Opponent preview: Everything to know about Minnesota ahead of the Pinstripe Bowl

Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our sports newsletter here.

NEW YORK — After recording a 7-5 regular season that secured bowl eligibility for the first since 2018, Syracuse is set to face Minnesota in the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium this Thursday afternoon. It’ll be the final game of an up-and-down season for the Orange, who started 6-0 and peaked at No. 14 in the AP Top 25, but finished the year 1-5. 

Minnesota, meanwhile, started the season 4-0 and entered the top 25 rankings itself before losing three straight in October against Purdue, Illinois and Penn State. The Golden Gophers have won four of their last five entering The Bronx, with a stout defense and potent rushing attack leading the way. 

Here’s everything to know about the Golden Gophers ahead of Thursday afternoon’s Pinstripe Bowl matchup:

All-time series

Minnesota leads, 3-2. 

Last time they played

SU and Minnesota’s last meeting was also in a postseason game at the 2013 Texas Bowl in Houston. The Orange, who went 6-6 in the regular season and became bowl eligible in the final seconds of their last game against Boston College, topped the Golden Gophers 21-17 for their second bowl win in as many years. It was Scott Shafer’s first and only winning season as Syracuse’s head coach. 

Quarterback Terrel Hunt totaled 262 yards, running for two touchdowns — including the game-winning 12-yard run with just 1:14 left in the fourth quarter. The score was set up by a 70-yard punt return from Brisly Estime, which put the ball at Minnesota’s 14-yard line. The Golden Gophers had 10 plays to answer and retake the lead, but Mitch Leidner’s final pass with time expiring fell incomplete, giving SU the win. 

The Golden Gophers report

Minnesota’s bread and butter throughout this season has been its ground game, with senior Mohamed Ibrahim leading the way. Ibrahim finished the regular season fourth nationally in rushing yards (1,594), and second in touchdowns (19). The Golden Gophers have consistently given him a heavy workload, with Ibrahim recording at least 20 carries in all but one game this season, and 30 or more in five games. 

Syracuse has already faced a series of talented running backs this season — including Clemson’s Will Shipley and Notre Dame’s Audric Estime, who combined for 295 yards against SU — though interim defensive coordinator Nick Monroe said Ibrahim tops them all. 

“Their running back’s an anomaly,” Monroe said of Ibrahim last week. “He is really, really good. He may be, with no disrespect to anybody we played this year, the best one we’ve seen.”

Minnesota also has one of the best defenses in college football, allowing only 13.3 points per game, which ranks third-best nationally. The Golden Gophers allowed 10 points or less in six of their games this season, doing so with a team effort, as none of their players have recorded more than 78 tackles. 

The Golden Gophers’ quarterback situation, though, isn’t as great, and true freshman Athan Kaliakmanis is expected to start Thursday, but head coach P.J. Fleck did say veteran Tanner Morgan could play. Kaliakmanis appeared in nine games this season, recording 866 passing yards while completing 52% of his passes. In the regular season finale against Wisconsin, Kaliakmanis threw for 319 yards and two touchdowns.

How Syracuse beats Minnesota

Syracuse certainly has a tough task taking down an 8-4 Big Ten team that runs the ball and defends at a high level. SU has struggled against containing the run this season, and Thursday could slowly begin to resemble the game at Pitt in November if Ibrahim continues to take rush after rush for several-yard gains. The key for the Orange up front will be to get stops on third downs, and also get enough tackles for loss that will set up more passing situations. 

A major storyline in this game will be how SU replaces its starters who have transferred or  declared for the NFL draft since the end of the regular season. With starting defensive backs Duce Chestnut and Ja’Had Carter in the portal, expect freshman cornerbacks Jeremiah Wilson and Quan Peterson to see significant time. Marlowe Wax also said linebacker Kadin Bailey has stepped up in recent practices, and Bailey’s role could be important with senior Mikel Jones declaring for the NFL Draft Wednesday, likely meaning he won’t play Thursday. 

“The guys that are out on the football field, this is their first opportunity, for a lot of those guys, to shine,” Dino Babers said Wednesday. “It’s the end of 2022, but it’s also the beginning of 2023 even though we’re not there yet. And I’m excited to see what some of the young people are going to do.”

Offensively, Syracuse will be without two of its top players in Sean Tucker and Matthew Bergeron, meaning freshman LeQuint Allen will become a focal point of Jason Beck’s attack. The Orange will need big games from Garrett Shrader, who Babers said is at full strength Wednesday, and Oronde Gadsden II. Minnesota has struggled to generate pressure this season, and SU’s offensive line will have to give Shrader time to throw, and holes if he decides to run. 

Stat to know: 17

The Golden Gophers ranked dead last in the Big Ten — and 118th nationally — with only 17 sacks this season. Minnesota rarely blitzes more than four or five players, electing to let its secondary make plays. The strategy has worked, with Minnesota’s defense ranking as one of the top units in the country, effectively shutting down opposing offenses. 

While Syracuse ranks 120th in the country with 41 allowed sacks, that shouldn’t be as big a concern Thursday. But if Minnesota can still generate pressure with small blitzes, the Orange’s offense could be in trouble. 

Player to watch: Mohamed Ibrahim, running back, No. 24

It’s hard to say enough about Ibrahim and his importance to this Minnesota team. A year after suffering a season-ending injury in week one against Ohio State, Ibrahim has been a force this season, topping 1,000 rushing yards for the second time in his career after working on the scout team as a freshman. 

“I’m honored to coach that kid,” Fleck said of Ibrahim. “I don’t know if there’s respectively a football player as good within 12 yards. Arguably, I would love to make his case for it because he is so special, and he is even a better young man.”