463 yards, 5 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions passing; 7 forced turnovers on defense.  Those are the robust statistics that Florida Atlantic had in defeating the Gophers 42-39 in 2007.  Will 2008 be a rerun of 2007 or a new episode of Gopher Football?  The Gophers have new defensive coordinator Ted Roof and a revamped defense including three new defensive backs.  The Owls only mustered 292 yards and 10 points versus Texas, and 225 yards with 0 points versus Michigan State.  However, they did have 554 yards and 49 points versus UAB.  Saturday’s game could set the bar as to how much improvement the Gophers have had in a year, and whether they can now be competitive with top tier teams.

Adam Weber has yet to throw an interception in his first three games.  Last year he gave up 4 picks to FAU.  If Weber can maintain his improved passing, the Gophers will have a much better showing this time around.  The Daily Gopher has a great in-depth preview of what to expect during the game.  Some interesting interviews about the Gophers with FAU players including quarterback Rusty Smith are on an FAU blog that can be viewed by clicking here.  My own thoughts are that with an improved defense, an experienced Weber, and home field advantage the Gophers will win this time around.  I’ll predict a score of 38-20.

Interestingly, the gopher is prey for owls in the Midwest ecosystem.  Hopefully Gopher fans won’t have an experience similar to this photo.  The Gophers should remain undefeated and come out of this one looking like this photo.

Good news regarding Sam Maresh.  As I predicted back in July, he is recovering rapidly from cardiovascular surgery and has been cleared to resume training.  Check out this Pioneer Press article for details.

Additionally, let’s be sure to give the recruits visiting this weekend a welcoming reception to the University of Minnesota.  According to Scout.com, visiting recruits will include Frank Crawford, Artice Kellam, Hasan Lipscomb, and Minneapolis’ own Ra’Shede Hageman.