Ad Disclosure
Report: Minnesota to be without multiple starters for opener vs. Michigan
Published:
For Minnesota the climb to topple Michigan in their opener with be a tough one.
The Gophers will be without their starting kicker Michael Lantz, punter Mark Crawford and their kickoff return specialist Dragan Kesich, putting their special teams unit at a severe advantage against the Wolverines.
But it doesn’t stop there.
Sources: Minnesota will be shorthanded against Michigan tonight, with a flurry of key specialists, two starting offensive lineman and a starting LB unavailable. Details here from @YahooSports. https://t.co/KKxb24EL5S
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) October 24, 2020
The Gophers will also be without multiple key position players as starting right side tackle Daniel Faalele and guard Curtis Dunlap Jr. are not available. On the defensive side, starting linebacker Braelen Oliver and backup defensive back Phillip Howard will not be playing.
Faalele and Dunlap are both impact players on the Gopher line, that returned all five starters from last season’s squad.
Backup kicker Brock Walkers is expected to handle kicks, and drilled three field goals and six PAT’s during last season.
Scott Schultz covers Michigan State Football, along with Breaking News for B1G Football & Basketball for Saturday Tradition. He also serves as an Automotive News Editor & Writer, and Softball Writer elsewhere on the web. Follow him on Twitter @SRSchultz.