5 best college football duos for the 2020 season
By John Buhler
3. Minnesota Golden Gophers: QB Tanner Morgan, WR Rashod Bateman
While everybody and their brother is picking the Ohio State Buckeyes to win the Big Ten again, the Minnesota Golden Gophers keep rowing the boat for head coach P.J. Fleck in Minneapolis. Last year’s success won’t be a fluke, as the Gophers return two outstanding offensive players in quarterback Tanner Morgan and wide receiver Rashod Bateman.
Morgan completed 66.0 percent of his passes for 3,253 yards, 30 touchdowns and seven interceptions in his sophomore season. One of his favorite targets returned, as Bateman had 60 catches for 1,219 yards and 11 interceptions in his sophomore season as well. With wide receiver Tyler Johnson now playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, look for this connection to be stronger.
Despite playing in a cold climate and in a ground-and-pound division like the Big Ten West, the Gophers have a very real shot of getting to Indianapolis if they can beat rival Wisconsin in their annual meeting. If Fleck can lead his former program in the Western Michigan Broncos to the Cotton Bowl, he can get the Gophers to Indianapolis at some point in the next two years.
With Morgan and Bateman having had two quality years of working together, who knows how dynamic this duo can get in year three? Should they both return to Minneapolis for their senior seasons in 2021, we’re talking about a record-setting passing pairing in Big Ten play. This duo will only get stronger as the season goes along. They are must-watch football in the Big Ten West.