5 things to watch in Minnesota's Week 2 game against Northwestern State

The Gophers' Week 2 game against Northwestern State is their most favorable matchup of the season on paper. When betting odds are released, the Gophers will likely be favored to win by more than 40 points. There's a good chance that Saturday's game is not competitive, so let's look at five things you can still keep an eye on.

Who's the backup quarterback?

P.J. Fleck and the Gophers do not release official depth charts, so Saturday's game might be our first chance to see who Minnesota's backup quarterback is. Old Dominion transfer Emmett Morehead is the only other signal caller with starting experience, but redshirt sophomore Max Shikenjanski had a great offseason. It will be interesting to see which quarterback replaces Lindsey if Minnesota jumps out to a huge lead.

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How deep does Minnesota go into the depth chart?

Minnesota exclusively played Nathan Roy at left tackle and Iowa transfer John Nestor at CB2 in Week 1 against Buffalo. Both players were firmly in position battles in preseason camp, so it was a bit of a surprise to see them get all of the reps. Do we see Kahlee Tafai rotate with Roy? Do some of the other cornerbacks like Jaylen Bowden, Mike Gerald or Naiim Parrish get some run? There were only 14 defensive players and 17 offensive players who recorded more than 10 snaps in Week 1. It will be interesting to see how different that looks in a potential blowout.

Record-setting blowout?

I would argue Northwestern State is the worst team Minnesota has faced in quite some time. The Gophers shut out Rhode Island 48-0 last season, and they went on to be an FCS playoff team. The Demons are nowhere near the same team as the Rams were in 2024.

Northwestern State is undoubtedly the worst team they've faced since 2022 Western Illinois, who finished 0-11 that season. Minnesota won that game 62-10, which marked only the sixth time they've scored more than 60 points since 1945. The Demons did break a 20-game losing streak in Week 1, but the Gophers could put up some big offensive numbers this week.

Gophers' 60-point performances. | Stathead

WR room outlook

The Gophers' new-look wide receiver room had an up-and-down performance in Week 1. Six total players saw the field: Javon Tracy, Jalen Smith, Logan Loya, Le'Meke Brockington, Koi Perich and Kenric Lanier II. Cristian Driver was out, and we didn't see Nebraska transfer Malachi Coleman.

Coleman is a former four-star, top-100 high school recruit, and at 6-foot-5 he has intriguing red zone potential. If he doesn't see the field in a potential blowout against Northwestern State, it might indicate that he won't have a role on this team in 2025.

Darius Taylor's workload

Taylor received 34 total touches in Week 1, which is a mark he only reached once last season — and that came against Wisconsin in the final regular season game of the year. The Gophers added Marshall transfer A.J. Turner and Washington transfer Cam Davis in the offseason, but they combined for only 10 touches against the Bulls. Saturday's game could be a great opportunity to get their two new backs more involved in the offense.