The Minnesota Golden Gophers will look to rebound from a season opening loss on Saturday against Rhode Island. The first Gophers of the season last Thursday resulted in a dissapointing 19-17 loss and now P.J. Fleck’s team has a prime opportunity for a rebound victory.
As of Friday morning, Minnesota is a 23.5-point favorite over the Rams, with the over/under set at 45.5 points.
Historically, the Gophers take care of business against FCS opponents, losing only three games all-time to program's from the lower division and have never lost to an FCS opponnent under P.J. Fleck.
With that, we're expecting a Minnesota victory on Saturday and one that should by the end be by a comfortable margin.
Below, Gophers Nation provide a few keys to Saturday's matchup against Rhode Island for the Golden Gophers, not just in terms of getting into the win column but also with keeping the future in mind.
1. Run, Run, Run
This is a Rhode Island defense that was beat on the ground at a consistent rate this past weekend against Holy Cross, now they'll face a Gophers offense that historically thrives on the ground. On paper its a tremendous matchup for the Golden Gophers and one of course that they're expected to take plenty advantage of on Saturday.
Last week against North Carolina, Marcus Major was the primary ball carrier and did a quality job early in the game. As it became evident that the Gophers passing attack wasn't going to be one that the Tar Heels had to respect, Major's success in the second half was severely limited. That being said, the Gophers should have a considerable advantage against the Rhode Island in the trenches especially from a size and physicality standpoint. This will be a golden opportunity for the Gophers rushing attack to bounce back from an up-and-down night against North Carolina and build some momentum heading into next week.
2. Containing Rhode Island QB Devin Farrell
Rhode Island quarterback Devin Farrell was the star of the show for the Rams against Holy Cross. The sophomore quarterback out of Georgia completed 20-of-33 passing attempts for 287 yards and a pair of touchdowns. But he also showed that he can be a threat on the ground with 13 carries for 54 yards. If the Rams are going to have any chance of an upset effort on Saturday, it will be in large part due to the performance of Farrell.
3. Stay healthy
This is a game that Minnesota should run away with that being said, if the Gophers do so and suffer any significant injuries in the process, it would be all for not. Against Rhode Island it should be the Gophers to goal to garner a big enough lead in order to get their biggest contributors off the field sooner than later in the second half. It's a fine balancing act of getting your regulars plenty of snaps but also not risking injuries in a game that is already out of reach for the opposition.
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