University of Minnesota Athletics
Saturday, September 6
Huntington Bank Stadium
11:00 AM
University of Minnesota
vs
Northwestern State
Players Mentioned
QB
/ Football
RB
/ Football
Photo by: Dane Kuhn
Game 2: Minnesota vs. Northwestern State
9/3/2025 9:23:00 AM | Football
THE ESSENTIALS
Date/Time: Sept. 6, 2025 / 11 a.m. CT
Site: Minneapolis
Stadium: Huntington Bank Stadium
Surface: FieldTurf
Capacity: 50,805
Series Overall: First meeting
Overall vs. Current FCS: Minnesota leads 62-4
Streak vs. Current FCS: Minnesota won 7
Last Meeting: Minnesota won 48-0 vs. Rhode Island in Minneapolis (9/7/2024)
Television: BTN // Jason Ross Jr. (PXP), Tanner Morgan (Analyst), Emma Carpenter (Reporter)
Gopher Radio: KFAN FM 100.3 | SiriusXM: 119 of 195; SXM App // Mike Grimm (PXP), Darrell Thompson (Analyst), Justin Gaard (Reporter), Tanner Hoops (Host), Dan Rowbotham (Engineer)
FIVE THINGS TO KNOW
1. Minnesota (1-0) plays its final non-conference home game Saturday as it welcomes Northwestern State (1-0) to Huntington Bank Stadium. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. on Big Ten Network and the Gopher Radio Network. Jason Ross Jr. will handle play-by-play for BTN, while Minnesota's all-time winningest quarterback Tanner Morgan will be on color and former Gopher women's golfer Emma Carpenter will be reporting from the sidelines.
2. Minnesota is facing an FCS team for the second straight season and fourth time overall under head coach P.J. Fleck. In their history, the Golden Gophers are 62-4 against teams currently in the FCS, good for a .939 all-time win percentage (see chart on Page 2). The Gophers have won seven straight against FCS teams dating back to a 2012 victory over New Hampshire. During that win streak, Minnesota has outscored FCS foes 311-98, resulting in an average final score of 44-14.
3. Redshirt freshman quarterback Drake Lindsey made his first career start in the season opener and did not disappoint. He completed 19-of-35 passes for 290 yards with two touchdowns and one interception, setting career highs in all categories. With records dating to 1977, the passing yardage total was the fourth highest by a Gopher in his first career start, while the attempts total ranked third and the completions tied for third. The passing total and touchdown pass total were also both fourth best in any season opener since 1979, while the completions and attempts both tied for fifth in such games. He ranks third in the Big Ten in passing yards and yards per completion (15.26) and is fourth in total offense (274.0). A native of Fayetteville, Ark., Lindsey played in three games last year as a true freshman, completing 4-of-5 passes for 50 yards and a touchdown. A three-star prospect coming out of Fayetteville High School, he was named the state's Gatorade Player of the Year and the 7A Offensive Player of the Year. He helped lead his team to a 13-0 record and a state championship in which he was named MVP. In his senior year, Lindsey threw for 3,941 yards while completing 69 percent of his passes (264-for-383) as he tossed 54 touchdowns against just three interceptions for a TD:INT ratio of 18-to-1.
4. Leading 23-10 in the fourth quarter against Buffalo, Minnesota showed its ability to put a game away as it took possession with 9:45 to play and used a 16-play drive that covered 58 yards to run out the clock. Minnesota was 4-of-5 on third downs and picked up the fourth down on the one third down it did not convert on the game's final play versus the Bulls. Darius Taylor led the way on the drive with 12 touches (11 runs) for 43 all-purpose yards (36 rush yards). Since head coach P.J. Fleck took over at Minnesota in 2017, it was the fifth longest drive by time (longest since a 10:27 drive vs. Rutgers in 2022) and tied for the sixth longest by plays (longest since a 16-play drive vs. Iowa in 2022). In addition, it was the longest drive to close out a game in the Fleck era, surpassing a 16-play, 68-yard drive over the final 8:38 to seal a win in the 2020 Outback Bowl over Auburn.
5. The 2025 campaign is the ninth for P.J. Fleck at Minnesota, making him the fifth-longest tenured coach in program history. His record stands at 59-39, putting him fifth in program history in overall wins and games coached (98), in addition to ranking fourth in Big Ten wins (34). Fleck's .602 win percentage is third best among Minnesota coaches with at least 45 games under their helm behind only Henry L. Williams (.786, 1900-21) and Bernie Bierman (.716, 1932-41, '45-50). In his 13th season overall as a college head coach, Fleck is 89-61 (.593).
