Drake Lindsey News - MinnesotaSportsFan https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/tag/drake-lindsey/ Minnesota sports, but different Sat, 22 Nov 2025 21:21:55 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.3 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=32,height=32,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/cropped-cropped-MSF-favicon-1.jpg Drake Lindsey News - MinnesotaSportsFan https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/tag/drake-lindsey/ 32 32 Gopher Defense No-Shows at Wrigley, Foiling Drake Lindsey Coming Out Party https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/postgame-recap-northwestern-wrigley-field/ Sat, 22 Nov 2025 20:46:11 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=72741 It was a beautiful fall day for football on the north side of Chicago Saturday, where the Minnesota Gophers played an 11 AM regular season contest against the Northwestern Wildcats.

Unlike any other meeting between the two Big Ten rivals, Saturday marked the first time Minnesota and Northwestern have ever met for a football game at the friendly confines of Wrigley Field, home of Major League Baseball’s Chicago Cubs since 1914.

Minnesota Gophers start slow, punch back early vs Northwestern

As has been the case for much of this season, the Golden Gophers started out slow Saturday morning against Northwestern, quickly falling behind 13-0, as Minnesota struggled to find a first down while the Wildcats were driving up and down the field, at will.

Eventually, the Fighting Flecks found their footing and started throwing punches of their own, scoring the game’s next 21-straight points, to take a 21-13 lead at halftime.

Koi Perich woke the Gopher sideline up with a 93-yard kick return that was eventually punched in by Darius Taylor on a fake fullback dive, halfback toss play to the right that allowed the star running back to walk in for Minnesota’s first points of the game.

Once Minnesota’s offense began to move the ball, it became apparent quickly that sophomore quarterback Drake Lindsey was feeling himself today at Wrigley Field, where he completed 13-of-16 passes in the first half for 130 yards and two touchdowns.

Drake Lindsey, Gopher offense balls out

Thankfully, Drake and the offense came to play in the second half, Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the defense. After showing up late, and allowing the Wildcats to jump out early, the Gopher defense was nowhere to be found out of halftime.

Down eight points to start the third quarter, Northwestern started the second half by scoring three straight touchdowns and 22 total points, to retake the lead 35-28 going into the fourth quarter. In those three drives, the Wildcats offense went off for 226 yards on 23 plays.

One drive after they gave the lead back, however, Drake Lindsey led the Minnesota offense down the field yet again for a 6-play, 75-yard scoring drive that ended in this beautiful touchdown pass to Le’Meke Brockington — Lindsey’s fourth TD pass on the day.

It was a good thing the Gophers put those points up so quickly. Because, in order for Drake Lindsey to get the ball back, the defense needed to get off the field, which it took them over seven minutes to do.

Gopher defense canโ€™t hang at Wrigley

Finally, after 14 Wildcat plays and 60 yards gained, Minnesota’s defense held Northwestern to a field goal that made the score 38-35 with 52 seconds remaining on the clock, plenty of time for Drake Lindsey, especially after another nice kick return by Koi Perich.

Four plays and 30 yards later, Brady Denaburg (0/1 on the day) was lining up a 40-yard field goal to put the game into overtime. Unfortunately, he finished the day 0/2, leaving the Minnesota Gophers three points short of OT, and 6-5 on the season.

In the end, Drake Lindsey’s 264 yards and 4 touchdowns (20/30 passing) were not enough to beat a Northwestern squad that put up 525 yards of total offense on a MN Gopher defense that got left behind in Minneapolis.

]]> Sat, 22 Nov 2025 15:21:55 +0000 Minnesota Gophers Football PJ Fleck Learns Nothing; Gophers Bring Embarrassment Home https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/pj-fleck-embarrassing-coaching-barely-beats-michigan-state/ Sat, 01 Nov 2025 23:31:29 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=70741 If you missed the Minnesota Gophers 41-3 rout last weekend in Iowa City, consider yourself fortunate. Despite being in his ninth season with the Gophers, head coach P.J. Fleck showed up to battle for Floyd and forgot to do any level of preparation.

A bad Michigan State 3-5 (0-5) team should represent a perfect get-right opportunity for the Gophers. Unfortunately, Fleck missed that memo too and his team looked like a joke once again despite 23-20 win over the Spartans.

Gophers flatline against a bad Spartans team

Minnesota was just a 3.5 point favorite on Saturday at home against the Spartans. The line grew to 4.5 by kickoff, but the books were clear, this team doesn’t know how to put away bad competition. Michigan State had lost five in a row with head coach Jonathan Smith on the hot seat.

Minutes before kickoff, the Spartans announced starting quarterback Aidan Chiles was going to be benched. Freshman Alessio Milivojevic made his first career start everything seemed to turn Gophers.

Then P.J. Fleck stepped in.

Without Darius Taylor, because the star running back continues to struggle staying healthy, there was no ingenuity from the offense whatsoever. Drake Lindsey threw dinks and dunks for short yardages. Save for Fame Ijeboi ripping off a 49 yard run, and Javon Tracy hauling in a 35-yard pass, there would have been no offense to speak of.

Don’t worry though, Fleck consistently turned to punter Tom Weston for short doinks in plus-territory. He pulled the plug on multiple drives in Spartans territory opting to play for 30 yards of field position instead. After going up 10-0, the Gophers packed it in and tried to salt it away.

This is a head coach connected to multiple big-school openings. He is nine years into leading the Gophers program, and he’s legitimately excited about a lackluster performance that fans point to when trying to denigrate his work.

It’s a good thing Lindsey has shown flashes of stardom. He’s something to build around, but if this path continues for the head coach, Lindsey’s probably better suited playing for a school with a plan. 39 passes resulting in 197 yards is just a masterclass of mediocre play calling.

Two pass interference flags with different outcomes saved Fleck from further embarrassment at home, but anyone that watched the game had already seen him accomplish enough.

Minnesota’s success deserves scrutiny with Fleck rowing

Listen, I came into this season thinking the Gophers could run the table and pull off their second double-digit winning season under P.J. Fleck. I was quickly reminded in a loss to Cal why that was never going to happen.

Fleck has turned around the culture for the Minnesota Gophers, and the program is in the best spot it has seen in years. However, there’s absolutely a ceiling to what he has done, and the floor is ugly.

The win against a ranked Nebraska team was a fun one, but Fleck has shucked the Huskers plenty. He continues to get pummeled by Kirk Ferentz and the Hawkeyes, and the latest iteration was the worst we have ever seen.

P.J. Fleck, Minnesota Gophers
Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

There are times you expect a response to distance what otherwise is an unfortunate memory. With an opportunity to do that on Saturday, Fleck came out and put up another stinker.

It doesn’t matter that the Gophers won. It doesn’t even really matter that it was so ugly. By this time though, it matters that the coach is oblivious to the results that constantly have followed him, and glossing over them while failing to be better remains hollow.

At least Fleck can go crowd surfing while being 1-0 in the Michigan State season. They’ll go 1-0 on their second bye week of the season too.

]]> Sat, 01 Nov 2025 18:47:45 +0000 Minnesota Gophers Football MN Gophers Sack Game Shucks Nebraska https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/pj-fleck-outcoaches-matt-rhule-nine-sacks-nebraska-upset/ Sat, 18 Oct 2025 03:20:51 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=69816 There were more NFL teams in attendance for the Minnesota Gophers game against Nebraska than at any other point this season. Presumably they were in attendance to watch Patrick Mahomes doppelganger Dylan Raiola.

P.J. Flecks team certainly gave them a show, and the 24-6 defeat probably wasn’t what they were expecting. Nebraska entered the game as seven point favorites. The teams felt each other out with Minnesota leading 7-6 at the half.

Then the Gophers defense decided to put the Huskers on their back.

Pass rush a strength for Minnesota Gophers in victory

A week ago the Minnesota Gophers struggled to separate from a mediocre Purdue team and never once got to the quarterback. They certainly flipped the script on that showing and Dylan Raiola felt the brunt of it. The defense racked up nine sacks with Karter Menz and Anthony Smith both grabbing 2.5, while Jaxon Howard added two of his own.

It was supposed to be Raiola and running back Emmett Johnson that dictated this contest for Nebraska. Raiola never had a chance with the constant pass rush, and Johnson struggled to find running room due to the line play as well.

Minnesota starting cornerback John Nestor was out on Friday night, and that meant the rush needed to help save the secondary. Tackling issues have been persistent this season for the Gophers, but they tackled the quarterback and everyone else en route to the victory.

A week after putting up 176 yards against Maryland, Johnson was held to just 63 yards. A 4th and 1 stop with just over three minutes left was symbolistic of Johnson’s night. The defensive difference in a matter of a week could not have been more impressive.

Fleck outcoaches Penn State candidate

Matt Rhule can say whatever he wants about being tied to the Penn State head coaching opening. The reality is he’s on their radar and it has to be a distraction. On Friday night it was the Gophers P.J. Fleck who ran circles around his opponent.

The Gophers opted against going for it on two fourth downs in the first half. In the second half, with the defense still rolling, Fleck pushed the button on a 4th and three that set up Minnesota’s second touchdown. Drake Lindsey delivered a dime to Le’Meke Brockington to make it a 14-6 game.

The win was Fleck’s seventh against AP Top 25 ranked schools and set a new program record. Despite attempts by security to keep fans in their place after the clock hit zeroes, this one was worth celebrating.

These are the types of games Fleck needs to win if he wants to take the Gophers to the next level. It’s disappointing there was a loss to Cal earlier in the season, but this is a fringe top 25 team that can reveal more of that with a road win next weekend against Iowa.

With only Oregon as a near-certain loss left on the schedule, Minnesota would finish 9-3 if they run the table.

]]> Fri, 17 Oct 2025 22:28:49 +0000 Minnesota Gophers Football MN Gophers Football vs Nebraska – Young QB Shootout Style https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/drake-lindsey-dylan-raiola-mn-gophers-nebraska-preview/ Fri, 17 Oct 2025 19:54:39 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=69780 PJ Fleck and the 4-2 (2-1) Minnesota Gophers football team will do battle tonight at Huntington Bank Stadium against the 5-1 (2-1) Nebraska Cornhuskers, whose comeback victory last weekend in Maryland earned them the nation’s No. 25 overall ranking.

This will be Nebby’s sixth opportunity to win the 2nd rendition of the somewhat controversial “$5 Bits of Broken Chair” Trophy. Originally established in 2014, the unofficial rivalry trophy went missing in Lincoln after Nebraska beat Minnesota back in 2016.

The current version was awarded to the Golden Gophers after their victory in Lincoln one year later, in 2017. Call it the Broken Chair Curse, but Nebraska has not beaten Minnesota on the gridiron in any of their FIVE matchups since.

Nebraska struggles vs PJ Fleck

In fact, the Scott Frost era of Huskers lore turned PJ Fleck into Nebraska Big Ten West boogie man. Since Fleck took over as Gophers football coach in 2017, Minnesota holds a dominant 6-1 record over the now-decade-old conference rival.

DateLocationMINNEB
2023-08-31Minneapolis, MN1310
2022-11-05Lincoln, NE2013
2021-10-16Minneapolis, MN3023
2020-12-12Lincoln, NE2417
2019-10-12Minneapolis, MN347
2018-10-20Lincoln, NE2853
2017-11-11Minneapolis, MN5421
TotalW/L61

However, this is only the second time Matt Rhule’s Cornhuskers have faced the Golden Gophers, after falling 13-10 in Minnesota during his first year waling the Nebraska sideline.

But Friday night, none of that will matter. Because the last time the Minnesota Gophers played against the Nebraska Cornhuskers, on August 31 2023, both Dylan Raiola and Drake Lindsey were still in high school.

And given what we have seen from either team midway through the 2025 college football season, whichever second-year quarterback plays better under the lights tonight in Dinkytown, their team will likely parade the Broken Chair out of Huntington Bank Stadium.

Slowing Dylan Raiola is the key to beating Nebraska

For Minnesota Gopher football fans unfamiliar with Dylan Raiola’s game, get ready for a wild ride. The Buford, GA native stands 6’3″, 230 pounds and came into Lincoln last season as a 99-overall 5-star recruit, and the No. 7 overall high school prospect in the country (No. 2 overall QB).

In 2024, Raiola took his lumps as a true freshman, starting 13 games where he totalled just 13 touchdowns and nearly as many interceptions (11). As a sophomore, however, Nebby’s QB savior has taken a noticeable step in his development.

Through six games, Dylan Raiola has already put up more touchdowns (16) than he did all of last year. Prior to his three-interception performance last week in DC, he had cleaned up his interception issue too. Still, his 16/5 TD/INT ratio looks way better than 2024, as does his 73.4% completion rate.

Related: Gopher Rival Fires Head Coach; Could PJ Fleck be on Their Radar?

Entering Friday’s matchup against the Golden Gophers, Raiola ranks 2nd in the Big Ten in passing touchdowns, 3rd in completion percentage and 4th in passing yards per game (265.2). And if you are an old school Big Ten football fan, you might want to sit this one out.

Not only does Nebraska rank 16th out of 18 conference teams in rush attempts, with 33.2, but one of only two teams that has run the ball less then them so far this season is the Minnesota Gophers, at 31.3 rush attempts per game.

Drake Lindsey good… not great so far for MN Gophers football

And that brings us to Drake Lindsey, the Golden Gophers redshirt freshman QB who came out of the 2024 freshman class, just like Raiola… except with less recruiting hype over at 247Sports, where he stepped on campus as an 89-overall, 3-star, ranked outside of the national top 150.

Unlike Raiola, Lindsey got a year to sit and learn behind one of the best upperclassmen starters in the country, from a QB mentor standpoint, in now Vikings quarterback, Max Brosmer.

Through six FBS starts as a redshirt freshman, Lindsey has been pretty good for a freshman. He’s thrown 9 touchdowns vs just 3 interceptions and holds a respectable 80.2 PFF grade, much higher than Raiola’s 67.8 grade. Unfortunately, his numbers have not been good enough to stand out in arguably the best football conference in the country.

In retrospect, it’s tough to expect that from a 20-year-old first year starter. Lindsey’s 214 passing yards per game ranks 11th among qualified Big Ten quarterbacks. His 9 touchdowns rank 10th and his 60.1% completion rate ranks 16th.

StatisticDylan Raiola
(Nebraska, Sophomore)		Drake Lindsey
(Minnesota, Redshirt Freshman)
Games Played66
Passing Yards/Game265.2
(4th in Big Ten)		214.0
(11th in Big Ten)
Passing TDs16
(2nd in Big Ten)		9
(10th in Big Ten)
Interceptions53
TD/INT Ratio16/59/3
Completion %73.4%
(3rd in Big Ten)		60.1%
(16th in Big Ten)
PFF Grade67.880.2
Recruiting Rating99 (5-star)
No. 2 QB nationally		89 (3-star)

And while Drake has been one of the better players on an underwhelming 2025 Minnesota Gophers offense, he’ll need to be even better if his team is going to have any chance Friday night against Raiola and Big Red.

Minnesota Gophers football needs even more from Drake Lindsey

Those of us who see great things in Lindsey’s future believe he has it in him, but for the Gophers to meet/exceed expectations this season, he will have to play better than a promising youngster still trying to find himself in the pocket, even if that’s all that should be expected of him.

Related: CFB Experts Should Do Their Research on MN Gophersโ€™ Blossoming Superstar

Sure, Drake hasn’t been a world-beater, but he has at least been functional, even showing flashes of greatness at times. Minnesota’s other option is to run the football, which is not a strength of Gophers teams present, no matter what PJ Fleck & Co. did in the past.

Not only does Minnesota rank near the bottom of the conference in rush attempts, but they rank 116th nationally in rushing yards per game (112.3) and average yards per carry (3.6). And because of Fleck’s history, team’s still come in ready to stop the run, even if game film and recent tendencies tell them to do otherwise.

In other words, whoever wins tonight’s game between the Nebraska Cornhuskers and Minnesota Gophers, is going to have to throw their way to victory, especially if it is going to be the home team.

]]> Fri, 17 Oct 2025 14:54:42 +0000 Minnesota Gophers Football What We Learned About the Minnesota Gophers in Homecoming Disaster vs Ohio State https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/what-we-learned-minnesota-ohio-state-postgame-recap/ Sun, 05 Oct 2025 02:59:24 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=69252 The Minnesota Gophers faced their toughest regular season task of the 2025 season on Saturday night in Columbus against the nation’s No. 1 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes.

Obviously, when you play on the road against arguably the most talented team in the country — a school that hand-picks its players every year in both the transfer portal and on the high school recruiting trail — odds are going to be stacked against you. That’s why the Gophers came in 23.5 point underdogs against the Buckeyes.

But this season, OSU came in as less of a high-powered team on offense, and more so built on the juggernaut it has built on the other side of the football. Entering Saturday, the Buckeyes defense ranked 1st nationally in points allowed per game (5.5), 8th in yards allowed (132.0) and 6th in first downs allowed (12.5).

What We Learned – Minnesota vs Ohio State

NCAA Football: Minnesota Gophers at Ohio State Buckeyes
Credit: Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

And the Minnesota Golden Gophers found out pretty quickly tonight in Columbus that, not only is the Buckeyes defense legit, but their offense is still unbelievably dangerous.

We’ll get into all of the numbers below, but what we learned on Saturday night is that our favorite college football team does not belong on the same field with the best teams in the country, which the Buckeyes clearly proved they are tonight at the Horseshoe, during a completely dominant 42-3 romping of the Gophers.

Minnesota Gophers start hot… then go ice cold

If Minnesota was going to have any chance to keep the game tight in Columbus, they had to play near perfect offensively and defensively. On top of that, they needed redshirt sophomore quarterback Drake Lindsey to do something this program has never really seen out of its QB.

The MN Gophers needed the right arm of their 20-year-old quarterback to keep them in it. Early on, he looked like he might be up to the challenge, starting the game 7-of-7, including an eye-opening first drive that seemed to catch the Buckeyes defense off-guard.

Unfortunately, that first 13-play, 66 yard drive ended in a field goal, which ended up being the only three points Minnesota scored in the entire first half. After his smoking hot start, Lindsey completed just 4 for his next 12, passes and finished the half 11-of-19 for only 99 yards.

It was Drake’s efficiency during the Gophers initial drive that made everyone watching believe, if only for a couple of minutes, that Minnesota stood a chance tonight vs the best team in the country.

But once Ohio State went to man defense, receivers struggled to get open, reads dried up and Lindsey was a sitting duck for the Buckeyes’ immensely talented pass rush… a recipe for disaster.

Minnesota does not belong on the same field as Ohio State

The second half on Saturday night didn’t get any better. After gaining 74 yards in the first quarter, the Minnesota Golden Gophers offense managed just 36 total yards in the second and third quarters combined (-1 yard in the 3rd).

Meanwhile, Ohio State’s struggles to find big plays on offense went out the window Saturday, as they hit on SIX pass plays for over 15 yards (232 yards total) and FOUR rush attempts that went for 10 or more yards (66 yards total).

The MN Gophers hit on FOUR big plays total, only one of which came from Lindsey — his 1st drive pass down the seam to Jameson Geers. When the dust finally settled in Columbus, Lindsey was 15-of-26 for 93 yards and 0 touchdowns.

In total, The Gophers offense mustered only 162 yards against Ohio State’s more than formidable defense, where they failed to gain even ONE first down after the first drive of the game. The Buckeyes offense, however, countered with 474 total yards, 326 of which came on the arm of Buckeyes QB Julian Sayin.

The Ohio State starting QB and Heisman outside candidate went 23-of-27 (85%) passing and threw 3 touchdowns. Wide receiver Carnell Tate caught 9 of those passes for a total of 183 yards and 1 touchdown.

How do the MN Gophers respond to this brutal loss?

While it’s certainly demoralizing in the moment, Saturday’s loss does not reflect on the eventual success or failure of Minnesota’s 2025 season, but it certainly was a reminder just how far away we are from competing with the national elites, like Ohio State.

Thankfully, they do not have to. Next up on the Gophers 2025 schedule is back at Huntington Bank Stadium against the Purdue Boilermakers. After that, they have Nebraska (home), Iowa (away) and Michigan State (home), before they head west to play another elite, the Oregon Ducks.

In other words, the Minnesota Gophers’ 2025 season will not be dictated by tonight’s results. It will be decided by how they respond and play over the next four weeks, between their matchups against two of the best teams, not just in the conference, but in the nation.

]]> Sat, 04 Oct 2025 21:59:27 +0000 Minnesota Gophers Football CFB Experts Should Do Their Research on MN Gophers’ Blossoming Superstar https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/pff-grade-drake-lindsey-mn-gophers-qb-doubters/ Thu, 02 Oct 2025 13:38:59 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=69147 The Minnesota Gophers are 3-1 to start the 2025 season and they could be 4-0, had they remained disciplined against a mediocre Cal Golden Bears squad.

But the most positive development so far in 2025 has been the incredible performance of young quarterback, Drake Lindsey. The redshirt freshman had big shoes to fill after Max Brosmer completed one of the best seasons in Gopher QB history in 2024.

The now Minnesota Vikings rookie spent considerable time, during his lone season in Dinkytown, grooming Lindsey for this moment. So far, it’s paid off as he’s completed 65.8% of his passes for 958 yards and 7 touchdown vs 2 interceptions through four games.

PFF says Minnesota Gophers QB Drake Lindsey is ELITE

Beyond standard statistics, Drake Lindsey stands out even more. In fact, the Arkansas kid is currently graded as the No. 2 quarterback in all of college football by Pro Football Focus (90.8), behind only Cincinnati’s Brendan Sorsby (92.2).

Lindsey edged out Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia, who is on his sixth year of college football. Sorsby is also an upperclassman (junior). Lindsey, on the other hands, is just a redshirt freshman with only four starts under his collegiate belt.

With Ohio State on deck for the MN Gophers, Lindsey will have an opportunity to show his abilities under a national spotlight against the No. 1 ranked team in the country, and their suffocating defense. The Buckeyes will be lead by fellow redshirt freshman, Julian Sayin, a top 10 Heisman candidate.

ESPN “expert” sleeping on Lindsey and Arch Manning?

What was once the Power 5 has become four top conferences with the teardown of the Pac-12. ESPN’s Bill Connelly ranked all 68 quarterbacks among those Power 4 schools. Unfortunately he hasn’t watched Drake Lindsey enough, because he currently ranks him as the No. 42 quarterback in the country.

Lindsey enjoyed a nice performance against Rutgers, throwing for 324 yards and three touchdowns in a win. He’s 15th nationally in success rate (52.8%) despite rarely throwing at or behind the line, though he’s averaging only 10.6 yards per completion against power-conference opponents. There’s absolutely no run threat here, but safe passing combined with strong defense should produce at least seven or eight wins.

Bill Connelly – ESPN

Who knows where Lindsey would have checked in had he performed a bit better against Cal. What is notable is that the quarterback directly in front of Lindsey is none other than Texas Longhorns starter Arch Manning.

Manning is not expected to declare for the NFL Draft after this season, and his slow start has all but guaranteed that to remain the case. However, seeing him ranked in the 40s is jarring nonetheless.

Maybe we won’t see the blossoming young MN Gophers QB ultimately overtake Manning on draft night, But at this point, it’s certainly possible, should Lindsey perform in big moments, like the one he will get Saturday night in Columbus.

Drake Lindsey from Minnesota Gophers to 1st round pick?

Personal quarterback coach Quincy Avery has been talking up Lindsey for a while now, and he’s lived up to expectations. From everything we have seen so far out of the MN Gophers QB, a future first round grade makes a ton of sense. And playing in the Big Ten, he’ll have no shortage of opportunities to prove himself on a big stage.

And playing in Minnesota, not only does he have a chance to put the Gophers onto the CFP map, but also set all sorts of school records in the process. The next one is a big one too, when Minnesota kicks off at The Horseshoe against Ohio State on Saturday night.

]]> Tue, 07 Oct 2025 14:34:16 +0000 Minnesota Gophers Football Gophers Freshman QB Shows Superstar Potential in Multi-Comeback Win vs Rutgers https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/drake-lindsey-performance-rutgers-mn-gophers/ Sat, 27 Sep 2025 21:01:37 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=68965 The Minnesota Gophers needed a win on Saturday against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights like Dinkytown needs more parking. Desperately.

After falling to the Cal Golden Bears last Saturday out West, PJ Fleck and the crew were back at Huntington Bank Stadium facing half of their former coaching staff and starting QB, Athan Kaliakmanis. But there was a lot more than pride on the line for Minnesota.

Because looming on their schedule next weekend is a road game against the No. 1 ranked team in the nation, Ohio State. That’s right. With a loss on Saturday, the Gophers would have fallen to 2-2 on the season and 0-1 in the Big Ten, with a trip to the Horseshoe up next.

Minnesota Gophers vs Rutgers got off to a rough start

And for those who tuned in at kickoff, the start of this one was not promising. Offensively, Minnesota struggled to move the ball, piling up a grand total of 26 yards and 0 points in the first quarter. Meanwhile, Kaliakmanis started the game 9-of-9 for 99 yards and one of Rutgers’ two first quarter touchdowns.

But early in the 2nd quarter, the Minnesota Gophers punched back with two quick haymaker touchdown drives that came so fast the Scarlet Knights had no way of knowing what hit them. With a brand new game in hand, the Gophers took advantage of their new lease on life.

