5 Things To Watch: Minnesota

EUGENE, Ore. — Friday night lights will be ablaze in Autzen Stadium as the Oregon football team returns home for the first time in three weeks.

The No. 8 Ducks will host Minnesota to kick off the weekend, looking to stay in the thick of the College Football Playoff race. The opening kick is scheduled for 6 p.m.

Oregon brings an 8-1 overall record with a 5-1 mark in Big Ten play into the game, after opening November with a win at Iowa. The Gophers are 6-3 overall and 4-2 in conference play; both teams have a win over Rutgers, while Minnesota lost at Iowa to close out October.

The Gophers lead the all-time series 3-1, with the teams having split a pair of games at the Sun Bowl to close out the 1999 and 2003 seasons. Minnesota has never played a game at Oregon.

Friday's game will be televised by FOX, with Jason Benetti providing play by play, analysis from Robert Griffin III and reporting from the sidelines by Alexa Landestoy.

Some storylines to watch when the game kicks off …

1. Friday's game is the latest example of an opponent having more time to prepare than Oregon has; Minnesota was off last week, while the Ducks are facing a short turnaround from playing at Iowa last Saturday.

But UO coach Dan Lanning isn't one to make excuses. He'll look to guide the program to an 8-0 all-time record in Friday games, and 3-0 under his tenure.

"Certainly excited to be back in front of our fans," Lanning said this week. "This Friday will be a little bit different — Friday night lights make it a fun, fun environment for us."

2. The Ducks were short-handed offensively at Iowa, a game tight end Kenyon Sadiq, right tackle Alex Harkey and receiver Dakorien Moore sat out completely. Then, receiver Gary Bryant Jr. left the game early with an injury.

As usual, Oregon will release its availability report two hours before kickoff Friday night. That will be the best indication of whether any of those guys can return against the Gophers.

"If they're ready, they'll play," Lanning said this week.

3. With those absences at the other offensive skill positions, Oregon's running backs led the way against the Hawkeyes.

Obviously the Ducks want to be as balanced as possible to keep opponents honest. But when weather conditions have dictated a reliance on the run the last two games, the backs have come through —Oregon is No. 2 nationally with 6.36 yards per carry and has 26 rushes of 20 yards or more, the most in the country.

"You try to play to your team strengths and what they do; we've also had some games that the environment dictated we're going to run the ball a little bit more," Lanning said. "But really proud of our offensive staff and their creativity in the run game and what they've done to find ways to run the ball, utilize our personnel when it matters, and control games."

4. Oregon's offensive line has been a critical piece in that success running the ball, and those guys in the trenches will have their hands full Friday night.

Minnesota averages 3.56 quarterback sacks per game, ranking fourth in the country. The Gophers' 7.6 overall tackles for loss per game ranks sixth nationally.

"They do a great job of getting after the quarterback," Lanning said. "They pin their ears back, especially when they have opportunities."

5. Iowa's ability to hit some big passes made for some drama last week, but the Hawkeyes' bread and butter was running the ball. The Gophers present a different challenge.

Minnesota's offense is led by redshirt freshman quarterback Drake Lindsey. He has thrown for 1,743 yards and 10 touchdowns, and will be a good test for an Oregon secondary that has been elite so far this season.

"He's a true passer, right?" Lanning said. "He's got the ability to make those throws. He gives his wideouts an opportunity to make a play down the field; like, he's going to give him a chance."