You can read Minnesota's complete game notes here.
Date/Time: Sept. 6, 2025 / 11 a.m. CT
Site: Minneapolis
Stadium: Huntington Bank Stadium
Surface: FieldTurf
Capacity: 50,805
Series Overall: First meeting
Overall vs. Current FCS: Minnesota leads 62-4
Streak vs. Current FCS: Minnesota won 7
Last Meeting: Minnesota won 48-0 vs. Rhode Island in Minneapolis (9/7/2024)
Television: BTN // Jason Ross Jr. (PXP), Tanner Morgan (Analyst), Emma Carpenter (Reporter)
Gopher Radio: KFAN FM 100.3 | SiriusXM: 119 of 195; SXM App // Mike Grimm (PXP), Darrell Thompson (Analyst), Justin Gaard (Reporter), Tanner Hoops (Host), Dan Rowbotham (Engineer)
FIVE THINGS TO KNOW
1. Minnesota (1-0) plays its final non-conference home game Saturday as it welcomes Northwestern State (1-0) to Huntington Bank Stadium. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. on Big Ten Network and the Gopher Radio Network. Jason Ross Jr. will handle play-by-play for BTN, while Minnesota's all-time winningest quarterback Tanner Morgan will be on color and former Gopher women's golfer Emma Carpenter will be reporting from the sidelines.
2. Minnesota is facing an FCS team for the second straight season and fourth time overall under head coach P.J. Fleck. In their history, the Golden Gophers are 62-4 against teams currently in the FCS, good for a .939 all-time win percentage (see chart on Page 2). The Gophers have won seven straight against FCS teams dating back to a 2012 victory over New Hampshire. During that win streak, Minnesota has outscored FCS foes 311-98, resulting in an average final score of 44-14.
3. Redshirt freshman quarterback Drake Lindsey made his first career start in the season opener and did not disappoint. He completed 19-of-35 passes for 290 yards with two touchdowns and one interception, setting career highs in all categories. With records dating to 1977, the passing yardage total was the fourth highest by a Gopher in his first career start, while the attempts total ranked third and the completions tied for third. The passing total and touchdown pass total were also both fourth best in any season opener since 1979, while the completions and attempts both tied for fifth in such games. He ranks third in the Big Ten in passing yards and yards per completion (15.26) and is fourth in total offense (274.0). A native of Fayetteville, Ark., Lindsey played in three games last year as a true freshman, completing 4-of-5 passes for 50 yards and a touchdown. A three-star prospect coming out of Fayetteville High School, he was named the state's Gatorade Player of the Year and the 7A Offensive Player of the Year. He helped lead his team to a 13-0 record and a state championship in which he was named MVP. In his senior year, Lindsey threw for 3,941 yards while completing 69 percent of his passes (264-for-383) as he tossed 54 touchdowns against just three interceptions for a TD:INT ratio of 18-to-1.
4. Leading 23-10 in the fourth quarter against Buffalo, Minnesota showed its ability to put a game away as it took possession with 9:45 to play and used a 16-play drive that covered 58 yards to run out the clock. Minnesota was 4-of-5 on third downs and picked up the fourth down on the one third down it did not convert on the game's final play versus the Bulls. Darius Taylor led the way on the drive with 12 touches (11 runs) for 43 all-purpose yards (36 rush yards). Since head coach P.J. Fleck took over at Minnesota in 2017, it was the fifth longest drive by time (longest since a 10:27 drive vs. Rutgers in 2022) and tied for the sixth longest by plays (longest since a 16-play drive vs. Iowa in 2022). In addition, it was the longest drive to close out a game in the Fleck era, surpassing a 16-play, 68-yard drive over the final 8:38 to seal a win in the 2020 Outback Bowl over Auburn.
5. The 2025 campaign is the ninth for P.J. Fleck at Minnesota, making him the fifth-longest tenured coach in program history. His record stands at 59-39, putting him fifth in program history in overall wins and games coached (98), in addition to ranking fourth in Big Ten wins (34). Fleck's .602 win percentage is third best among Minnesota coaches with at least 45 games under their helm behind only Henry L. Williams (.786, 1900-21) and Bernie Bierman (.716, 1932-41, '45-50). In his 13th season overall as a college head coach, Fleck is 89-61 (.593).
You can read Minnesota's complete game notes here.
Coach Fleck Previews Northwestern State
Monday, September 01
Cinematic Recap: Gophers Win Opener
Monday, September 01
Ski-U-March Season Opener
Friday, August 29
Highlights: Gophers 23, Buffalo 10
Thursday, August 28