Gophers' Max Brosmer ranks near top of CFB in unfortunate statistic

Minnesota's passing game has not hit its full potential.

Sep 7, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Rhode Island Rams defensive back Tremel States-Jones (23) breaks up a pass intended for Minnesota Golden Gophers tight end Jameson Geers (86) during the first half at Huntington Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Over the last two weeks, Max Brosmer and the Gophers passing attack have begun to find their stride. But, based on an interesting statistic, they've left more than 100 yards on the table.

An account called @CFBNumbers on X posted a graph showing the most yards lost to drops this season per quarterback across the FBS, and Brosmer is ninth on the list. Without expected yards after the catch, the list took the average depth of target of drops to look at how many yards at minimum a QB has lost this season. For Brosmer, it's a little over 150 yards.

Taking average depth of target*drops to look at how many yards at minimum (so no expected YAC or anything here) a QB has lost this season #CFB #CollegeFootball pic.twitter.com/0YITUQTt4m

— CFBNumbers (@CFBNumbers) October 18, 2024

Through seven games, Minnesota has 11 total drops. Tight end Jameson Geers has the most with three, Le'Meke Brockington and Daniel Jackson each have two, then Frank Bierman, Christian Driver, Elijah Spencer and Darius Taylor all have one.

According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), 7.1 percent of Brosmer's on-target throws have been dropped. He ranks 79th in the country with that statistic, which shows that most of the Gophers' drops this season have been on deep balls down the field.

The Gophers' success in the passing game has largely come on short screen passes. Brosmer's average depth of target (aDOT) through seven games is 7.6 yards, which ranks 136th in the country out of quarterbacks with at least 60 dropbacks. Their high mark of yards lost to drops shows that when they take shots down the field, catching the ball has been an issue.

Minnesota had only one drop as a team during its wins over USC and UCLA, as they discovered their bread and butter with the screen game. If they want to unlock their full potential as offense, finding some chemistry on the deep ball might be the missing piece to the puzzle.

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