Our Minnesota 2025 Opponent Post-Spring Outlook series continues with Minnesota's second opponent of their 2025 season, the Northwestern State Demons.

PREVIOUS INSTALLMENTS: Buffalo

The Demons enter 2024 coming off a terrible season in which they went 0-12 in the program's first year under head coach Blaine McCorkle.

It is worth noting that it was a season of circumstance for the program as they were a very young program from a roster standpoint after only playing six games in 2023 before having their season canceled following the murder of junior safety Ronnie Caldwell.

The Demons faced two FBS opponents in 2024, Tulsa and South Alabama. The combined final score of those two games? 149-38.

Overall, the Northwestern State football program has finished below .500 in each of its last 10 seasons and hasn't finished above .500 since the 2008 season. While the Demons should be marginally improved in 2025, it's hard to see any way that they'll be able to be competitive on the field with the Golden Gophers come September 6.

This offseason, Northwestern State added 10 players to its roster from the transfer portal / JUCO ranks.

The group of transfers is headlined by JUCO quarterback Eli Anderson, who enters his tenure at Northwestern State after time at Mississippi College, East Mississippi Community College, and Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. They also added FBS transfers in TE Luke Carter (North Texas), WR Dylan Rhodes (Texas State), OL Garrett Morphis (Texas Tech), DT Preston Hickey (LSU, Oklahoma State), and DE Anthony James (Washington, Eastern Washington).

The Northwestern State offense last season was abysmal, averaging just 12 points and 217.3 yards per game. Their passing attack averaged just over 150 yards per game while their rushing attack was kept to under 60 yards per contest. The offense only reached the redzone 22 times last year in their 12 games, less than twice per game. No matter what stat you look at, it was ugly for the Demons' offense, which ranked near the bottom of the FCS across the board.

Amazingly, despite how bad the offense was, the Northwestern State defense may very well have been worse in 2024. The Demons' defense last season allowed, on average, 45.4 points and 499 yards per game. Opposing offenses were able to move the ball efficiently both through the air and on the ground, allowing over 250 passing yards and 240 rushing yards per game. Opposing offenses converted on nearly 50% of all third-down attempts (84-of-172) while also converting on 13-of-18 fourth-down conversions.

Northwestern State probably shouldn't be on the same field as Minnesota in September. It's a game that should be over before halftime, and one that the Gophers' second and third string players should be able to get plenty of playing time in the second half.

Given that Northwestern State gave up 62 and 87 points to FBS opponents last season, Minnesota has a real shot at setting a modern program record for margin of victory on September 6.

In the AP Poll era (1936-PRES), the Gophers' record for the largest margin of victory has been 62 points, a 62-0 September 16, 2006, win over the Temple Owls. That win represents the only time since 1936 that the Gophers have won a game by 60+ points.

Northwestern State, in their last 10 games against FBS opponents, has lost by an average of 42.9 points and has lost four games by 50+ points. While beating any opponent by 60+ points is a tough task, there is a big enough talent disparity between the Gophers and Demons for it to happen on September 6.

============================

- Talk about it INSIDE GOPHER NATION.

- Follow us on Twitter: @MinnesotaRivals, @RivalsDylanCC

- SUBSCRIBE to Gophers Nation