Mitch Leidner, Dean Lowry

Minnesota quarterback Mitch Leidner (7) was a two-star recruit out of high school but has been touted as a potential first round draft pick by ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr.

(AP Photo/Matt Marton)

Each week this season, The Oregonian/OregonLive is posting a Q&A with a beat writer covering Oregon State's upcoming opponent. This week we caught up with Joe Christensen (@JoeCStrib), who covers Minnesota for the Star Tribune. The Beavers face the Golden Gophers at TCF Bank Stadium at 6 p.m. PT on Thursday.

1. Quarterback Mitch Leidner has been talked about as a potential first-round draft pick, but his numbers from a year ago (14 touchdowns, 11 interceptions) don't blow you away. What are his strengths that give him this kind of hype? Does he have glaring weaknesses?

Leidner is 6-4, 230 pounds, tough as nails, and has a good arm. He doesn't throw the prettiest ball, but it's usually on target. Sometimes his footwork gets thrown off and his accuracy suffers. He played through a severe left foot injury last year and had trouble throwing on the run. But he's been a clutch performer with some of his best work coming late in games and against tougher opponents.

2. Running back Shannon Brooks appears to be the biggest injury plaguing the Gophers heading into Thursday. What does Minnesota lose in Brooks and what can viewers expect from his backups?

Brooks is a home run threat. As a freshman last year, he had touchdown runs of 75, 71, 40 and 38 yards. Rodney Smith, a fellow sophomore, has really good vision and cutting ability. He's very technically sound, though not quite as explosive in the open field. Junior college transfer Kobe McCrary is a bigger back, at 6-1, 235, but he's more nimble than I thought he'd be.

3. It looks like tight end Brandon Lingen (shoulder) is a question mark for the matchup. How valuable an asset can he be to the Minnesota offense and what is the depth like behind him?

That's a big loss if he doesn't play. He's a team captain and a well-rounded player with good blocking ability and pass-catching skills. He had 100-yard receiving games last year against Michigan and Iowa. Without him, the Gophers would turn to 6-10 (no misprint) junior Nate Wozniak and redshirt freshman Colton Beebe. Neither is the same kind of receiving threat as Lingen.

4. Oregon State has some inexperience at key spots on the offensive line but Minnesota had trouble generating a consistent pass rush in 2015. Is that an area of concern for the team this coming year?

I think that's a fair assessment. None of their defensive linemen managed four sacks last year. They actually have some impressive depth at defensive tackle now with four legitimate guys -- Steven Richardson, Merrick Jackson, Scott Ekpe and Andrew Stelter. Defensive end is more of a question with Gaelin Elmore and Hank Ekpe. They're also going to use linebackers such as Julian Huff and Kamal Martin as edge rushers in passing situations.

5. Given that it's Tracy Claeys' first full year at the helm after taking over for Jerry Kill, what are the general expectations for the team from the program and the fans in 2016?

They were 8-5 in back-to-back years before falling to 6-7 last year. They had numerous injuries and the schedule was very tough, with six of the losses coming against 10-win teams. But fans will be disappointed if this team can't get back to that eight-win level, at least. TCU, Ohio State and Michigan come off the schedule. They have a veteran QB in Leidner. Claeys rebuilt the offensive line. The defense should be strong again. Kill was so popular, he could have run for governor and won. People like Claeys, too, but he probably needs a winning season to keep fans on his side.

-- Danny Moran