MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – Friday could be the warmest day until spring with lots of sunshine all day long.

Friday forecast

Local perspective:

Expect lots of sunshine with a few clouds in northern Minnesota. 

A southern breeze could bring 20 mph wind gusts, but sustained winds will remain between 10 and 15 mph. 

The temperatures could be the warmest in the area until spring, with the metro area hitting 67 degrees and southwest Minnesota possibly seeing 70 degrees. 

Average highs for this time of year are in the lower 40s.

The sun will set around 4:45 p.m. on Friday, and temperatures will remain mild into the evening. 

Overnight, clouds will move in with a weak cold front, possibly bringing light showers around 5 a.m. Saturday.

Weekend forecast 

What’s next:

Temperatures on Saturday are expected to peak around midday, with a northwest breeze picking up. 

The day will still be mild for this time of year, but temperatures will drop in the afternoon. 

A cold front will work its way through the area, possibly bringing light showers along with it. 

In an unusual scheduling quirk, Minnesota has a four-game winning streak when playing on Friday nights.

So certainly the Golden Gophers (6-3,-4-2 Big Ten) are hoping to continue the tradition this weekend in Eugene, and at the same time topple No. 7 Oregon (8-1, 5-1, No. 8 College Football Playoff).

Minnesota is coming off a bye week following a 23-20 overtime win at home over Michigan State that made the Gophers bowl eligible for the fifth straight season.

The victory was also Minnesota’s sixth straight at home. The problem for the Gophers is the road, where they’re 0-3 this season.

“We’ve played some really good football at home and on the road. We’ve also played some really good teams on the road. So we just got to find a way to be a little bit better each week, have a little more attention to detail in the things that we do — especially in our preparation — to go out there and play our best game of the year,” coach P.J. Fleck said.

Oregon staged a comeback 18-16 win on the road against Iowa last Saturday that might be one of the Ducks’ most notable victories when the season is all over.

Oregon went into the game against the Hawkeyes without a pair of key receivers, freshman Dakorien Moore and tight end Kenyon Sadiq, and lost Gary Bryant Jr. to an apparent foot injury in the first quarter. And it was played in horrendous weather.

But in the end, quarterback Dante Moore led a 10-play, 54-yard drive to set up Atticus Sappington’s game-winning 39-yard field goal with three seconds left.

“I thought our guys had great composure. And each guy had to do their part. It was one of those games where every phase mattered. They all contributed,” coach Dan Lanning said.

Dakorian Moore, a freshman, has caught 28 passes for 443 yards and three touchdowns this season, while Sadiq has 22 catches for 311 yards and five scores. Bryant has pulled down 25 passes for 299 yards and four TDs.

As is his custom, Lanning wasn’t revealing much about the status of his injured played for Minnesota.

“If they’re ready, they’ll play,” he said.

Moore’s Moment

Lanning was surprised to learn that Moore had never led a game-winning final drive like the one against the Hawkeyes.

“I didn’t realize this, but this was Dante’s first opportunity to actually come back from being down in a two minute drive. He said that to me, in his career, not just in this game, but in his career, which I think is pretty, pretty awesome for him to have that moment, but he’s cool, calm and collected, executed at a high level,” Lanning said.

Moore threw for 112 yards and an interception in the challenging weather in Iowa. Overall, he’s thrown for 1,884 yards and 19 TDs with only five interceptions.

Lindsey to the rescue

Redshirt freshman Drake Lindsey had his own late-game heroics in the Gophers’ last outing, rushing for the game-tying touchdown in regulation against Michigan State and then adding a 3-yard TD run in overtime to win it.

Fleck said starting an inexperienced quarterback comes with the acknowledgment that there will be highs and lows. It’s part of the maturation process.

“He’s played really well, then maybe inconsistent at times, and then bang — when we needed him most, he was there,” Fleck said about the latest performance.

Lindsey has thrown for 1,743 yards with 10 scores and six interceptions. He’s also run for six touchdowns.

Rankings watch

Oregon moved up a spot in the College Football Playoff rankings this week to No. 8 following the victory over No. 20 Iowa. It was the Ducks’ first win over a ranked team this season.

Of the three remaining games on Oregon’s schedule, only one is against a CFP-ranked team, No. 17 USC on Nov. 22.

Should the Ducks win out, they should earn one of the at-large spots in the 12-team playoff. Undefeated Ohio State and Indiana, sitting atop the CFP rankings, are likely to meet in the Big Ten championship game.

EUGENE — With limited exception, the greatest pressure Dante Moore has faced this season has come from the circumstances Oregon has been in and less from opposing defenses.

The No. 8 Ducks (8-1, 5-1 Big Ten) have allowed just 11 sacks this season, which at a rate of 1.22 per game is tied for 23rd nationally. However, 10 of those sacks have come against No. 2 Indiana and Wisconsin, the top defenses at getting after the quarterback that Oregon has faced.

Minnesota (6-3, 4-2) enters Friday night’s matchup averaging 3.56 sacks per game, fourth nationally, and could end up as the defense with the most sacks that Oregon faces this season.

“They pin their ears back, especially when they have opportunities, and do a good job of recognizing,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said. “They do a good variety of things on defense. There’s a lot of change-ups but when they get to advantageous situations to rush the passer they take advantage of it.”

The Golden Gophers have 12 players with sacks this season, including seven with multiple sacks. The top four are all defensive linemen, led by Anthony Smith, whose 8.5 sacks are tied for the Big Ten lead.

Moore called Minnesota defensive line “huge” and “very powerful,” but is confident in Oregon’s offensive line to keep him protected again.

“Those guys up front have really made it tick for the guys in the backend,” Lanning said. “Obviously they’ve created some negatives.”

Smith has feasted on the Big Ten’s cellar dwellers to notch 26 tackles (11.5 for loss), but has been less impactful against the better offensive lines Minnesota has faced. Top-ranked Ohio State kept him out of the backfield and he had just .5 tackles for loss against Iowa.

Moore has attempted just 56 passes over the last three games, due in part to weather conditions, breaking his nose early in the third quarter against Wisconsin and blowing out Rutgers.

Rain could be a factor again on Friday, but regardless, despite its ability to generate pressure Minnesota’s defense is weaker at defending the pass than stopping the run. So Moore and the Ducks could air things out as long as he has time against a Gophers defense that uses a variety of fronts and coverages.

“I feel like we’ll be ready for sure with anybody that’s out there on the front five,” Moore said.