MINNEAPOLIS — This one should be a cakewalk.
If not for the events of last weekend, the Minnesota football Gophers might be looking at this weekend's Homecoming game against Louisiana as a cupcake buffet, a chance to pile up some points, pad stats and rest the starters while looking ahead to a real test against a Big Ten opponent.
But last Saturday... happened. P.J Fleck's crew experienced a total collapse in the second half after leading by 21, eventually losing to the Northwestern Wildcats 37-34 in overtime.
"That's the thing about football," Fleck ruminated after the loss. "The ball's not round. Sometimes it doesn't bounce your way. Sometimes things don't go your way, and sometimes you don't make your own way."
The Gophers are now looking for a favorable bounce-back, and oddsmakers believe they will get one. FanDuel Sportsbook has the U of M favored by 11½ points. They have won all three previous matchups with the Ragin' Cajuns but are still haunted by memories of homecomings past: In 2021 the heavily-favored Gophers lost to Bowling Green, another non-power conference team.
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
The Gophers badly need to bounce back in their homecoming game after blowing a 21-point fourth-quarter lead last week and losing 37-34 in overtime at Northwestern. They've got an Oct. 7 game against No. 2 Michigan looming and an Oct. 21 trip to Iowa after their bye week. Minnesota lost its 2021 homecoming game to a non-power conference team, Bowling Green.
This is the only power conference matchup in 2023 for the Ragin' Cajuns. They lost 49-17 at Florida State last year. Louisiana, which lost its Sun Belt opener to Old Dominion, was picked in the preseason poll to finish third in the seven-team West Division.
KEY MATCHUP
Louisiana's pass rush vs. Minnesota's offensive line. The Ragin' Cajuns have 18 sacks in four games, tied for the most in the FBS with James Madison. Gophers QB Athan Kaliakmanis has been sacked five times.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Minnesota: RB Darius Taylor. The heavily-used true freshman from Detroit suffered an apparent injury to his left leg late in the game at Northwestern, putting his status for this week in question. He leads the conference in rushing yards (532) and has received the Big Ten Freshman of the Week award for three straight weeks, the first player in Gophers history to accomplish that feat and the first in the conference since Jonathan Taylor for Wisconsin in 2017.
Louisiana: TE Neal Johnson. The preseason first-team All-Sun Belt pick is one of five players with 10-plus receptions for the Ragin' Cajuns. Johnson has one touchdown.
FACTS & FIGURES
- The Ragin' Cajuns and the Golden Gophers played three straight seasons from 2001-03, including a 2002 game in Lafayette, Louisiana, that Minnesota won 35-11.
- The only other game for Louisiana against a team from the Big Ten at the time was a 20-17 loss at Illinois in 2008.
- Gophers S Craig McDonald was granted eligibility by the NCAA for this game after initially denying his waiver application to play this season following a second transfer in two years. The Minneapolis native played at Auburn in 2022 and Iowa State in 2020-21.
- The Gophers were 40-2 when leading after three quarters in seven seasons under coach P.J. Fleck before their loss at Northwestern.
- Minnesota's current per-game average of 31:49 possession time is its lowest since Fleck's first year (30:57) in 2017.
WATCH MORE ON KARE 11+
Download the free KARE 11+ app for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV and other smart TV platforms to watch more from KARE 11 anytime! The KARE 11+ app includes live streams of all of KARE 11's newscasts. You'll also find on-demand replays of newscasts; the latest from KARE 11 Investigates, Breaking the News and the Land of 10,000 Stories; exclusive programs like Verify and HeartThreads; and Minnesota sports talk from our partners at Locked On Minnesota.
- Add KARE 11+ on Roku here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Roku Channel Store.
- Add KARE 11+ on Fire TV here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Amazon App Store.
- Learn more about the KARE 11+ app for Apple TV in the Apple App Store.
- Learn more about KARE 11+ here.
Watch more coverage of Minnesota sports:
Watch the latest reports from the KARE 11 sports team in our YouTube playlist: