Gophers head to No. 7 Oregon Friday night as big underdogs
Gophers head to Oregon as big underdogs [FULL]
The University of Minnesota football team is back from its second bye week. Gophers coach P.J. Fleck met with reporters on Monday to talk about facing No. 7-ranked Oregon Friday night.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The University of Minnesota football team is back from its second bye week, and the Gophers are getting ready for their second Friday night game of the season.
Gophers head to Oregon
What we know:
Coming off a dramatic overtime win over Michigan State, the Gophers (6-3, 4-2) head to Eugene, Ore., and face the No. 7-ranked Ducks Friday night in a game you can watch on FOX 9. Oregon is coming off rallying to get an 18-16 win over Iowa at Kinnick Stadium, keeping its Big Ten title and College Football Playoffs hopes alive in the process.
Earlier this year, Minnesota hosted a ranked Nebraska team on Friday night and dominated in a 24-6 victory. But the circumstances, and the opponent, are different this time. The schedule changes, but the goal remains the same: Try to shock the college football world.
The Gophers are 23.5-point underdogs. The last time the two teams played, Minnesota got a 31-30 win over Oregon in the 2003 Sun Bowl.
"We’re just looking to be 1-0. Home, away, it’s not about that, it’s about playing your best football," Gophers coach P.J. Fleck said Monday.
Bye week goals
Dig deeper:
Fleck said Monday the Gophers had three goals during their bye week: Get as many guys as possible healthy, do another self-scout and audit of the program and respond.
"We had a really good week of practice," Fleck said.
We’ll have to wait until 7 p.m. local time Friday to see if star tailback Darius Taylor is available. Taylor played just three snaps at Iowa before leaving injured, and didn’t return. He did not play against Michigan State.
Drake Lindsey’s journey
Why you should care:
It’s been an up-and-down season for redshirt freshman quarterback Drake Lindsey. If you ask Fleck, it’s about what he expected. In nine games, Lindsey is throwing for 193 yards per game, has 10 touchdowns and six interceptions. He ran for the game-winning score in overtime against the Spartans, winning a race to the pylon.
"We all knew this was going to be a growing year. When you make a decision to play a freshman, you understand there’s going to be some really high highs, there’s going to be low lows. Drake has handled and responded really well to all of them," Fleck said. "When we needed him the most, he came through."
What's next:
After Oregon, the Gophers face Northwestern at Wrigley Field on Nov. 22, then host Wisconsin to end the regular season. At 6-3, they’re guaranteed a bowl game.