Gophers seek to rebound from late collapse in homecoming game vs. Ragin' Cajuns

Louisiana (3-1) at Minnesota (2-2), Saturday, 12 p.m. ET (Big Ten Network)

Line: Minnesota by 11½, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

Series record: Minnesota leads 3-0.

WHAT’S AT STAKE?

The Gophers badly need to bounce back in their homecoming game after blowing a 21-point fourth-quarter lead last week and losing 37-34 in overtime at Northwestern. They've got an Oct. 7 game against No. 2 Michigan looming and an Oct. 21 trip to Iowa after their bye week. Minnesota lost its 2021 homecoming game to a non-power conference team, Bowling Green.

This is the only power conference matchup in 2023 for the Ragin' Cajuns. They lost 49-17 at Florida State last year. Louisiana, which lost its Sun Belt opener to Old Dominion, was picked in the preseason poll to finish third in the seven-team West Division.

KEY MATCHUP

Louisiana's pass rush vs. Minnesota's offensive line. The Ragin' Cajuns have 18 sacks in four games, tied for the most in the FBS with James Madison. Gophers QB Athan Kaliakmanis has been sacked five times.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Louisiana: TE Neal Johnson. The preseason first team All-Sun Belt pick is one of five players with 10-plus receptions for the Ragin' Cajuns. Johnson has one touchdown.

Minnesota: RB Darius Taylor. The true freshman from Detroit suffered an apparent injury to his left leg late in the game at Northwestern, putting his status for this week in question. He leads the conference in rushing yards (532) and has received the Big Ten freshman of the week award for three straight weeks, the first player in Gophers history to accomplish that feat and the first in the conference since Jonathan Taylor for Wisconsin in 2017.

FACTS & FIGURES

The Ragin' Cajuns and the Golden Gophers played three straight seasons from 2001-03, including a 2002 game in Lafayette, Louisiana, that Minnesota won 35-11. ... The only other game for Louisiana against a team from the Big Ten at the time was a 20-17 loss at Illinois in 2008. ... Gophers S Craig McDonald was granted eligibility by the NCAA for this game after initially denying his waiver application to play this season following a second transfer in two years. The Minneapolis native played at Auburn in 2022 and Iowa State in 2020-21. ... The Gophers were 40-2 when leading after three quarters in seven seasons under coach P.J. Fleck before their loss at Northwestern. ... Minnesota's current per-game average of 31:49 possession time is its lowest since Fleck's first year (30:57) in 2017.

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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll