The Golden Gophers football team returns to action this Friday night with a trip to Eugene to face the Oregon Ducks, and a chance to take their season to another level with a big upset.
"We just got to find a way to be a little bit better each week and be a little more attention to detail on the things that we do," says head coach P.J. Fleck. "Especially in our preparation to go out there and play our best game of the year. That's the focus whether it's here, whether it's in Eugene, Oregon, you gotta find a way in November to play your best football."
Minnesota (6-3) has three regular season games remaining with a chance to pull off their first upset on the road of a top ten team since they won at Penn State in 2019. And it will take their best to knock off Oregon (8-1, ranked #6). Oregon's only loss this year is to #2 ranked Indiana which was in Eugene.
Fleck says Gophers freshman quarterback Drake Lindsey has made good progress this year as an inexperienced Big Ten QB playing against very tough opponents. Lindsey scored the winning touchdown in the last Gopher game, a tough win over a below average Michigan State team.
"He's played really well and then maybe inconsistent at times," Fleck explained at his regular Monday morning press conference. "And then bang, when we needed him the most, he was there. That's what you see from the high school state champion, the resolve, the resiliency, the fight - and he's he's scrappy now."
Oregon is coming off a scrappy win themselves, escaping with an 18-16 win in Iowa City with a late field goal giving the Ducks the win in rainy, horrible conditions.
It's also a Friday night game, the Gophers second appearance on Friday this season. They beat Nebraska as Huntington Bank Stadium earlier this season on a Friday. This week's game gets underway at 8:00 p.m. local time on FOX.
After Oregon, they'll be at Northwestern next week, before hosting Wisconsin to wrap up the home schedule on November 29 in their traditional season-ending game.
The Gophers are already bowl-eligible but a win Friday could drastically improve their chances of playing in a big-time bowl game and a shot at getting to 9-wins for the fourth time under Fleck if they can win out.
Minnesota (6-3) at No. 6 Oregon (8-1), Nov. 14
8 p.m. CT, 6 p.m. PT
How to watch: FOX
Key stats
Oregon Offense
Overall: 471.6 yards per game (13th in FBS)
Passing: 231.9 yards per game (67th)
Rushing: 239.7 yards per game (6th)
Scoring: 38.7 points per game (9th)
Oregon Defense
Overall: 239.3 yards per game (3rd in FBS)
Passing: 126.1 yards per game (1st)
Rushing: 113.2 yards per game (29th)
Scoring: 13.8 points per game (6th)
Minnesota Offense
Overall: 313.1 yards per game (120th in FBS)
Passing: 203.3 yards per game (95th)
Rushing: 109.8 yards per game (123rd)
Scoring: 23.8 points per game (96th)
Minnesota Defense
Overall: 311.6 yards per game (21st in FBS)
Passing: 203.4 yards per game (46th)
Rushing: 108.1 yards per game (21st)
Scoring: 21.6 points per game (39th)
Minnesota ranks 82nd in third down percentage, converting 38.6% of the time. Oregon ranks 13th on defense, allowing its opponents at convert at 31.1%.
Oregon is 20th in the FBS with a +6 turnover margin.
Both teams avoid getting penalized. Oregon is 23rd in the FBS averaging 42.7 penalty yards per game, and Minnesota ranks 4th with a 28.3-yard average.
Oregon is 127th in FBS in red zone defense, allowing opponents to score on 93.8% of trips. Minnesota's red zone offense ranks 74th, scoring on 85.3% of red zone opportunities.
Team leaders
Oregon
Passing: Dante Moore, 1,884 yards, 19 TDs, 5 INTs, 70.5 completion percentage
Rushing: Noah Whittington, 551 yards on 68 carries, 4 TDs
Receiving: Dakorien Moore, 443 yards on 28 catches, 3 TDs
Minnesota
Passing: Drake Lindsey, 1,743 yards, 10 TDs, 6 INTs, 62.2 completion percentage
Rushing: Fame Ijeboi, 384 yards on 82 carries, 2 TDs
Receiving: Lemeke Brockington, 385 yards on 37 catches, 3 TDs
Last game
Oregon won 18-16 over Iowa on Saturday, Nov. 8. Dante Moore led Oregon with 112 yards on 13-of-21 passing (61.9%) for no touchdowns and one interception. He also carried the ball four times for 46 yards. Whittington carried the ball 17 times for 118 yards, adding two receptions for four yards. Jamari Johnson had four receptions for 36 yards.
Minnesota beat Michigan State 23-20 on Saturday, Nov. 1. Lindsey led Minnesota with 197 yards on 26-of-39 passing (66.7%) for no touchdowns and no interceptions. He also carried the ball five times for -5 yards and two rushing touchdowns. Ijeboi had 108 rushing yards on 17 carries and one touchdown, adding two receptions for -1 yards. Javon Tracy had seven receptions for 61 yards.
Next game
Oregon hosts No. 20 USC on Nov. 22. Minnesota plays at Northwestern on Nov. 22.