Minnesota Golden Gophers: 1-6

Series Record: PSU leads 7-4

Head Coach: Jeff Horton (first game as head coach after the firing of head coach Tim Brewster)

Players to Watch: QB Adam Weber, LB Gary Tinsley, WR Da’Jon McKnight

There certainly have been happier days on the campuses of Minnesota and Penn State.

The Golden Gophers fired their head coach Tim Brewster this week after leading his team to six straight losses. Two of those losses came from South Dakota and Northern Illinois.

The Nittany Lions are coming off two straight losses, including a loss to Illinois for the first time in Beaver Stadium, so Saturday’s noon (EST) kickoff will ignite a dogfight (or cat fight) between the two worst teams in the Big Ten.

Minnesota is led by its experienced senior quarterback Adam Weber, who has tossed for over 1,660 yards and 14 touchdowns this season. His favorite target has been junior Da’Jon McKnight, who leads the team with six receiving touchdowns and is ranked No. 4 in the Big Ten for receiving yards.

Weber and McKnight get a hell of a boost from their two-headed monster at running back, which includes Duane Bennett and DeLeon Eskridge. The duo has 765 total yards on the ground and 4 touchdowns combined. They will be the X-factor for the Gophers if they hope to walk away victorious this weekend. Penn State’s defense has been allowing more than 145 yards per game and will face one of the better offensive lines in the Big Ten.

On the defensive side, the Gophers are led by junior tackling machine Gary Tinsley. The linebacker leads the team in tackles with 56.

However, the rest of the Gopher defense has been treated like a rug all season long, giving up nearly 32 points per game. It is imperative the Nittany Lions spark their running game against this defensive front, in order to open up the passing game for freshman Rob Bolden.

Will the Nittany Lions be able to bounce back from two straight losses this weekend in Minnesota? Or will McKnight, Weber and the Minnesota offensive line steamroll the Penn State defense on their way to victory?

Make your predictions here!