Gophers open Big Ten play after dark at Washington Saturday night

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The University of Minnesota football team is 2-1 on the season after a 41-7 win over Akron on Saturday.

Now, the Gophers head into the Big Ten season. They’ll do so with a late-night tilt at Washington Saturday, a team that played for the national championship three years ago. The Huskies are 3-0 and are a top-25 team.

P.J. Fleck shouts out Toby Keith

The backstory:

Before talking about preparing for Washington, P.J. Fleck gave a nod to country singer Toby Keith. His song "Should’ve Been a Cowboy" features the line, "Go west young man, haven’t you been told?"

The Gophers face No. 23-ranked Washington at Husky Stadium late Saturday night. It’s an 8 p.m. kickoff there, which means a 10 p.m. start in Minnesota. The Gophers played at night at California last year and lost, they also went to Oregon and lost.

Fleck says they’ll practice in the morning, and they’ll practice at night to have their body clocks ready.

"We practiced in the morning and lost, we practiced at night and lost. Flip the coin, afternoon it is," Fleck joked. "It’s just like playing an 8 o’clock game here for us when we get there, that’s how we’ll treat it. Loudest stadium in college football."

Darius Taylor update

What we know:

Gophers’ standout running back Darius Taylor worked out pregame with trainers, but did not play in Saturday’s 41-7 win over the Zips. He had three first-half touchdowns against Eastern Illinois, and had just six touches against Mississippi State.

His Gophers' career has been impacted every season by injuries.

What we don't know:

Fleck said he’s "banged up," but his injury has not been disclosed. We’ll know more on Wednesday, when Big Ten teams release their injury reports for the first time this season. It was not a league requirement during non-conference play. Taylor’s status for Saturday is not yet known.

"The good thing about you guys is come Wednesday, you’ll be more informed than you’ve ever been as media members. You’re going to be so educated on the injuries, you’ll feel like the doctor. We’ll make sure we get that to you as we keep moving forward," Fleck said.

Gophers bounce back

Why you should care:

After getting bullied in a 38-13 loss to Mississippi State two weeks ago, the Gophers responded with a 41-7 win over Akron. Drake Lindsey passed for 204 yards and three touchdowns. The Gophers ran for 191 yards and two scores. The defense largely dominated.

It was the response Fleck was looking for.

"That’s what you want to see from your football team. That shows character, that shows the type of people these guys are, that shows the football team we are. It doesn’t promise you anything, but it at least shows you the DNA of this football team," Fleck said. "That’s what you want to see after Mississippi State."

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