Gophers Insider: Minnesota having trouble with run game on both sides of ball

Improvement in the run game on both sides of the ball is paramount moving forward. The Gophers are rushing for 117.3 yards per game, which ranks 17th in the Big Ten. They’re giving up 123.8 rushing yards per game, which ranks 13th.

They figure to receive a heavy dose of the run game at Michigan on Saturday. The Wolverines have turned to run-focused QB Alex Orji, and they ran the ball 46 times for 290 yards against USC and threw for only 32 yards. Mullings carried 17 times for 159 yards and two TDs, while Donovan Edwards ran 14 times for 74 yards and a score. The Wolverines rank sixth in the Big Ten at 204.8 yards rushing per game.

In addition to Michigan, the Gophers still will play the teams that rank first (Rutgers, 255.7), second (Penn State, 255.0), eighth (Wisconsin, 172.0) and 10th (Illinois, 156.5) in the conference in rushing yards.

Iowa boasts the Big Ten’s best rushing defense (62.0 yards per game), and the Gophers still must play other stout run defenses when they face Michigan (fourth, 76.5), Penn State (sixth, 85.0) and UCLA (seventh, 92.0).

“This is the Big Ten, and you better be able to play all 60 minutes,” Fleck said. “The best thing we can do is learn from this.”