BX037_12A6_9.JPG

Minnesota interim coach Tracy Claeys watches during an NCAA college football game against Ohio State in Columbus, Ohio. Claeys was named Minnesota's head coach on Nov. 11, 2015, succeeding his good friend Jerry Kill, who resigned his position on Oct. 28, 2015, due to health reasons.

(AP Photo/Paul Vernon)

Oregon State at Minnesota

When:

6 p.m. Thursday (Big Ten Network)

Records:

Oregon State 0-0, Minnesota 0-0

Golden Gophers entering this season:

It's a new era in Minneapolis -- sort of -- with Tracy Claeys officially taking over for Jerry Kill after holding the interim role for much of 2015 when Kill retired mid-season due to health reasons. Minnesota went 5-7 in the regular season but got an invite to the Quick Lane Bowl because there were not enough 6-win teams in the FBS, topping Central Michigan 21-14. Last season, the Golden Gophers ranked 24th nationally in total defense (345.9 yards allowed per game) and 45th in scoring defense (25.2 points allowed per game), but 103rd in total offense (358.9 yards per game) and 105th in scoring offense (22.5 points per game). Claeys fired offensive coordinator Matt Limegrover and replaced him with Louisiana-Lafayette's Jay Johnson in attempts to generate more points. That stout defense, meanwhile, lost many key pieces from last season.

Star power:

With leading rusher Shannon Brooks likely out with a broken foot, expect to see a heavy dose of Rodney Smith, who amassed 670 yards and two touchdowns as a freshman in 2015. Senior quarterback Mitch Leidner is 16-13 as a starter ranks seventh in school history in career passing yards (5,118) and eighth in career touchdowns (28), but is coming off a sub-par season where he completed 59.5 percent of his passes for 2,701 yards, 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He's also a threat with his legs, totaling 1,129 yards and 23 touchdowns in his career. Senior safety Damarius Travis, who is coming off a season-ending hamstring injury, should bolster a secondary that lost Eric Murray and Briean Boddy-Calhoun. As a junior in 2014, he totaled 61 tackles (3.5 for loss), five pass breakups, two interceptions, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery and picked up 10 tackles in the Golden Gophers' 2015 opener against TCU before getting hurt.

Did you know:

Beavers coach Gary Andersen, along with co-offensive coordinator/offensive line coach T.J. Woods and outside linebackers coach Chad Kauha'aha'a, are plenty familiar with the Golden Gophers from their time at Wisconsin. The Badgers went 2-0 in those two rivalry matchups, a 20-7 victory in 2013 and a 34-24 win in 2014.

Threat level (1-5 scale):

4. This will be a solid measuring stick for the Beavers as Year 2 of the Andersen era begins. Yes, the Golden Gophers are a mediocre Big Ten team that normally would have fallen short of the postseason last year. But the Beavers are aiming to climb out of the Pac-12 cellar after going winless in conference play in 2015. At this point in Andersen's rebuilding project, opening on the road against a Power-5 opponent is still a tough task.

Minnesota 27, OSU 17

--

|