Minnesota RB Darius Taylor, the foremost Big Ten ground gainer, is a scratch. Louisiana's defense is stingy against the run, so the Gophers are in a bind offensively. Conversely, the Cajuns' young QB, Zeus Chriss, became a starter only after an injury to the incumbent. The Gophers have no intention of running up the score should they be afforded the chance. Next week: Michigan. Minnesota will take a W and hope to keep everyone else healthy for the Wolverines' game.

The Gophers have been a disappointment thus far. They were nearly upset by Nebraska in Week 1 before self-destructing against North Carolina. Last week, they somehow blew a 21-point lead in the fourth quarter against Northwestern before losing in OT. There’s no time for a letdown spot ahead of their meeting with Michigan next week. The Cajuns have been rolling against meager competition with a versatile offense average nearly 40 ppg. But they are stepping out of their weight class Saturday against what should be a focused and motivated Minnesota club.

Louisiana starting QB Ben Woolridge is out however I really like redshirt freshman Zeon Chrris, who is a dual threat QB with a 74% pass completion percentage, 180 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns the past two games. The Cajuns have scored 40+ points the in those games at UAB and hosting Buffalo. Minnesota's defense is far better than both but we just need Louisiana to score in the 20's. Minnesota's offense finally started to click last week and now get my 119th ranked Louisiana defense. The Gophers could have a big game on offense.

Louisiana's offense, led by the sensational Zeon Criss at QB, can chew up yards in chunks on the ground. They've also shown the ability to strike quick and often as well. Minnesota's defense has shown a lot of vulnerability as of late and we could have ourselves a scoreboard shootout in the Twin Cities.