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Game time set for Gophers' trip to play No. 1 Ohio State in two weeks

It's another night game for Minnesota in a string of them to begin this season.
Will Ragatz|
Nov 18, 2023; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers defensive lineman Jalen Logan-Redding (97) celebrates a third down stop during the first quarter against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium.
Nov 18, 2023; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers defensive lineman Jalen Logan-Redding (97) celebrates a third down stop during the first quarter against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium. | Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

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Minnesota Golden Gophers

It'll be another night game for the Gophers when they take on Ohio State in Columbus in a couple weeks. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. central time on NBC, the programs announced on Monday.

That means that five of Minnesota's first seven games this season will be evening contests, which is a departure from the norm. Typically, you see most Gophers games take place at either 11 a.m. or 2:30 p.m. on Saturdays.

The Gophers opened the season at 7 p.m. on a Thursday against Buffalo. They played Northwestern State at 11 a.m. the following week, then went on the road to Cal in a game that started at 9:30 p.m. central. Now, after hosting Rutgers this Saturday at 11 a.m., P.J. Fleck's team will play three straight night games:

  • October 4: at Ohio State, 6:30 p.m.
  • October 11 (homecoming): vs. Purdue, 6 or 6:30 p.m.
  • October 17 (Friday): vs. Nebraska, 7 p.m.

And the Gophers will have at least one more night game when they travel to play Oregon on Friday, November 14 at 8 p.m. CT. Game times against Iowa, Michigan State, Northwestern, and Wisconsin are TBD.

If you like night games, this has been (and will be) the Gophers season for you. If you prefer late-morning or afternoon kickoffs, you're probably less pleased.

Ohio State is the No. 1 team in the country right now. The Buckeyes are 3-0 with wins over Texas, Grambling, and Ohio, but they'll face a tougher task this upcoming weekend when they take on a 3-0 Washington team in Seattle.

The Gophers' head-to-head history against OSU is quite bleak. They're 7-48 all-time against the Buckeyes, and that includes a 5-7 record before 1969. Yes, the Gophers have lost 41 of their last 43 games against Ohio State, with wins in 1981 and 2000. Minnesota has lost 13 in a row against OSU since that win in Columbus 25 years ago.

Before they turn their attention to the monumental task awaiting them at The Horseshoe, Fleck and the Gophers need to find a way to come out of their bye with a win over Rutgers this Saturday in Minneapolis.

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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI, who also covers the Twins, Timberwolves, Gophers, and other Minnesota teams. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.

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