PISCATAWAY – Rutgers football coach Greg Schiano laid out the formula.

Schiano’s team on Saturday will host Minnesota at SHI Stadium looking to snap a four-game losing streak, while the Golden Gophers will be trying to extend their winning streak to five games.

So much of Minnesota’s success?

Turnover margin.

“Right now in their winning streak, they are plus-nine in turnover margin,” Schiano said on Monday. “Overall they are plus-12 but in this four-game streak they are plus-nine. When you're having that kind of success holding on to the football and taking the football away, it leads to victory.”

This is a matchup of two programs who place a heavy emphasis on ball security – perhaps not surprisingly, considering Minnesota coach PJ Fleck is a Schiano mentee.

Rutgers preaches “The ball is the program,” a phrase that offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca brought to the Scarlet Knights his first stint from 2008-10. Ciarrocca later became Minnesota’s OC under Fleck in 2022 before rejoining Schiano at Rutgers.

"It's part of our culture," Schiano said. "There are certain cultural mainstays or pillars, or whatever you want to call them. The ball is one of those. It's something I've believed in for the better part of my career. I can't say my whole career because when I was young, I didn't understand how important that was. But I believe they call it football for a reason. It's hugely important for our program, and it doesn't take long when you come into our program to realize the level of importance that's placed on the ball."

The Scarlet Knights this season have a plus-three turnover margin.

“Certainly that's a key to the game but how does that happen? Who plays harder or tougher and obviously obsessing about the football, that's what both programs do,” Schiano said. “There's a lot of similarities how the game will be approached. We have to go coach it and play it and who does that the best, will win.”

Rutgers football vs Minnesota

Date: Nov. 9

Time: Noon

TV: NBC

Jac Collinsworth will be on play-by-play alongside analyst Michael Robinson with Caroline Pineda reporting from the sidelines.

Streaming: Fubo (free trial), Peacock

Radio: WFAN 660 AM/101.9 FM, FOX Sports New Jersey 93.5 FM/1450 AM, SiriusXM 113/196

Chris Carlin will be on play-by-play alongside analysts Mike Teel and Eric LeGrand with Anthony Fucilli reporting from the sidelines.

Series history: Minnesota won the previous three meetings between these teams. They last played on Oct. 29, 2022 in Minneapolis, with the Golden Gophers winning 31-0. They last played in Piscataway on Oct. 19, 2019 with Minnesota, ranked No. 20 at the time, winning 42-7.

Weather: A high temperature of 60 degrees is predicted for Saturday in Piscataway with plenty of sunshine, according to AccuWeather. Wind gusts could reach 16 mph.

Three Minnesota players to watch vs Rutgers

Max Brosmer, quarterback

The 6-foot-2, 225-pound Brosmer, a transfer from New Hampshire, is 191-of-280 (68.1 percent) passing for 1,989 yards (sixth in the Big Ten) with 13 touchdowns and four interceptions. During Minnesota’s four-game winning streak, Brosmer has completed 71 percent of his passes.

Darius Taylor, running back

The 6-foot, 215-pound Taylor, playing in his second season, has rushed for 644 yards on 126 carries (5.1 yards per attempt) with eight touchdowns. Schiano said Taylor reminds him of his own running back, Kyle Monangai, with his patience and toughness.

Cody Lindenberg, linebacker

Lindenberg is essentially the leader of the defense. He has 62 tackles (two for loss) with one sack, as well as an interception and six pass breakups. The 6-foot-3, 240-pound Lindenberg has been around a while – this is his fifth college season.

Three Rutgers players to watch vs Minnesota

Athan Kaliakmanis, quarterback

Kaliakmanis will be going up against his former team. He spent three seasons in a Minnesota uniform before transferring to Rutgers. He said on Tuesday that he won’t feel any differently going up against the Golden Gophers, but it’s reasonable to expect he’ll have some added motivation. Kaliakmanis has largely been an improvement at QB for the Scarlet Knights, throwing for 1,650 yards with nine touchdowns. It’s going to be interesting to see how he performs against Minnesota.

Kyle Monangai, running back

Schiano has previously acknowledged that Monangai is banged up, but the sight of the running back leaving the field in the second half of Rutgers’ loss to USC was a scary one for the Scarlet Knights. Monangai’s status for the Minnesota game is unclear – Schiano leaves that to the availability report released two hours prior to kickoff. Rutgers has to hope Monangai will be able to play.

Flip Dixon, safety

Dixon is another Minnesota transfer. So far this season he has 36 tackles and one interception for the Scarlet Knights. He’s been listed on the availability report as “questionable” in recent weeks but has continued to play.

Three questions facing Rutgers football vs Minnesota

1. How much healthier will Rutgers be?

The Scarlet Knights have been badly banged up, especially on defense. The week off came at a good time. But there’s still only so much healing that can happen in a week. Schiano acknowledged on Monday that some injuries won’t fully heal until after the season ends. Still, if Rutgers can get even a little healthier, it would be the positive for the Scarlet Knights.

2. Will Rutgers be able to move the ball efficiently?

Minnesota has one of the top defenses in the country, yielding 290.6 yards per game, which ranks ninth in the country. It’s allowing 169.6 passing yards per game, fourth-best in the Big Ten. The Golden Gophers’ run defense has been slightly more vulnerable, giving up 121.0 yards per game, ninth in the conference. Still, Minnesota has been very strong on defense. Getting into the end zone isn’t going to be easy for Rutgers.

3. Can Rutgers avoid turning the ball over?

Again, this game could come down to which team does a better job of protecting the football, something Minnesota does extremely well. Rutgers can’t afford to give the ball away – it’s 15-2 going back to 2020 when not committing a turnover.

Rutgers vs Minnesota prediction

Minnesota, as Schiano said Monday, is one of the hottest teams in the country. Momentum can make a big difference, and Rutgers hasn’t had much of that in recent weeks. The Scarlet Knights could have a tough time scoring against a strong Golden Gophers defense, and their health status is still unclear. Minnesota 27, Rutgers 14

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This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Rutgers football vs Minnesota prediction, preview, scouting report