The Minnesota Golden Gophers kick off the 2025 college football season by hosting the Buffalo Bulls at 7 p.m. CST on Thursday, Aug. 28 at Huntington Bank Stadium.
Can Buffalo score on offense?
From an offense that ranked 3rd in the MAC and 59th nationally in scoring offense (28.8 points per game), the Bulls return leading rusher Al-Jay Henderson, who tallied 204 carries for 1,078 yards and nine touchdowns last season. He will be operating behind an offensive line that returns three starters, including left tackle Henry Tabansi and guards Trevor Brock and Tyler Doty. Buffalo averaged 169.1 rushing yards per game last season, but former starting quarterback C.J. Ogbonna contributed, ranking second on the team in rushing attempts (123).
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Ogbonna is gone, and sixth-year transfer quarterback Ta’Quan Roberson is taking the reins after bouncing between Penn State, Connecticut, and Kansas State. His only season as a starter was spent at Connecticut, when he completed 58.3 percent of his passes (197-of-338) and threw for 2,075 passing yards, 12 touchdowns, and six interceptions. He never saw significant snaps last season with the Wildcats.
The Bulls return top wideout Victor Snow, who led the team with 55 receptions for 651 receiving yards and six touchdowns. But beyond Snow, no other wide receiver on the roster recorded double-digit receptions last season. Connecticut transfer Jasaiah Gathings is being thrust into a starting role, but he only hauled in 32 receptions for 307 receiving yards and three touchdowns in his last season with the Huskies before transferring.
This is a largely unproven offense. Minnesota should have the advantage in the trenches, and defensive coordinator Danny Collins will likely key in on stopping the run to put the game on Roberson’s shoulders. Snow is an undersized slot receiver at 5’8”, so Gathings will be more of a receiving threat on the outside.
Please tell me the Gophers will be able to score
The outlook on defense for Buffalo this season is more optimistic, with nine starters returning from a unit that ranked 62nd nationally in run defense (146.6 rushing yards allowed per game), 108th in pass defense (245.2 passing yards allowed per game), and 79th in scoring defense (26 points allowed per game).
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Linebacker Khalil “Red” Murdock finished last season with 17 tackles for loss, two sacks, and seven forced fumbles. Edge rushers Kobe Steward and Dion Crawford were No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, in the MAC in sacks. This will present an interesting matchup for the Gophers’ new-look offensive line, with Ashton Beers shifting to center, Greg Johnson moving to left guard, redshirt freshman Nathan Roy tacking over at left tackle, and transfer Marcellus Marshall and Dylan Ray stepping in at right guard and right tackle, respectively.
It is not an inexperienced unit and they will almost certainly have a size advantage over the Bulls’ defensive front, but they haven’t played together before and Minnesota offensive lines under assistant coach Brian Callahan have a history of starting the season slow before gelling down the stretch.
Past history would suggest offensive coordinator Greg Harbaugh Jr. will look to get running backs Darius Taylor and A.J. Turner rolling to take the pressure off quarterback Drake Lindsey in his first career start. But if Harbaugh wants to test Lindsey, there may be vulnerabilities in the Buffalo secondary.
The Bulls are experienced in the defensive backfield, led by former Golden Gopher safety Solomon Brown, who finished last season with 66 total tackles, six pass break-ups, and one interception. But they ranked 85th in yards per completion allowed and surrendered 25 passing touchdowns a season ago. Minnesota loaded up on transfer wide receivers in the offseason — Javon Tracy, Logan Loya, and Malachi Coleman — and like what they have in redshirt senior Le’Meke Brockington and redshirt freshman Jalen Smith.
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But who will score more points on Saturday?
Historically under head coach P.J. Fleck, the Gophers have played some of their sloppiest football in the season opener. With a first-year quarterback making his first career start and a first-year defensive coordinator calling his first game, I don’t expect we’ll see a well-oiled machine taking the field against Buffalo on Thursday. But this is still a game Minnesota should win comfortably, even if it is closer than fans would like in the first half. Minnesota 23, Buffalo 13.
