Stacy Bengs | AP Photo

Minnesota at Oregon State

When: Saturday, Sept. 9, 7 p.m. PST (FS1)



Records: Oregon State 1-1, Minnesota 1-0

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Golden Gophers this season: Minnesota topped Buffalo 17-7 in P.J. Fleck's debut as head coach, largely thanks to a defense that limited Buffalo to 262 total yards and a breakout performance by sophomore wide receiver Tyler Johnson.

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Star power: The Golden Gophers are again paced by running backs Rodney Smith and Shannon Brooks, who combined for 145 yards and one touchdown in the win over Buffalo. Johnson matched his 2016 receiving-yard total in his first game of 2017, amassing 141 yards on six catches including a 61-yard touchdown. Senior Conor Rhoda is Minnesota's new starting quarterback and went 12 of 20 for 176 yards, one touchdown and one interception, though sophomore Demry Croft also played against Buffalo and completed 7 of 12 passes for 63 yards and also totaled 32 rushing yards on six carries. Defensive back Antonio Shenault led the Golden Gophers with 10 tackles and two pass breakups against Buffalo.

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Did you know: Saturday marks the fourth time in five seasons that OSU coach Gary Andersen will face Minnesota. Andersen's Wisconsin teams went 2-0 in their rivalry games against the Golden Gophers in 2013 and 2014, before the Beavers lost 30-23 in Minneapolis to open last season.

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Threat level (1-5 scale): 5. These are desperate times for OSU, following a blowout loss at Colorado State and a comeback win against Football Championship Subdivision foe Portland State to begin the season. The Beavers must improve drastically on defense to slow Minnesota's rushing attack, and coach Gary Andersen knows it. "Those backs are real," he said minutes after the Portland State win. "You better become really good tacklers real fast to be able to control and maintain these guys." OSU allowed more than 500 yards of total offense against both Colorado State and Portland State.

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Early prediction: Minnesota 31, OSU 20