As the Minnesota Gophers prepare to play the New Mexico Lobos in the 2025 Rate Bowl, there has been a lot of activity to follow back home in Dinkytown USA. On the heels of starting quarterback Drake Lindsey announcing his decision to stay at Minnesota, four other Gophers’ starters have confirmed that they will also return to play for head coach P.J. Fleck in the 2026 season. And a change to coach Fleck’s staff was announced ahead of Friday afternoon’s contest.
The 7-5 Gophers come into the game after a season of highs (24-6 win over Nebraska) and painful lows (heartbreaking 38-35 loss to Northwestern). The Lobos, on the other hand, were the surprise team of the Mountain West Conference, going 9-3 in Jason Eck’s first year as head coach. Here’s a game preview and an update on other Gophers Football happenings.
Gophers Offense vs. Lobos Defense
Quarterback Lindsey is the unquestioned leader of this Gophers’ offense. In his first season as a starter, he showed poise, maturity, and a strong arm. Fleck hopes he stays at Minnesota for at least a couple more seasons. Darius Taylor is one of the most talented running backs in the country, but is prone to injuries. But he always plays big in bowl games, and Minnesota is looking for a repeat performance.
Transfer portal defections have decimated the bottom half of the receiver’s depth chart. Javon Tracy and Jalen Smith have had some highlight film plays, but Le’Meke Brockington in the slot has been Mr. Reliable for the Gophers all season. Jameson Geers and Drew Biber are good, if unspectacular, performers at tight end. The right side of the Minnesota offense has been a weak spot all year long. Late-season changes will hopefully improve their performance. But the left side manned by Nathan Roy, Greg Johnson, and Ashton Beers has been solid all season.
The Lobos counter with Mountain West Co-Defensive Player of the Year linebacker Jaxton Eck, who led the team with 126 tackles. Defensive end Keyshawn James-Newby led all New Mexico players in sacks with eight. Safety Austin Brawley paced the Lobos with three interceptions. And All Mountain West Honorable Mention defensive linemen Brian Booker and Brett Karhu help anchor a top 25 rushing defense, which allowed just 113.5 yards per game.
Lobos Offense vs. Gophers Defense
New Mexico quarterback. Jack Layne had an outstanding 2025 season, throwing for 2,398 yards, 13 touchdowns, and completing almost 66% of his passes. While not quite a dual threat, he did finish with four rushing touchdowns. The Lobos are fortunate to have a deep backfield with Damon Bankston, D.J. McKinney, and Scottre Humphrey all contributing to the team’s rushing attack. McKinney comes into the game with the hot hand, and Bankston doubles as an all-conference kick returner.
Wide receiver Keegan Johnson and tight end Dorian Thomas lead a talented crew of New Mexico receivers. Keegan led the team with seven catches for 730 yards and three touchdowns. All Mountain West tight end Thomas racked up 53 receptions for 545 yards and four touchdowns in a very productive season. These two will test the Gophers’ secondary all game long. And second team all-conference offensive lineman Kaden Robnett led a unit that protected Layne well and opened up huge holes for the Lobos trio of running backs.
Gophers’ defensive coordinator Danny Collins’ defense showed some wear and tear as the season wore on. They ended up in the middle of the Big Ten in defensive team stats, surrendering 321.7 yards per game. Defensive end Anthony Smith led the team with 10.5 sacks and 13.5 tackles for a loss and provided a constant and tenacious pass rush. Inside linebacker Maverick Baranowski was all over the field and led Minnesota with 86 tackles. And transfer cornerback John Nestor hauled in a team-leading five interceptions.
Four Gophers Starters to Return
The Gophers Football program received some very welcome news this week when it was announced by Dinkytown Athletic (the team’s official NIL collective) that Johnson, Nestor, Roy, and safety Kerry Brown will return to the team for the 2026 season. Along with the returning Drake Lindsey, they form a solid nucleus for Fleck’s program next season. Minnesota is still awaiting word from Koi Perich, Anthony Smith, and Darius Taylor on their intentions for 2026. Their participation in this week’s bowl game is certainly a positive sign.
Minnesota Parts Ways with Defensive Line Coach
A week after the Wisconsin game, coach Fleck announced that he was terminating the contract of defensive line coach Dennis Dottin-Carter. Only a year into the position, Dottin-Carter’s unit was inconsistent all season despite the presence of several veteran returnees. And Fleck just announced that he was promoting rush ends coach C.J. Robbins, to succeed Dottin-Carter. Robbins is in his second stint with the Gophers, having served as a graduate assistant from 2020 to 2021.