Really, they put the weight of victory on the arm of their redshirt freshman quarterback Drake Lindsey, something Fleck talked about after the game (see below). After Lindsey led Minnesota back in the 2nd quarter, the head coach had seen enough. At halftime, he told Drake that it was his game to win or lose.

Drake Lindsey leads Gophers to victory

PJ wasn’t kidding either. When the dust settled on Saturday’s game, not only did the Gophers walk away 31-28 victors, but Drake Lindsey left the field 31-41 (76%) for 324 yards, 3 touchdowns and ZERO interceptions, easily one of the most impressive quarterback performances in school history.

Minnesota walked away with a tight three-point win, and had the defense not played better for most of the game, starting in the second quarter, it could have gotten out of hand. In the end, it still took the Rutgers center snapping a ball passed Kaliakmanis for a huge loss late in the fourth quarter to secure victory.

The botched snap pushed the Knights’ kicker beyond his comfortable range, and his long-range backup missed the game-tying kick. In other words, had Drake Lindsey not put on his superhero cape for three quarters, the Minnesota Gophers do not win.

Drake Lindsey shows his stones

With their trip to Ohio State looming, a loss would have meant a very difficult week for Fleck and his 2025 team this week. Instead, they go into their game vs the Buckeyes feeling like they have one of the best quarterbacks in the country. And after his fourth quarter heroics on Saturday afternoon, it’s hard to argue with them.

Not only did he complete over three quarters of his passes on the day, but he led them Minnesota to three scores on their final four drives, including a touchdown that gave the Gophers the 31-28 lead they shakily held for the final three minutes.

]]> Sat, 27 Sep 2025 16:03:51 +0000 Minnesota Gophers Football New MN Gophers Freshman QB Looks Special https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/drake-lindsey-impressive-performance-buffalo-bulls/ Fri, 29 Aug 2025 03:27:55 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=67623 Minnesota Vikings quarterback Max Brosmer was in attendance on Thursday night to watch the Minnesota Gophers kick off their 2025 season against the Buffalo Bulls. Once a Gopher, always a Gopher.

Both Brosmer and former placekicker Dragan Kesich showed up to the 2025 opener wearing jersey of Max’s former backup, redshirt freshman Drake Lindsey, who now takes over as Minnesota’s starting quarterback.

Drake Lindsey takes the reins of an offense with high internal expectations, but really none on the outside. Those who have worked with the 20-year-old out of Arkansas have extreme confidence in his abilities as a QB, both mentally and physically. expectations are high.

While Lindsey will have to do it against top Big Ten competition, Thursday’s opener was the perfect litmus test for where he is in his QB development. If you thought PJ Fleck was going to ease the 20-year-old into his new role, you were wrong.

Lindsey slings it early and often for MN Gophers

Lindsey dropped back nearly 40 times vs Buffalo, finishing 19-of-35 for 290 yards, a pair of touchdowns and arguably the most unlucky interception in school history. Physically, quarterbacks are judged on accuracy and arm strength. As a redshirt freshman, Drake proved he is ++ in both categories.

Minnesota saw their freshman quarterback come out and brandish the howitzer right away. His first completion of the night was a deep out route to do-it-all talent Koi Perich.

A couple of plays later he went to the opposite sideline and hit Jalen Smith in the hands on a pass that the wideout dropped. That was a reoccuring theme most of the night.

Both throws showed just how quickly Lindsey can progress through reads and get the ball out to open receivers. He had no problems pushing past the hash marks either. Neither his extreme velocity or pinpoint accuracy diminished as the night went on, either.

Not only does Drake Lindsey have a rocket arm, but he’s already above average at layering the football over one first level of defenders, and underneath another. This is especially noteworthy because layering is a skill that even top 10 NFL Draft picks like the Vikings’ JJ McCarthy still struggles with.

Lindsey remained poised for almost the entire first half of his starting debut. On the final drive of the 2nd quarter, Drake connected with senior UCLA transfer, Logan Loya, before finding junior Le’Meke Brockington and Miami (OH) junior transfer, Javon Tracy to get within the 15 yard line.

Some of Lindsey’s most impressive throws of the night wound up incomplete, including a dart to TE Jameson Geers that drew a pass interference penalty.

With 15 seconds left in the half, Lindsey mad his first mistake. Geers was open in the left flat but the young QB threw into double coverage in the end zone. Thankfully Smith broke up the pass, but Lindsey followed that poor decision up with a sack, pushing the Gophers field goal unit back.

New Minnesota Gophers kicker Brady Denaburg knocked it through the uprights to give Minnesota a 10-3 halftime lead. Nonetheless, Fleck was not happy with his young leader.

Related: CFB Sleeping on Future 1st Round Pick Gophers QBโ€ฆ?

Had a fluke play by a tumbling Jameson Geers not put a damper on the first half, it would have been hard not to look at the drives with an assessment of perfection. Taking the ball over with 1:17 left in the half, Lindsey had 70 yards to drive in order to double up the score.

New Minnesota Gophers QB spreads ball around despite drops

Plenty has been made about the intention for Minnesota to use Koi Perich on both sides of the ball. He made an impact, but wasn’t forced into a prominent wide receiver role early. Instead, Lindsey utilized the entirety of his pass catchers but they didn’t all produce.

