Minnesota had a lot of moving parts this offseason, with a new quarterback, defensive coordinator, wide receiver room, and cornerback room. There was plenty to learn from Thursday’s 23-10 season-opening win over Buffalo.
It was glaring how slow Minnesota’s new-look wide receiver room started. It wasn’t until midway through the second quarter that a WR not named Koi Perich recorded a catch. With Daniel Jackson and Elijah Spencer gone, they had big shoes to fill, but it looks like a weakness early against Buffalo.
We learned that Perich is more than just a gadget player on offense, but his role cooled after recording the first reception of the game. Redshirt freshman Jalen Smith received a team-high nine targets, but he only caught two balls for 76 yards. Minnesota will need more consistency, but there were enough flashes to build on going forward.
It’s very rare for a redshirt freshman to come out and light the world on fire in his first career start at quarterback. Drake Lindsey looked like a player making his first start, but there was plenty to like. He looked confident and made a ton of throws that not many quarterbacks can make. There will be bumps throughout the season, but there were a lot of encouraging moments on Thursday night.
He finished 19 of 35 for 290 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, which is a stat line that any realistic Gophers fan would’ve been ecstatic with before heading into Thursday night’s game.
Minnesota had a lot to replace defensively, and they hired a new defensive coordinator, Danny Collins. They looked like they didn’t skip a beat against Buffalo. The Bulls had only 151 yards, and the defense looks like it will be a strength once again in 2025.
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If you look at the box score, it will look like Minnesota dominated the majority of Thursday’s game against Buffalo. A failure to finish drives in the red zone is why the Bulls stuck around. The Gophers scored only one touchdown in their first six trips inside Buffalo’s 25-yard line. It easily could’ve been a blowout win, but that number is why it wasn’t.
Minnesota’s offensive line was not able to impose its will on Buffalo. Darius Taylor was still able to dominate the game with 4.7 yards per carry. With three new starters, it should’ve been expected that the unit could start slow. I expect things to improve throughout the year, and it was a classic P.J. Fleck nonconference game.
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