Minnesota picked up win No. 1 of the season on Saturday afternoon against the Rhode Island Rams with a dominant 48-0 win. The Gophers offense totaled over 400 yards of total offense while the defense allowed just 135 total yards and kept the Rams to just 18 yards on the ground.

But how did the Gophers indiviudal position groups peform on Saturday in the win? Gophers Nation hands out grades for each postiion group.

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This is the Max Brosmer that the Gophers thought they were getting coming into the season. He completed 24-of-30 passing attempts for 271 yards and a pair of touchdowns. It was one of the better passing performances we've seen in recent memory by a Gophers quarterback. For the next best performance, you'll have to go back to 2022 when Tanner Morgan completed 23-of-26 passing attempts for 268 yards and there touchdowns in a win over Michigan State. True freshman Drake Lindsey was also good in his brief time on the field completing 3-of-4 attempts for 35 yards and one touchdown.

It was not a great day for the Gophers rushing attack but there was promising results from Darius Taylor (14 carries, 64 yards, one touchdown) and Jaren Mangham (4 carries, 29 yards). Sieh Bangura had one carry for six yards as well. That being siad it was a tough day for both Marcus Major (7 carries, 12 yards, 1 TD) and Jordan Nubin (4 carries, 1 yard). Darius Taylor and Marcus Major were also involved in the passing attack with four receptions each for a total of 69 yards. It wasn't a stellar performance from the running backs but it was an overall solid day.

Giving an A+ here probably would've been easy but there has to be a slight penalty for three drops. Outside the three drops, it was a great day, six different receivers recorded receptions including four each by Elijah Spencer and Daniel Jackson. Getting Le'Meke Brockington and Cristian Driver involved could pay dividends as the season progresses. Also a good sign for Tyler WIlliams to get on the board with one reception for eight yards and a touchdown, even if it was in garbage time.

It was a good day for the tight ends including being involved in the passing game with a combined three receptions for 36 yards. Their blocking on the day was solid but not great. Against the pass, they were fantastic, not allowing any pass pressures throughout the day but they struggled in blocking on the ground for the run game, something that will absolutely have to improve going forward. Nathan Jones was the top peformer of the day arguably despite being limited in his snaps with just 13.

The offensive line had a mixed performance. While it wasn't a terrible performance by any means, the struggles in their run blocking are worrisome. Having some struggles against North Carolina was one thing but to struggle against a team that allowed 180+ rushing yards just one week before against an FCS opponent is a bit discuoraging about where this offensive line currently is in their development. It's still early but for a team that relies so heavily on their rushing attack, the blocking on the ground needs to improve drastically going forward. The pass protection was solid throuighout the game, allowing only a handful of pressures and one sack.

The Gophers defensive line did a great job against the run on Saturday, being piivotal in only keeping Rhode Island to 18 rushing yards on 13 attempts and there were encouraging signs in the pass rush. Pro Football Focus has them credited with 20 total pressures in the game across 30 passing attempts, meaning they were able to get pressure on Devin Farrell and Hunter Helms on 66% of all passing snaps. They only got one sack out of those 20 pressures, definetely a number you'd like to see be a bit higher but getting pressure on the quarterback is the first step. That being said, they'll have to finish those pressures as their schedule gets more difficult in the coming weeks.

Overall it was a good day from the linebacker room, multiple linebackers were able to get involved with five linebackers recording tackles. They did a great job going down hill against Rhode Island's rushing attack, filling in the gaps. Most importantly, after a tough day tackling against North Carolina, the Gophers linebackers had just one missed tackle against Rhode Island. When targeted in the passing attack, they were suscepitable at times but were overall able to limit the damage allowing 51 yards on five receptions.

Any time you only allow 117 passing yards and a 43% completion percentage, it's a good day in the office. The Gophers' cornerbacks weren't flawless on Saturday, but for the second week in a row, they delivered a strong showing. Ethan Robinson continues to look like the real deal while Justin Walley and Jack Henderson were also very strong on Saturday against the Rams.

Overall, a great day for the Gophers safety room that had two interceptions and allowed just 17 passing yards when targeted on Saturday. Koi Perich made his defensive debut and was impressive, he's only scratching the surface. Coleman Bryson, Aidan Gousby, Garrison Monroe, and Kerry Brown all provided promising performances as well.

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