Know The Enemy 2025: University of Minnesota Football

Choose your Golden animal

Image via @GopherFootball on X

We touched base with The Daily Gopher’s own Blake Ruane to get an idea about what Minnesota thinks about their program thus far, and try to get a pulse on what might transpire this Saturday night at Memorial Stadium.

1. What are your expectations for Minnesota this year?

Life in the 18-team Big Ten is interesting, especially for a program that isn't the top tier with the likes of Ohio State, Oregon, and Penn State. But I expect Minnesota to be competitive. I don't expect this Gophers team to win the Big Ten, but I think they're good enough to win a lot of games. What we learned last year in the Big Ten was that the middle of the pack is crowded with teams that don't have a ton of separation in terms of talent and development. That means a lot of one-possession games — a lot of very winnable but also very losable games. Minnesota had seven conference games decided by 8 points or less and they were 3-4 in those games. Where the Gophers end up in the Big Ten standings (and perhaps even the Top 25 rankings) this season will depend on how many of those one-possession games they can win. I'm both nervous and excited to find out.

2. Who's a player to look out for on offense?

Ordinarily, the easy answer would be running back Darius Taylor, but he tweaked his hamstring on the first drive of the game last week and did not return. He has a history of soft tissue injuries, so every Gopher fan had their head in their hands, mumbling, "Here we go again..." when he went down. Head coach P.J. Fleck is notoriously evasive about injury updates, so Taylor's status for Saturday is unclear.

If Taylor is unavailable, to me the player to watch is quarterback Drake Lindsey. He is a redshirt freshman who has only made two career starts, but his calm demeanor, poise in the pocket, and live arm have given Gopher fans reason to get excited (or at least cautiously optimistic). Obviously he is going to have his ups and downs this season as a freshman in his first season as a starter, but this is an offense that puts a lot of responsibility on the shoulders of its quarterback. So if Taylor isn't there to drive the offense, offensive coordinator Greg Harbaugh Jr. won't hesitate to hand the keys to Lindsey and see what he can do.

3. Who's a player to look out for on defense?

The easy answer is safety Koi Perich. He forced his way onto the field as a true freshman last season and never looked back, earning first-team All-Big Ten honors. Perich is a difference-maker on defense, plain and simple. Opposing offenses through the first two weeks wisely avoided him, but he has a nose for the ball and it's only a matter of time before he finds it.

4. Are Minnesota fans buying into the Koi Perich two-way player situation? (feel free to skip if he's the answer to 2 or 3)

Yes and no. He won't see the kind of snaps Travis Hunter saw at Colorado. Hunter was a generational talent, and I don't think we're going to start seeing his type of two-way play become any sort of norm. But Perich will have a role on offense, somewhere around 10-15 snaps each game. They'll find ways to leverage his athleticism and play-making ability when the moment calls for it.

5. What does Minnesota need to do to win this game?

On defense, Minnesota needs to pressure freshman quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele and keep him out of rhythm. His talent is undeniable and I know Cal fans have seen that through the first two games, but Sagapolutele is also a true freshman and the defense needs to force him into playing like one. The Golden Bears have some playmakers at wide receiver, and the Gophers can't afford to give Sagapolutele all day in the pocket to find them down the field.

On offense, Lindsey needs to put the Cal secondary on its heels. They've got five new starters and, with all due respect to Oregon State and Texas Southern, I don't think they've truly been tested yet. Minnesota's wide receivers will need to do their part and create separation, but ultimately the onus is on Lindsey to make the right read and find the open target.

6. What does Cal need to do to win this game?

If Cal can find success running the ball with Kendrick Raphael and Brandon High Jr., I think that would take the Minnesota defense out of its comfort zone. The Gophers have a terrific linebacker corps, but I have concerns about their depth on the defensive line. If the Golden Bears can take advantage when Minnesota starts rotating up front, I could see that forcing the Gophers to bring a safety into the box and putting their other defensive backs on islands.

Defensively, like I said in the previous question, pressure the freshman quarterback. Don't let Lindsey find a rhythm.

7. How do you see the game going?

This is a tough game to predict, because I think this is a measuring stick game for both teams. I think it'll be close. And when it feels like a coin-flip game between two teams we don't know a lot about yet, I tend to give the edge to the home team. I see the Gophers starting slow before rallying in the second half but ultimately falling short against Cal in a 21-17 loss. I hope I'm wrong!