers somewhere who can make some plays, but I know in advance that they really want to run the football and they do a very good job there. They’ve changed a little bit because they have a new coordinator, but they’re definitely a team that’s going to play with utmost effort and physicality.”

Fleck also emphasized crowd noise in practice this week since the Gophers play on the road. Michigan Stadium may not be considered the loudest Big Ten stadium, but it can raise the decibels when necessary.

“The Big House is not called the Little House. It’s called the Big House for a reason,” Fleck said. “We cannot let circumstances determine our behavior.”

And Fleck doesn’t want Michigan’s run game to dictate the game, either.

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