The Buffalo Bulls kick off their 2025 campaign with a trip to Minnesota to face the Golden Gophers, who are looking to climb the ladder in the Big 10 this season as Drake Lindsey takes over at QB.
On Buffalo's side of the field, sixth-year QB Ta’Quan Roberson crouches behind center for his fourth different team.
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Buffalo vs. Minnesota Prediction, Preview for Thursday, August 28
These two teams meet for the third time ever, with Minnesota haven taken both contests, winning the 2002 clash 41-17, and their 2017 rumble 17-7.
Buffalo Bulls
Buffalo is no stranger to starting their season against a Big 10 opponent: They did so in 2023, suffering a 38-17 loss to No. 19 Wisconsin. In 2022, they fell 31-10 to Maryland.
The Bulls are coming off of an 8-4 (6-2) season during which they gave up 38-plus points in each of their four losses, while racking up 30-plus points in all but one of their wins.
They capped off their season with a 26-7 victory over Liberty in the Bahamas Bowl.
Minnesota Golden Gophers
Minnesota suffered a 19-17 loss to North Carolina in last year’s opener, snapping a streak of back-to back-seasons in which the Golden Gophers won their first game.
The Golden Gophers scratched their way into a bowl game last season. They hung in there against No. 12 Michigan (27-24) and No. 4 Penn State (26-25) as they finished the season with a 7-5 (5-4) record. They are only scheduled to just two currently-ranked teams in No. 3 Ohio State and No. 7 Oregon this season.
Buffalo vs. Minnesota Picks & College Football DFS
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Minnesota QB Drake Lindsey — 210.5 Passing Yards
- Second-year QB Lindsey gets the start after throwing just 5 passes last season.
- The Golden Gophers have a new starting quarterback for the third straight year.
- Minnesota finished seven games with fewer than 210 passing yards in 2024.
- His lone appearance in a regular-season game last year saw Lindsey go 3-for-4 for 35 yards and a touchdown vs. Rhode Island on September 7, 2024.
- Lindsey completed his lone pass in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl for 15 yards as Minnesota beat Virginia Tech, 24-10.
Buffalo QB Ta’Quan Roberson — 160.5 Passing Yards
- Roberson spent two seasons at Penn State before transferring to Connecticut. He was on the Huskies from 2022-23 before playing the 2024 season at Kansas State.
- The 6’0", 200-pound QB hasn’t thrown for 161 yards since November 25, 2023.
- Roberson's only proven season as a starter came in ‘23 when he went 197-of-338 for 2,075 yards with 12 TDs and 6 INTs.
- The sixth-year man threw for less than 160 yards in two of his 11 starts that season.
- At 25-years-old, Roberson is looking to become the first Buffalo QB to throw for more than 3,000 yards since 2022.
Minnesota RB Darius Taylor — 100.5 Rushing Yards
- The 6'0", 215-pound running back finished the 2024 season 14 yards shy of 1,000.
- Including the bowl game, the third-year RB had north of 100 yards in five outings.
- Taylor had no more than 14 carries in Weeks 1-4. From Week 5 and beyond, he only had one game with fewer than 14 attempts.
- Golden Gophers fans will never forget his ‘23 season when he rushed for 190+ yards in three of his six games.
- Taylor showed off his abilities as a pass-catching back with 350 receiving yards last season.
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Week 1’s Buffalo vs. Minnesota game is just the tip of the iceberg. As summer bleeds into fall, there will be plenty of action-packed contests for both squads.
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