The Minnesota Gophers head to Beaver Stadium on Saturday night with a simple mission: snap a two-game Big Ten skid and keep their bowl hopes on track. Kickoff against Penn State is set for 6 p.m., and the game will air on FOX Sports 1.
Minnesota enters at 5-4 overall and 3-3 in conference play after back-to-back chances against ranked opponents slipped away. The Gophers fell 23-16 in overtime at No.
4 Indiana, then dropped last week’s game to No. 8 UCLA, 34-20.
Penn State is also 5-4, though the Nittany Lions are 2-4 in Big Ten play and coming off a 28-25 win over Washington. The matchup comes with Minnesota trying to get back in the win column against Penn State for the first time since 2019.
That 2019 season remains the benchmark for this stretch of Gophers football. Minnesota finished 11-2 that year and capped it with an Outback Bowl win over Auburn.
For fans looking for the full pregame setup, FOX 9 will air the Gopher Pregame Show before kickoff. Pierre Noujaim will be joined by KFAN sideline reporter Justin Gaard, Gophers analyst Ron Johnson and former Gophers quarterback Tanner Morgan to break down the matchup, along with Big Ten and national college football storylines. Noujaim will also sit down with a current Gophers player.
And for a weekly look at the program, the P.J. Fleck Show airs Tuesday evenings on FOX 9. This week’s episode features Fleck reflecting on the UCLA loss and looking ahead to Penn State.
In Other News...
Anthony Smith's Penn State Return Gives This Gophers Trip Extra Juice
A trip to Penn State already carries plenty of weight for Minnesota, but Anthony Smiths return to Beaver Stadium adds a personal layer to the matchup. The Gophers defensive lineman is expecting a sizable Minnesota presence in the stands, which should give the road game a little extra energy beyond the usual Big Ten backdrop.
Drake Lindsey is trying to keep the focus where it belongs, on the current season rather than any talk about 2027, while Greg Johnson is already looking ahead in a different way. The offensive lineman voiced support for the College Football Playoff expanding to 24 teams next year, a reminder that even as Minnesota prepares for one of its biggest road tests, the conversation around the sport keeps stretching into what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
Gophers Land A Recruit Who Signals Bigger Plans Ahead
Minnesota added another piece to its future frontcourt when Isaiah Santos officially signed with the Gophers, giving Niko Medved a 6-foot-5 forward with a rsum that stretches well beyond Katy, Texas. Santos has played for Seven Lakes High School, Team Brazil and AB Elite AAU, and the programs announcement underscored the kind of versatility that has made him one of the more intriguing young prospects in the class.
Medveds staff clearly sees more than just another name on the board here. Santos arrives with a blend of high school and international experience that suggests Minnesota is aiming higher in how it builds its roster, not just for one season but for the next wave of talent coming through the program. The signing itself is a meaningful step, and it also hints at how much bigger the Gophers believe this recruiting run can get. [Read more 🡒]
Gophers Are Catching A Penn State Team That Looks Different Now
Penn States season has taken on a different look by the time Minnesota gets it, and that matters for a Gophers team trying to measure itself against a conference opponent that has already been through some turbulence. Audrey Snyder, who covers the Nittany Lions, said the early Big Ten stretch was rough, with the offense struggling to find rhythm and quarterback Rocco Becht and the running game both part of the problem. Even so, the recent tone around the program has shifted after the team cleaned up some of the moving parts and found enough traction to beat Purdue and Washington.
Snyder also gave Matt Campbell a B-plus for his first season, pointing to the culture he has established and the buy-in from the roster even after the early setbacks. For Minnesota, the takeaway is less about the record than the version of Penn State showing up now, one that looks more settled and more functional than the group that stumbled out of the gate. The question is whether that progress is real enough to hold up once the Gophers get their shot at it. [Read more 🡒]