Lindsey targeted Jalen Smith multiple times, only for the true freshman wide receiver out of Mankato drop the football. He got seven targets on the evening, but hauled in just two receptions, one of which went for a 60 yard second half touchdown.

Purdue transfer tight end Drew Biber struggled to haul in a swing pass in the flat, as well. Incumbent TE Jameson Geers was a clear security blanket for the young quarterback, but he too contributed to the butterfinger brigade more than once.

Javon Tracy hauled in a deep ball for 35 yards, and Le’Meke Brockington found space to exploit the defense and get in on the action. The hope was that this wide receiver room would be even better than the veteran group from 2024. The jury is still out on that dream, though.

Drake Lindsey opens eyes in starting debut

You can’t win a Heisman trophy in the first game of the season. You also can’t be drafted into the NFL as a redshirt freshman. That doesn’t mean Drake Lindsey didn’t come out and immediately turn heads for the Golden Gophers in his starting debut.

Max Brosmer put up one of the best seasons in program history for the Gophers last year. Minnesota reaching new heights this season and beyond will be a byproduct of Lindsey following his lead. So far, he’s doing just fine.

He won’t see a test next weekend against Northwestern State, but the hype train can keep rolling down the tracks.

]]> Fri, 29 Aug 2025 08:44:39 +0000 Minnesota Gophers Football What to Expect From Gophers’ Extremely Talented Freshman QB in Debut Start https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/what-to-expect-drake-lindsey-debut-starting-qb-vs-buffalo/ Thu, 28 Aug 2025 16:07:56 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=67573 The Minnesota Gophers will open their 2025 football season on Thursday night at Huntington Bank Stadium against the Buffalo Bulls. There are a ton of Gopher unknowns as we enter PJ Fleck’s 9th season as head coach, and a ton of new faces that fans will get to know, as the season rolls on.

Given all the unfamiliar names at key positions, sportsbooks and national pundits are overlooking the Gophers in a big way. FanDuel has their over/under win total set at 6.5. Most college football “experts” have them finishing near the bottom of the Big Ten.

Within U of M football facilities, however, PJ Fleck & Co appear extremely high on the MN Gophers’ 2025 squad. In fact, Fleck has even declared publicly that the 12-team College Football Playoff is within reach, if they play up to their potential.

If that has any chance at happening, then the Gophers must get big time production out of a 20-year-old redshirt freshman quarterback out of Fayetteville, AR named Drake Lindsey.

So as you get ready for tonight’s season opener against Buffalo, here is what you need to know about the Minnesota Gophers new starting quarterback, who will be a household name across the state by years’ end, if this 2025 team has any chance of fulfilling their head coach’s CFP dreams.

Drake Lindsey (QB) – Redshirt Freshman

After sitting behind one-and-done grad transfer, Max Brosmer — who is now on the MN Vikings’ 53-man roster — the 20-year-old out of Fayetteville, AR is now set to take his place atop Minnesota’s QB depth chart.

The offensive coaching staff is far more excited about the Lindsey era in Dinkytown, than they are apprehensive. They aren’t the only ones, either. Not only does Drake’s high-profile QB trainer, Quincy Avery, believe him to be a top 3 Big Ten quarterback right now, but he also projects him to be a future 1st round draft pick too.

If you can think back to 2024, we’ve seen some of the talent Drake Lindsey possesses too. As a true freshman, Lindsey got 20 snaps under center and he made the most of them, completing completing 4-of-5 passes for 50 yards, 1 touchdown and 0 interceptions.

Related: CFB Sleeping on Future 1st Round Pick Gophers QBโ€ฆ?

Without a doubt, Fleck believes he has finally found his “franchise” QB, in Lindsey. The head football coach isn’t just talk, though. He’s giving his new QB responsibilities that few have had before him.

The Gophers’ “check with me” offense, that fans became accustomed to during the first 7 seasons of PJ’s tenure, is dead. Not only that, but Lindsey reportedly has full autonomy at the line of scrimmage too, even more so than his NFL predecessor did.

Until we see Lindsey in a large sample size, it’s impossible to know what the Gophers have in their new quarterback. But if you want some insight into why Fleck & Co. are so high on their young righty, look no further than his high school stat sheet and highlight tape.

Drake Lindsey’s high school highlights and stats are noteworthy…

Drake — a composite 3-star (.8717) at 247Sports — started 2.5 Varsity seasons for his high school alma mater, the Fayetteville Bulldogs. Don’t expect him to leave the pocket very often, but that’s ok because he is much better with his arm than his legs.

As a senior, Lindsey completed 69.5% (273/393) of his passes, totalling an absurd 3,916 yards, 52 touchdowns and only 4 interceptions, as he lead the Bulldogs to the 7A Arkansas State Title, which PJ Fleck attended personally.

The lankey 6’5″, 235 lb high school superstar finished his Varsity career at Fayetteville with 7,636 passing yards on 543/801 passing (67.8%), with 90 touchdown passes and just 7 interceptions.

Related: New Food Options at Gopher Football Home Games in 2025

Of course, until we see Drake Lindsey perform live under the lights with our own eyes, it’s impossible for even the most optimistic Gopher football fan to trust that a redshirt freshman quarterback will be able to step in his first season as a starter and lead the Minnesota Gophers to places they haven’t been since 2019, possibly much longer.

