The Minnesota Golden Gophers host the Rhode Island Rams Saturday as part of a busy slate of college football on NBC and Peacock, with Minnesota looking to bounce back from a disappointing loss to North Carolina in Week 1. Kicker Dragan Kesich missed two field goals against the Tar Heels, including a 27-yarder in the first quarter and a 47-yard attempted game-winner in the final seconds. Rhode Island, meanwhile, is coming off a win, besting Holy Cross 20-17 after QB Devin Farrell connected with WR Shawn Harris for the winning throw with 19 seconds remaining.
“This is a team loss. Period,” Minnesota head coach P.J. Fleck said after last weekend’s game, dismissing implications of blame for Kesich’s missed kicks. “This isn’t lost by one play.”
On Saturday, Minnesota will look for improvement from sixth-year senior QB Max Brosmer, who went 13 for 21 with just 165 passing yards in Week 1. The Golden Gophers are also counting down the days until running back Darius Taylor returns to the lineup. Taylor missed Week 1 with a leg injury, after dealing with an injury to that same leg for most of the 2023 season. “He’ll be ready very soon,” Fleck said of Taylor last week. “He really wants to go, but our medical staff always has our players’ best interests at heart.”
FCS Rhode Island last won a game over an FBS program in 2021, when they defeated UMass 35-22. The Rams were projected to finish 8th of 16 teams in the Coastal Athletic Association preseason coach’s poll. After his last-game heroics, which came in his first career start, Farrell was named CAA Offensive Player of the Week for Week 1. He finished that game with 341 total yards (287 passing, 54 rushing) and threw for two touchdowns.
How to watch Rhode Island vs Minnesota college football
- Date: Saturday, September 7th
- Time: 12pm ET
- Venue: Huntington Bank Stadium (Minneapolis, MN)
- Streaming: Exclusively on Peacock
Other College Football on NBC Sports Saturday
- Northern Illinois vs Notre Dame at 3pm ET (NBC, Peacock)
- Colorado vs Nebraska at 7:30pm (NBC, Peacock)
- Boise State vs Oregon at 10pm (Peacock)
How to Watch College Football on Peacock
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