Saturday morning will be the first ever meeting on the gridiron between the Minnesota Golden Gophers and the Rhode Island Rams. The Gophers will host the Rams at Huntington Bank Stadium in a non-conference matchup between two teams that began their seasons in different ways.
For Minnesota, it was a 19-17 loss at home to North Carolina. Kicker Dragan Kesich had a chance to win the game as time expired but missed his 47-yard field goal attempt. The takeaway for Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck? Move on from the loss and prepare for the next game.
“Goldfish are the happiest animals on the planet because they have a 10-second memory,” Fleck said. “And that’s the point … you’ve got to flush it, no pun intended.”
Fleck has described his team’s mindset as “1-0 championship season” each week, and on Saturday, that championship is against Rhode Island.
Rhode Island beat Holy Cross 20-17 on a 31-yard touchdown pass to Shawn Harris Jr. in the final minute of the game. Despite fumbling six times and losing three of them, the Rams got the win to kick off their season, and head coach Jim Fleming credited his players for making plays when it was necessary to emerge victorious in spite of the turnovers.
“A real tribute to what these kids are all about,” Fleming said. “Did not flinch, went ahead and found a way to get it done through some atrocious things … Just a spectacular win and it’s one you can build on going forward.”
Two new quarterbacks
In Week 1, both teams started a quarterback who had yet to previously start a game at their respective universities.
Devin Farrell began his collegiate career at Virginia Tech before transferring to Rhode Island after one season in 2022. As a redshirt freshman in 2023, he played in six games as a reserve for the Rams.
Farrell started his first collegiate game on Saturday, and following the win, he admitted it took him a bit to get acclimated to the college game.
“In the beginning, I was a bit antsy; it was my first time [starting] since I was in high school,” Farrell said. “As the game got going, I was able to be more calm because [Fleming] was in my ear on the sideline … telling me to calm my feet down.”
Farrell went 20-for-33 for 287 yards and two touchdowns while also leading the Rams on the ground with 54 yards on 13 carries. The Rams quarterback received recognition for his performance by being named conference Offensive Player of the Week by CAA Football.
Meanwhile, the Gophers sought out New Hampshire transfer quarterback Max Brosmer to replace Athan Kaliakmanis, who transferred to Big Ten rivals Rutgers after playing two seasons in Minneapolis.
Brosmer finished Week 1 with a mixed bag, completing 13 of 21 passes for 165 yards through the air, rushing for a touchdown and fumbling in the fourth quarter to set up a North Carolina field goal.
Fleck said it took Brosmer some time to settle in against North Carolina, but he improved following a tough first quarter when he started 3-for-7 for 26 yards and did not score. In the final three quarters, Brosmer was 10-for-14 for 140 yards and led the offense on two touchdown drives.
A familiar foe
Brosmer played in four seasons at New Hampshire and faced the Rams three times as a starter. His last time squaring up against Rhode Island was in 2023 when Brosmer erupted for 430 yards and three total touchdowns.
Unlike his new teammates, Brosmer is experienced against this week’s opponent, which could come in handy for the Gophers offense.
“It’s funny going back to watch film from when I was playing them last year and that’s what we’re using to game plan now,” Brosmer said. “Most of the games I feel like I’ve watched three or four times already because that’s what I did to prepare last year.”
Cleaning up mistakes
Missed tackles and drive-extending penalties plagued the Gopher defense against the Tar Heels. According to defensive coordinator Corey Heatherman, Minnesota missed 22 tackles in Week 1.
“If we make those tackles at the point of attack, it’s under two yards a carry; we don’t, it’s 3.6,” Heatherman said. “That’s, to me, the difference in the ball game.”
The second area for improvement for Fleck’s team is penalties. Minnesota was penalized six times for 50 yards against North Carolina, including two holding penalties in the secondary that gave away first downs and set up scoring drives, including the Tar Heels’ only touchdown of the game.
Rhode Island also had its fair share of struggles against Holy Cross. The Rams were penalized eight times, totaling 67 yards, and put the ball on the ground six different times. They were fortunate to recover half their fumbles, but facing a Big Ten team in Minnesota will shrink their margin of error in Week 2.
How to watch Rhode Island vs Minnesota
- Date: Saturday, September 7th
- Time: 12pm ET
- Venue: Huntington Bank Stadium (Minneapolis, MN)
- Streaming: Exclusively on Peacock
About the Author
Andrew Cornelius is a junior at the University of Minnesota and has been on the staff of The Minnesota Daily, the university’s student newspaper, since his freshman year. With The Minnesota Daily, Andrew has covered women’s basketball, baseball and other sports. He has been on the football beat since the summer of 2023. Check out his story on the Gophers’ rivalry with Michigan.
