The Minnesota Gophers got a little test in week one against Buffalo, then romped over an undermanned FCS opponent, Northwestern State last week to get to 2-0. But now a test for PJ Fleck and his maroon and gold rodents: a game at California, also 2-0.
"I think anytime you play an opponent, you do everything you can to beat that particular opponent, whether on the East Coast, north, south, west, and you prepare accordingly," says Fleck. "You know, the whole goal of the mission is to be 1-0 this week, I know Cal probably feels the exact same way."
One of the biggest challenges for the Gophers is the time of the game. It's a 9:30 p.m. kickoff local time which will test the sleep schedules and circadian rhythms for Minnesota.
"We have a certain process that we do, any time we're heading out to different time zones," explains the Gopher head coach. "We've worked with Doctor Howe, our sleep doctor, and a lot of people in the offseason. Gained a lot of data. Garret Chernoff, his staff gained a ton of data, and then we put together the best plan we possibly can to make sure that we can we can play our best football, from 9:30 Central to almost 1:00 a.m. Central, on our bodies."
One thing Fleck and the Gophers have done well in his tenure is play well on the West Coast with wins over UCLA, Oregon State and Fresno State.
Cal has produced lopsided victories over Oregon State and Texas Southern so far. Neither of those teams are particularly good, so this is also the first big test for the Golden Bears.
Cal freshman quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele has completed 69% of his passes for 493 yards with three touchdowns and an interception so far, but he hasn't faced a defense as good as Minnesota's.
The Gophers have their own freshman, Drake Lindsey, who so far has impressed.
"It's all about your preparation. I think Drake's a very mature young man for being a freshman," Fleck said in his weekly press conference. "This is not about micromanaging your quarterback. I don't believe in that. He's got the same system Max Brosmer did. If not, he's probably got a little bit more on his plate, and it's about here's what we're doing, we need as good at is as fast as possible, and we need to continue to mature."
Fleck believes Lindsey is ready to prove himself under some more high pressure situations.
"Everything he does as a starter is always for the first time in year one," Fleck says.
The last time Minnesota visited Berkeley was 19 years ago on Sept. 9, 2006, when the Golden Bears claimed a 42-17 victory over Minnesota under Glen Mason. Cal holds a 4-2 all-time series advantage over the Gophers, having also collected wins in 1951 and 1952, but falling to Minnesota in 1964 and 1987.
Minnesota (2-0) at Cal (2-0), Sept. 13 at 9:30 p.m. CT (ESPN)
Cal Offense
Overall: 411.5 yards per game (62nd in FBS), Passing: 260.0 yards per game (38th), Rushing: 151.5 yards per game (81st), Scoring: 34.5 points per game (48th)
Cal Defense
Overall: 252.5 yards per game (33rd in FBS), Passing: 194.0 yards per game (67th), Rushing: 58.5 yards per game (14th), Scoring: 9.0 points per game (19th)
Minnesota Offense
Overall: 463.5 yards per game (32nd in FBS), Passing: 258.0 yards per game (43rd), Rushing: 205.5 yards per game (37th), Scoring: 44.5 points per game (21st)
Minnesota Defense
Overall: 96.5 yards per game (1st in FBS), Passing: 65.0 yards per game (1st), Rushing: 31.5 yards per game (3rd), Scoring: 5.0 points per game (6th)
More Team Notes
Cal is 108th in third down percentage, converting 32.0% of the time. Minnesota ranks 5th on defense, allowing its opponents to convert at 14.3%.
Minnesota is 15th in the FBS with a +3 turnover margin.
Cal ranks 94th in the FBS averaging 60.0 penalty yards per game, compared to Minnesota’s 11th-ranked 27.5 per-game average.
Minnesota is 91st in FBS in red zone defense, allowing opponents to score on 100.0% of trips. Cal’s red zone offense ranks 1st, scoring on 100.0% of red zone opportunities.
Cal ranks 61st in the FBS with an average time of possession of 30:53, compared to Minnesota’s 7th-ranked average of 35:50.
Team leaders
Cal
Passing: Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, 493 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT, 68.7 completion percentage, Rushing: Kendrick Raphael, 168 yards on 27 carries, 1 TD, Receiving: Trond Grizzell, 115 yards on 7 catches, 1 TD
Minnesota
Passing: Drake Lindsey, 429 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT, 61.4 completion percentage, Rushing: Darius Taylor, 161 yards on 33 carries, 0 TDs, Receiving: Javon Tracy, 116 yards on 4 catches, 1 TD
Last game
Cal won 35-3 over Texas Southern on Saturday, Sept. 6. Sagapolutele led Cal with 259 yards on 26-of-37 passing (70.3%) for no touchdowns and one interception. He also carried the ball four times for 7 yards and one rushing touchdown. Raphael carried the ball 18 times for 131 yards and scored one touchdown, adding two receptions for three yards. Mark Hamper recorded 69 yards on five catches.
Minnesota won 66-0 over Northwestern State on Saturday, Sept. 6. Lindsey led Minnesota with 139 yards on 8-of-9 passing (88.9%) for one touchdown and no interceptions. He also carried the ball two times for 3 yards and one rushing touchdown. Grant Washington carried the ball 20 times for 126 yards. Kenric Lanier II put up 59 yards on two catches.
Next game
Minnesota hosts Rutgers on Sept. 27.