Big Ten · 2026
Minnesota Golden Gophers
1-0 (0-0 Big Ten)Last: W 59-7 vs Eastern IllinoisNext: vs Mississippi State
P.J. Fleck · 10th season · .604 at Minnesota · .595 career since 2013
- Off EPA
- +0.34249
- Def EPA
- -0.3842
- TO margin
- -1.0/g90
Style profile
Style
What the offense does with the ball, and what the defense faces.
| Stat | Offense | Defense |
|---|---|---|
| Run rate | 53.4%64 | 58.7%31 |
| Plays per game | 73.049 | 46.0129 |
| Yards per pass attempt | 10.527 | 3.918 |
| Yards per rush | 3.991 | 1.819 |
| 3rd down conversion | 66.7%8 | 23.1%28 |
| Points per game | 59.013 | 7.025 |
| Points per opportunity | 5.0038 | 1.7532 |
Efficiency and EPA
Down-by-down quality, measured in predicted points.
| Stat | Offense | Defense |
|---|---|---|
| EPA per play | +0.34249 | -0.3842 |
| Success rate | 60.3%12 | 10.9%2 |
| Explosiveness | 0.98123 | 1.66133 |
| Rushing EPA per play | +0.10382 | -0.32413 |
| Passing EPA per play | +0.62929 | +0.355101 |
| Std downs success | 64.4%14 | 9.5%2 |
| Passing downs success | 42.9%37 | 12.0%8 |
Situational
Field position, discipline, and fourth-down aggression.
| Stat | Offense | Defense |
|---|---|---|
| Turnovers per game | 1.0049 | 0.0099 |
| Starting field position | Own 4013 | Own 217 |
| Penalties per game | 2.04 | 6.065 |
| Penalty yards per game | 10.02 | 35.099 |
| Time of possession | 36:2119 | 23:39118 |
| 4th down tries per game | 1.0078 | 0.00116 |
| 4th down conversion | 100.0%1 | — |
Rank out of 138 FBS teams. Green is good for the team, red is bad. Blue only orients neutral traits like tempo and run rate.
Key players
Sorted by how much of the offense runs through them. Bold rows are the primary option at each spot; the shade tracks their share.
Offense
Quarterbacks
Share of pass attempts| Player | Share | C/A | Yds | Y/A | TD | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5Drake LindseyJR | 73% | 19/24 | 264 | 11.0 | 1 | 0 |
| 16Brady PalmerFR | 18% | 4/6 | 34 | 5.7 | 0 | 0 |
| 6Max ShikenjanskiSR | 9% | 3/3 | 50 | 16.7 | 0 | 0 |
Running backs
Share of rushes| Player | Share | Car | Yds | Y/C | TD | Rec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Darius TaylorSR | 37% | 14 | 56 | 4.0 | 3 | 3 |
| 23TJ Thomas Jr.JR | 18% | 7 | 52 | 7.4 | 0 | 2 |
| 28Niko CastilloFR | 11% | 4 | 2 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| 9Xavier FordSO | 8% | 3 | 15 | 5.0 | 1 | 0 |
| 20Ryan EstradaFR | 8% | 3 | 10 | 3.3 | 0 | 2 |
Receivers
Share of pass attempts| Player | Share | Rec | Yds | Y/R | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11Javon TracyWR SR | 15% | 5 | 98 | 19.6 | 0 |
| 13Noah JenningsWR SR | 9% | 3 | 57 | 19.0 | 0 |
| 8Jalen SmithWR JR | 9% | 3 | 26 | 8.7 | 0 |
| 84Hayden MooreWR FR | 6% | 2 | 42 | 21.0 | 0 |
| 19Pierce WalshTE SR | 6% | 2 | 28 | 14.0 | 1 |
| 89Quayd HendryxWR FR | 3% | 1 | 13 | 13.0 | 0 |
| 25Zion SteptoeWR SR | 3% | 1 | 6 | 6.0 | 0 |
Defense
Defensive line
Total tackles| Player | Tkl | TFL | Sck | Hur | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3T.J. BushDL SR | 4 | 1.5 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 |
| 11Karter MenzDL SR | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 99Theorin RandleDL SR | 2 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 92Sid KabaDL SR | 2 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 70Naquan CrowderDL SR | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
Linebackers
Total tackles| Player | Tkl | TFL | Sck | PD | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6Maverick BaranowskiLB SR | 6 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2Emmanuel KarmoLB SO | 3 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 46Mason CarrierLB JR | 2 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 19Joey GerlachLB SR | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 49Matt KingsburyLB SR | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2 | 0 |
Defensive backs
Total tackles| Player | Tkl | PD | INT | TFL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4Zack HardenDB SO | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 |
| 21Naiim ParrishDB SO | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 |
| 22Mekhai SmithDB JR | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
| 14Kerry BrownDB SR | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 |
Schedule and results
| Date | Opponent | Result | Off EPA | Def EPA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 3Wk 1 | Eastern Illinois(FCS) | W59-7 | +0.34 | -0.38 |
| Sep 12Wk 2 |   Mississippi State | Upcoming | — | — |
| Sep 19Wk 3 |   Akron | Upcoming | — | — |
| Sep 26Wk 4 | @  Washington | Upcoming | — | — |
| Oct 3Wk 5 |   Michigan | Upcoming | — | — |
| Oct 10Wk 6 | @  Purdue | Upcoming | — | — |
| Oct 24Wk 8 |   Iowa | Upcoming | — | — |
| Oct 31Wk 9 | @  Indiana | Upcoming | — | — |
| Nov 7Wk 10 |   UCLA | Upcoming | — | — |
| Nov 14Wk 11 | @  Penn State | Upcoming | — | — |
| Nov 21Wk 12 |   Northwestern | Upcoming | — | — |
| Nov 27Wk 13 | @  Wisconsin | Upcoming | — | — |