Not only do they have an inexperienced redshirt freshman starting quarterback, they are also debuting a new inexperienced defensive coordinator, new running backs and fresh crop of wide receivers, not to mention a new role on offense for superstar, Koi Perich.

And it all kicks off tonight at 7 p.m. CDT. #SkiUMah #RTB #GoGophers

]]> Thu, 28 Aug 2025 14:56:21 +0000 Minnesota Gophers Football CFB Sleeping on Future 1st Round Pick Gophers QB…? https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/drake-lindsey-predictions-quincy-avery/ Tue, 26 Aug 2025 16:01:35 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=67388 The Minnesota Gopher football team will kickoff its 2025 season Thursday night at Huntington Bank Stadium against the Buffalo Bulls, marking the start of a new quarterback era in Dinkytown. The Drake Lindsey era.

This week’s opener won’t be Lindsey’s first time taking a college football snap. The redshirt freshman spent the 2024 season learning and developing behind one-and-done Gopher-turned-Viking, Max Brosmer. During his true freshman season, Drake got on the field where we got a taste of what Minnesota’s now-redshirt rookie can do.

The 20-year-old out of Fayetteville, Arkansas looked damn good, in his limited playing time last year, completing 4-of-5 passes for 50 yards, 1 touchdown and 0 interceptions. You can’t take much from that small of a sample size, but the little you can glean is undoubtedly positive.

Still, it’s impossible to know what the Minnesota Gophers are going to get out of their new QB, unless you are in the U of M practice facilities on a weekly basis, access that nobody outside of the football program has.

CFB pundits lukewarm on MN Gopher QB, Drake Lindsey

Thus, projections and predictions involving the 2025 Gopher football team are underwhelming, at best, entering Thursday’s season opener. The Gophers over/under win total is just 6.5 and most national pundits have them finishing at the bottom of the Big Ten.

Those attempting to pre-judge quarterbacks this year don’t even have Drake Lindsey on their radar. Well-respected college football analyst and insider, Josh Pate — who does work for On3, ESPN and Yahoo Sports — released a top 10 Big Ten QB list. He left the Gophers’ new starter off his rankings completely.

Related: New Gophers QB Tasked With More Responsibilities at LOS

Again, that’s somewhat understandable, given Lindsey’s never started a collegiate game. But those inside the Gopher football program are extremely high on their new QB, as are others who have worked with him. That includes one QB guru who has worked with Drake Lindsey to a degree that others have not.

Quincy Avery is a renowned quarterback trainer — see his Hulu documentary titled: The Quincy Avery Effect — who owns a QB training company, called QB Takeover. The list of quarterbacks who have tapped Avery for tutelage is impressive.

The QB whisperer has worked with Patrick Mahomes, Deshaun Watson, Jordan Love, CJ Stroud and Jalen Hurts, among others. Avery and his small team of QB coaches pride themselves on training football throwers of all ages, from middle school all the way to the NFL.

QB whisperer goes all in on Drake Lindsey

Well, Avery has been training Minnesota Gophers quarterbacks recently, including new Vikings backup Max Brosmer (see below) and the aforementioned redshirt freshman, Drake Lindsey. His biggest takeaways on the Gophers’ new QB?

Just like the quarterback who proceeded Lindsey, Avery is convinced that the football world is sleeping on our former high 3-Star high school prospect in a MAJOR way.

In fact, Quincy is so high on Minnesota’s redshirt freshman that he took his admiration to Twitter recently, where he stepped out on a QB ledge, tweeting that Lindsey will finish the 2025 CFB season as a top 3 quarterback in the Big Ten, before he eventually develops into a first round draft pick…

I’m willing to bet a good chunk of change that a top 3 QB in Big 10 isn’t on this list right now. Drake Lindsey is so much better than anyone understands. I truly and honestly believe he’s gonna be a Rd1 pick when it’s all said and done.

Caption from Quincy Avery tweet above

Can we trust Avery’s judgement of quarterbacks? Well, if his work with some of the best quarterbacks of this generation isn’t enough to convince you, then maybe his pre-draft scouting report on Max Brosmer.

Avery already hit on Gophers QB Max Brosmer… and nobody listened

After working with the Max last year, when he arrived in Minnesota, Avery knew exactly what the Gophers — and eventually NFL — had in their one-and-done quarterback. During the pre-draft process, Avery says he called every NFL scout in his rolodex, trying to get them to take a flyer on the under-radar QB up in Dinkytown.

Related: New Food Options at Gopher Football Home Games in 2025

None of them took Avery’s advice. As a result, the Vikings signed him as a UDFA, where he quickly made himself uncuttable during training camp. Looking forward, most have Brosmer’s floor as a long-time backup in the NFL. If he develops beyond that, the sky could be the limit.

So, if you are a MN Gopher fan who fell in love with Brosmer while he was here, you’d better make some room in that football diary for Drake Lindsey… because it sounds like he is coming for your hearts on Thursday night in front of what will be a packed Huntington Bank Stadium.

]]> Thu, 28 Aug 2025 08:02:34 +0000 Minnesota Gophers Football