December 9, 2014

No. 16 Missouri (10-3, 7-1 SEC) takes on No. 25 Minnesota (8-4, 5-3 B1G) on Jan. 1 at the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida. Maneater writer Jason Lowenthal scouted the Golden Gophers and gave his prediction for the game.

####Offense

Star **running back David Cobb** leads Minnesota’s offense. The senior broke the Golden Gophers’ single-season rushing record in the team’s final regular season game against Wisconsin. He has rushed for 1,548 yards and 13 touchdowns this year. Cobb has recorded six straight games with at least one touchdown and has become a workhorse for the Gophers, averaging close to 25 carries per game.

During Minnesota’s mid-season four-game winning streak, Cobb’s role was expanded further as he ran the ball at least 30 times in each game. Unfortunately, Cobb’s season was a bit diminished in terms of media perception due to 2,000-yard seasons by Indiana’s Tevin Coleman and Wisconsin’s Heisman Trophy finalist Melvin Gordon.

Sophomore **quarterback Mitch Leidner** is a bit of an enigma. Missouri fans can relate, as Leidner plays a similar style of football to Mizzou’s sophomore Maty Mauk. Both are dual-threat quarterbacks who tend to make some questionable decisions. However, much like Mauk, Leidner has learned to rely on his legs later in the season. In each of Minnesota’s final six games, Leidner had double-digit rushing attempts, including a career day on the ground against Nebraska in which he had 22 attempts for 111 yards and two touchdowns. On the season, he has 462 yards rushing with 10 touchdowns.

Through the air, however, Leidner is a different story. Leidner finished eleventh in the Big Ten Conference in terms of passing yards (1,540) and was last among qualified quarterbacks in completion percentage (49.0). Part of this is due to Minnesota’s susceptible offensive line, which ranks in the middle of the pack in the Big Ten. Although the Gophers do have significant experience on the line, Mizzou boasts one of the top defensive lines in the nation and should have no problem pressuring Leidner.

In the receiving game, the Tigers will need to watch out for **tight end Maxx Williams**. The sophomore leads the team in receiving and is featured heavily in the Gophers’ offense. He is also the top tight end in the conference in terms of yards (471) and touchdowns (7).

If Leidner and Williams start clicking, it may get dangerous. But expect **coach Jerry Kill** and his staff to continue to rely on Cobb for most of the game.

####Defense

Minnesota was a top-50 defense last season and continued to improve this year. Kill, who has prior coaching experience as a defensive coordinator, prides his team on playing rugged, tough-nosed defense. The Gophers boast the 34th best scoring defense in the nation (23.4 points allowed per game). Both teams typically like playing in games in the twenty-point range, but since each match up fairly well in defensive strength, it will come down to whichever offense doesn’t settle for field goals. On an individual level, Mizzou will have to be aware of junior **cornerback Briean Boddy-Calhoun**, one of the best in the Big Ten. Boddy-Calhoun has four interceptions on the season and has also forced two fumbles. Another man to be aware of is hard-hitting **safety Cedric Thompson**.

Senior **linebacker Damien Wilson** is one of the leading tacklers in the conference (115). Wilson also leads the Gophers in sacks (4.0). In arguably the biggest win of the season for Minnesota, a 28-24 victory over Nebraska, Wilson picked up two sacks.

Overall, the Gophers’ defense has caught fire at the right time. Minnesota has forced nine turnovers in the last four games and has forced at least one turnover in every game this season. The Gophers have one of the most opportunistic defensive units out there, and will likely cause some problems against a suspect Mizzou offense.

####Special teams

Gophers freshman **kicker Ryan Santoso** has been a pleasant surprise this season. Although he has missed five field goals from 40-plus yards this year, Santoso has shown he has a strong leg. He has connected from 44, 48 and 52 yards this season, but has not made one from 40 yards or beyond since Oct. 25. However, on shorter field goals, Santos has been impressive, to say the least. He has made eight of nine attempts under 40 yards and has missed just one extra point attempt in 44 tries.

Junior **punter Peter Mortell** is one of the top punters in the nation, averaging 45.5 yards per punt this season. He leads the Big Ten in that category.

Sophomore **defensive back Jalen Myrick** is the main return specialist for Minnesota. He has tremendous breakaway speed and took a kickoff 100 yards to the house against Northwestern earlier this season. Interestingly, however, Myrick does not take many punt returns. Freshman **defensive back Craig James** sees the field most of the time in return situations and is fairly elusive, but has not taken one back this season. In the return game, Mizzou senior Marcus Murphy has the edge.

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**Jason’s game prediction:**
_Missouri 27, Minnesota 20_

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