How do you watch the Gophers at Michigan and 3 keys to winning The Little Brown Jug
Time to fight it out for The Little Brown Jug
How to Watch
TV: Fox
Time: 11:00
Stream: FoxSports.com
The Little Brown Jug is the originator of the rivalry trophy and it is a part of the pageantry of what makes college football great. The actual Michigan-Minnesota Rivalry is not really a thing. There is no bad blood here, it is just a cool trophy. A cool trophy that pays its taxes and votes in Michigan because it has permanent residence there. Can the Gophers steal it and house it till we play again in 2026? Here are your keys.
- Stop the run – Not sure if you remember, but Iowa’s Kaleb Johnson ran all over the Gopher defense in the second half of last week’s game. Michigan’s Kalel Mullings has had back-to-back games of 150 yards and 2 touchdowns.
- Opportunistic defense – Quarterback play has been spotty for the Wolverines. If (and it is a big if) the Gopher defense can slow down the run and force some passing situations, getting a turnover or two would be significant.
- Free Darius – Time for Darius Taylor to be unleashed on the team that didn’t recruit him until it was too late. The Michigan native had to miss this game last season, this is the perfect time for him to break out with a big game on the ground.
OPPOSING PLAYERS TO WATCH
- #20 RB – Kalel Mullings – One of the top running backs in the conference and could be a problem if the Gopher defense chooses not to tackle well.
- #0 DE – Josiah Stewart – In the top 10 nationally for quarterback pressures and leads the Big Ten with 4 sacks.
PREDICTION
I’ve been very intrigued this week how the line opened with Michigan as a 10.5 point favorite and actually moved in the Gopher’s direction down to 9. Optimistically, this Michigan team is not nearly the same team that won the national championship a year ago and they are vulnerable. I also believe that the “real” Gopher team is closer to the first half of the Iowa game than the second. So can they keep this game within 10 points? Sure, I wouldn’t be totally surprised. Maybe even a critical turnover away from getting the Jug back.
On the other hand, Michigan is clearly more talented and that “second-half-Gopher team” is still there and may show itself. I don’t see a Gopher win on Saturday afternoon and I don’t care what the margin of defeat is.
Minnesota – 23
Michigan – 34