Minnesota football looks to start 2019 golden vs. South Dakota State

The third season of the PJ Fleck era with Minnesota football begins Thursday night when the Golden Gophers welcome South Dakota State.

Under Fleck, Minnesota has yet to finish above a tie for fifth in the Big Ten West, but they did claim a victory in the Quick Lane Bowl last year to secure a winning record at 7-6. Fleck and the Golden Gophers went 5-7 in his first season, and are just 5-13 overall in the Big Ten.

Minnesota downed Georgia Tech in the postseason after earning a 37-15 victory in the regular season finale at Wisconsin. They also hung tough with Northwestern after topping Purdue, but had a tough loss at Illinois when the team allowed 55 points.

The Jackrabbits are a top contender in the FCS, advancing deep into the playoffs before falling to North Dakota State a year ago.

Here’s how you can watch Thursday’s game between South Dakota State and Minnesota:

Date: Thursday, Aug. 29
Time: 9 p.m. ET
Location: Minneapolis, Minn.
Venue: TCF Bank Stadium
TV: FS1
Live Stream: FOX Sports GO | Fubo TV

Keys to Victory

For the Golden Gophers, getting off to a fast start and taking away any hope for South Dakota State early is important. Let the Jackrabbits hang around, and things could definitely get dicey in Minneapolis at night.

Mohamed Ibrahim returns after putting together a 1,160-yard, nine-touchdown sophomore season. The Baltimore, Maryland native averaged almost six yards per carry and is joined by wide receiver Tyler Johnson to form a strong combination out of the skill positions.

Johnson caught 78 passes for 1,169 yards with 12 touchdowns despite inefficient quarterback play at times. Making sure whoever takes snaps behind center is more consistent could lead to an even bigger season out of Johnson.

The Jackrabbits were picked fourth in the nation by the American Football Coaches Association in FCS after winning 10 games and reaching the semifinals. They were ousted by eventual national champion North Dakota State in the final four.

The SDSU offense is led by wide receiver Cade Johnson, who had over 1,300 yards last year, and running back Pierre Strong, Jr., who ran for over 1,110 yards, scored 11 touchdowns and averaged 9.5 yards per carry.

Betting Odds

Odds courtesy of Bovada

Point Spread: N/A
Over/Under: N/A

Prediction

This is a very tough Week 1 test for the Golden Gophers, as South Dakota State will likely come out to play with nothing to lose. And they really do have nothing to lose. Playing up a division, expect plenty of unexpected plays out of the Jackrabbit offense as they try to overcome the mighty Big Ten.

Final Score: South Dakota State 33, Minnesota 35