The 141st season of University of Minnesota football could see a soggy start Thursday night at Huntington Bank Stadium as a line of possibly severe storms is expected to develop across west-central Minnesota by mid-afternoon and arrive in the Twin Cities between 5 and 7 p.m. according to the National Weather Service.
Minnesota hosts North Carolina in their second-ever meeting. Last year, the Tar Heels beat Minnesota 31-13 with the help of Drake Maye who threw for 414 yards and two touchdowns in Chapel Hill.
This year, the new look Gophers are led by sixth-year transfer quarterback, Max Brosmer from the University of New Hampshire. Athan Kaliakmanis, who started for the Gophers last season, transferred to Rutgers.
"I think the key to the season, not to throw the whole thing in [Brosmer's] lap, but I think it comes down to how well he transitions from FCS to Big Ten-level football," said Gophers play-by-play voice, Mike Grimm. "He was at New Hampshire and had two back-to-back, really productive seasons, just shy of 60 touchdown passes those two seasons."
Brosmer was a finalist for the 2023 Walter Payton Award, completing 294 of 459 passes for 3,464 yards and 29 touchdowns, including five interceptions.
"We needed somebody to come in here that understood the situation," said head coach P.J. Fleck, who is now in his 8th season with the Gophers. "There was pressure of the situation right from the start. We had to find the right fit we were looking for. We didn't bring in four quarterbacks from the start with all this NIL money and say, 'Okay, you guys all compete and let's go.' We had to bring in somebody who could lead the team the minute they got here, was going to do okay without the most competition threatening them, was going to have to do okay with may not competition threatening them knowing they're the guy, to handle that responsibility in a mature way and leadership way, and go out and perform at the highest level."
Fleck says Brosmer, so far, as exceeded expectations.
"He's gotta go out there and prove it, play on gameday, and do what he does every single day."
The (bigger) Big Ten Conference and CFP playoff
18 teams now make-up the Big Ten Conference with the additions of Oregon, UCLA, USC, and Washington. Minnesota will face USC (Oct. 5th at home) and UCLA (October 12th on the road).
"I think it's exciting, I think it'll be tougher," Grimm said. "I think the Gophers will have to play very well to be good. With that said, and this is true with all teams with a 12 team playoff, 9-3 might get you in on off years and 10-2 almost certainly will get you in. It almost opens up more possibilities that the Gophers can throw something really special together."
Ahead of Thursday night's game against UNC, Fleck said he sees the changes in college football as a positive.
"I do think the changes of college football are really healthy for where we are going. It's positive for the student-athlete and positive for the universities as you can see financially. When you start to look at what it's going to do for the change of college football, we don't necessarily know what that's going to look like. We're not there yet, nobody is there yet."
The 12 team College Football Playoff, according to Fleck, opens up more opportunities.
"I think when you had four teams in the College Football Playoff, you could probably name two or three that were going to make it from the start of the season that were probably there in the end," he said. "Maybe there was one or two some people had on the fringe, or maybe there was one shock. I think as you go through this, with 12 teams, it leaves the open for a lot of teams to get in there from different conferences.
Who to watch
In addition to Brosmer at quarterback, the Gophers will look for a big season from sophomore running back Darius Taylor who saw action in just six games last season due to injuries.
The Gophers offensive line gets a big push from Aireontae Ersery, viewed as one of the nation's top left tackles and possible first round draft pick.
"Another guy I think that's flown under the radar is cornerback transfer Ethan Robinson," Grimm said. "He transferred in from Bucknell. Another guy like Brosmer who is going to take a step-up from the FCS to Big Ten-level football. He's going to be starting opposite of Justin Walley who was an All-Big Ten performer for the Gophers."
Three things to know Thursday night
1. Minnesota and UNC kickoff at 7 p.m. Thursday on Fox.
2. Thursday night's game is a Gold Out.
3. Fans going are reminded that ongoing construction will impact traffic flow on 4th Street between Oak Street and I-35W, impacting traffic departing the stadium.