Minnesota hosts Eastern Michigan in a nonconference game. The two schools have never played before in football. The Gophers are favored by 20½ points, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. The Eagles won at Arizona State last season. They have also beaten three of their last four Big Ten opponents with victories at Rutgers in 2017, Purdue in 2018 and Illinois in 2019. The Gophers are 18-1 against nonconference foes under coach P.J. Fleck. That's the third-best winning percentage in the FBS. Both Eastern Michigan and Minnesota won their openers last week.
Eastern Michigan (1-0) at Minnesota (1-0), Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET (Big Ten Network).
Line: Minnesota by 20½, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Series record: First meeting.
WHAT'S AT STAKE?
The Eagles are on a program-record five-game road winning streak that started a year ago with a victory at Arizona State. The streak doesn't include the win over San Jose State in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl that gave them a 9-4 record, their best since 1987. Eastern Michigan has won three of its last four games against Big Ten teams, losing to Wisconsin in 2021 after beating Rutgers in 2017, Purdue in 2018 and Illinois in 2019.
The Gophers are 18-1 against nonconference opponents, including bowl games, in seven seasons under coach P.J. Fleck. That's the third-best record in the FBS behind Alabama and Georgia. Their only such loss was to a Mid-American Conference team, on Sept. 25, 2021, to Bowling Green. Minnesota, facing a daunting game at 17th-ranked North Carolina next week, needs to maintain the momentum from a 10-point rally over the final 2½ minutes to beat Nebraska 13-10 in the opener.
KEY MATCHUP
Eastern Michigan kickoff returner Jaylon Jackson and punt returner Hamze El-Zayat vs. Minnesota's special teams. Jackson and El-Zayat both returned kicks for touchdowns in the opener against Howard last week. The Gophers gave up a 63-yard kickoff return by Nebraska to open the second half.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Eastern Michigan: Running back Samson Evans, who's one short of the program record for career touchdowns (31), had a career-high 258 rushing yards in the win at Arizona State last season.
Minnesota: Tyler Nubin had two interceptions against Nebraska. The second one gave the Gophers the ball at midfield to set up the tying touchdown. The fifth-year safety was named Big Ten defensive player of the week. He's tied for sixth in program history with 10 career interceptions, two short of the record.
FACTS & FIGURES
Athan Kaliakmanis attempted 44 passes last week, the most by a Minnesota QB since 2015. ... Eastern Michigan coach Chris Creighton is seventh among active FBS coaches with 186 career wins, 47 with the Eagles. Creighton and Thomas Hammock (Northern Illinois) are the only active MAC coaches with multiple victories over Power Five opponents. ... Fleck went 3-1 against Eastern Michigan when he coached Western Michigan from 2013-16. ... Austin Smith became the eighth different starting QB for the Eagles in the last eight season openers when he debuted against Howard.
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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll
