Penn State is entering its penultimate game of the 2024 regular season, a final away matchup at Minnesota to face P.J. Fleck’s Golden Gophers. Minnesota (6-4) stands in the way of a potential 11-1 finish for the Nittany Lions. And while Fleck’s squad is unranked and a 12-point underdog, according to DraftKings, it has enough talent to cause fits for Penn State.
The Nittany Lions (9-1) have excelled this season when favored to win, avoiding letdowns against unranked opponents. A 33-30 overtime victory over USC is the closest call that James Franklin’s group has had. To maintain that success, Penn State will need some strong execution against a rested and well-prepared Minnesota squad.
Penn State vs. Minnesota predictions
Protecting the ball
Minnesota’s defense feasts on turnovers. While they’ve mostly come through 16 interceptions, the Golden Gophers also have forced seven fumbles, recovering four. Ball security, of course, is key in every game but will become especially important for Penn State when facing an opportunistic defense that tends to end up with the ball one way or another.
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“They do have some ball hawks in their secondary, but they make plays when the plays come to them,” Penn State quarterback Drew Allar said. “I can’t just give them opportunities, because they’ll capitalize on it. And you know, a decent amount of their picks have actually been forced by their D-line, whether it’s like, a tipped pass that just falls into a linebacker or the quarterback getting hit and the ball … just finds a way to their hands.”
One mistake from Allar or Beau Pribula through the air could easily become a wasted possession for Penn State. With the Nittany Lions ranked fourth in the latest College Football Playoff rankings, they can’t afford to give Minnesota’s offense extra scoring chances and find fuel for a potential home upset. The turnover battle could wind up telling the story of Saturday’s game, especially if it happens to swing in Minnesota’s favor.
“We’ve always preached about ball security, no matter what, who we’re going against, and it’s definitely a talking point for us every week, so we’re going to take great pride in that,” Allar said. “Obviously, with a team like this, the way they’re built, they’re similar to us in the fact that they want to control the ball and they want to force turnovers. So we’re just going to have to be disciplined and stick to our game plan.”
An efficient offensive ground game
Going back to its success in favorable matchups, Penn State is 66-3 against unranked teams since 2016, when factoring out the 2020 season. For as much criticism as Franklin and the Nittany Lions faced for losing to Ohio State a few weeks ago, and for losses against other top-5 opponents in past seasons, they almost always take care of business when they’re “supposed” to win. And one key in avoiding potential upsets is keeping the opposing team’s offense off the field.
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Against unranked, but certainly capable opponents in West Virginia, USC, Wisconsin and Washington, running backs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen racked up a combined 494 rushing yards on 99 attempts, nearly 5 yards per carry. As Penn State faces a similar opponent this week, controlling the clock and letting two of the top backs in the Big Ten go to work can help the Nittany Lions diminish any momentum Minnesota finds.
With Fleck’s secondary also being one of the conference’s best, Penn State would be wise to avoid risking any big-shot throws and attack the defense where it’s most vulnerable. The Golden Gophers allow 119.8 rushing yards per game — and in each of its conference losses to Iowa, Michigan and Rutgers, Minnesota allowed at least 109 rushing yards.
“I would say where we need to get better at is just being able to strain a little bit more in the run game, and get more finishes and more movement against teams to create more running lanes for Nick [Singleton] and Kaytron [Allen],” offensive lineman Anthony Donkoh said Wednesday. “I feel like going into [practice] and going into this game, we’re going to have a really good plan to be able to combat [Minnesota’s takeaways].”
Andy Kotelnicki brings his Minnesota roots to Penn State’s offense
Make Darius Taylor’s day a rough one
Minnesota starting back Darius Taylor has three games this season with at least 120 rushing yards. Minnesota won each game, including a 25-17 victory over ranked Illinois. In the Golden Gophers’ three conference losses, Taylor managed just 32.7 rushing yards per game and ran for 3.0 yards per carry.
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Taylor adds some complexity as a strong receiving back (312 receiving yards), but when he’s running well out of the backfield, Minnesota’s offense has clicked much more. Quarterback Max Brosmer, completing 67.1 percent of his passes this season, is also at his best when he has a strong ground game to lean on, focusing on his efficiency and avoiding turnovers rather than having to do the heavy lifting offensively.
In 2022, Penn State successfully slowed Minnesota quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis in a blowout win. But when the Golden Gophers pulled off a 31-26 upset in 2019, the Nittany Lions’ defense let quarterback Tanner Morgan do whatever he wanted, racking up 339 yards and three touchdowns on 18-for-20 passing. That type of production from Brosmer would be disastrous this time around. But should the Nittany Lions handle Taylor and Minnesota’s run game well, containing the Golden Gophers’ senior quarterback should become simpler.
“[Brosmer] I think is playing really well. … In the last three or four games he’s done a really good job of protecting the football. Their running back, No. 1, Darius Taylor, is a big back and has been playing really well for the last two years,” Franklin said. “… We’re going to have to go and play well to find a way to get a win on the road here in the Big Ten.”
The Nittany Lions will take on Minnesota at 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday on CBS.
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Daniel Mader, a May 2024 graduate of Penn State, is an Editorial Intern with The Sporting News. As a student journalist with The Daily Collegian, he served as a sports editor and covered Nittany Lions women’s basketball, men’s volleyball and more. He has also covered Penn State football for NBC Sports and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, with additional work in the Centre Daily Times, Lancaster Online and more. Follow him on X @DanielMader_ or Instagram @dmadersports.
Minnesota has one of the deepest talent pools of multi-sport stars in the country.
Think about it — where else do you have someone winning multiple gymnastics and diving championships? Where do you have a baseball star hitting .600 while throwing for 6,000 yards as quarterback? Where do you have NBA players who were football champions?
Minnesota’s talent is as deep as its lakes, and we are looking to answer a question: Who is the best all-time Minnesota high school athlete? Who best defines the state’s prep environment?
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As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, USA TODAY is launching its 250 for 250 series, looking to answer that question by celebrating the best athletes from each state.
From fans’ votes, five athletes will be selected to represent the state as legends who have defined high school sports.
With that in mind, here are the Minnesota high school athlete nominees. The 15 players (listed in alphabetical order) were all standouts at the high school level.
Paige Bueckers, Girls Basketball, Hopkins High School (Minnetonka)
“Remember the name: Paige Bueckers. 6th grade, think Diana Taurasi.” Maybe the most prescient analysis of a sixth-grader ever. By high school, Bueckers was a clear superstar, joining the Hopkins varsity team as an eighth-grader and eventually establishing herself as the best player in the class. She is Hopkins’ all-time leader in points (2,877), assists (795), and steals (574), and won a championship with the program.
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Jessie Diggins, Cross-Country Skier, Stillwater Area High School
Jessie Diggins spent six years competing for Stillwater Area High School, winning the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) individual pursuit championship three times and helping her team win the state meet in 2008 and 2010. She won the U.S. Junior National Sprint title in 2009 and is today a four-time Olympic medalist.
Bailey DuPay, Girls Diving, Gymnastics, Track and Field, Northfield High School
Bailey DuPay’s resume is undeniable. She’s a multi-time champion in two different sports — the first gymnast to win three straight Class 2A all-around titles and a three-time one-meter diving champion. She competed on the swim & dive team at Minnesota State.
Mark Hall II, Boys Wrestling, Apple Valley High School
Mark Hall II was the first wrestler to win six individual state championships. In leading Apple Valley to six team titles, he also became the first wrestler to win 12 combined state championships. He went 277-4 over his career, had 171 consecutive wins, and had 189 career pins, according to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.
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Maria Hauger, Cross Country, Track and Field, Shakopee High School
Maria Hauger was the first runner to win four Class AA state championships. For those efforts, she was a four-time Minnesota Gatorade Cross Country Athlete of the Year. The success didn’t stop there; she won four championships in track and field, including the 1,600- and 3,200-meter races, according to MSHSL.
Chet Holmgren, Boys Basketball, Minnehaha Academy (Minneapolis)
Part of an all-time Minnehaha dynasty alongside Jalen Suggs, Chet Holmgren helped the team win four championships and was named the National Player of the Year by several outlets as a senior, when he averaged 21 points and 12.3 rebounds per game.
Tyus Jones, Boys Basketball, Apple Valley High School
One of the greatest Minnesota high school boys basketball players of all time, Tyus Jones was a three-time Minnesota Boys Basketball Gatorade Player of the Year and led Apple Valley to a state championship. As a senior, he averaged 25.6 points, 8.1 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 2.7 steals per game.
Joe Mauer, Baseball, Football, Boys Basketball, Cretin-Derham Hall High School (St. Paul)
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It’s tough to find a more accomplished high school career than Joe Mauer. He was the first athlete to be named USA TODAY High School Player of the Year in two different sports, which he did in football and baseball. Over two years on the gridiron, he passed for almost 6,000 yards and 73 touchdowns, winning two championships. In baseball, he struck out only once in his entire high school career, hitting .567 with 43 home runs. As a senior, he batted .605, hit a home run in seven straight games, and led his team to the championship.
Kevin McHale, Boys Basketball, Hibbing High School
The future NBA Hall of Famer had roots in Minnesota, where Kevin McHale was named Minnesota Mr. Basketball as a senior and led Hibbing to a championship game appearance. He had a 13-year career with the Boston Celtics, where he won three NBA championships.
Paul Molitor, Baseball, Boys Basketball, Boys Soccer, Cretin-Derham Hall High School
Paul Molitor was a versatile athlete, named to the all-state teams in baseball and boys basketball, and a champion in baseball, basketball, and soccer, according to SABR. He attended the University of Minnesota and played in seven MLB All-Star Games.
Gable Steveson, Boys Wrestling, Apple Valley High School
Gable Steveson dominated the wrestling circuit of Minnesota. He won four state titles and holds the highest winning percentage in state history, with a record of 210-3 (98.59%). According to the University of Minnesota, his final two championships lasted for a combined 28 seconds.
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Jalen Suggs, Boys Basketball, Football, Minnehaha Academy
Jalen Suggs is known for basketball, but he was a star two-sport athlete at Minnehaha, becoming the first athlete in the state’s history to be named Mr. Basketball and Mr. Football in the same year, and was named the National MaxPreps Male Athlete of the Year as a senior. He led the football team to a championship and the basketball team to three straight titles.
Whitney Taney, Girls Tennis, Edina High School
All Whitney Taney did in high school was win. That’s not an exaggeration — she went 166-0 over her career (150-0 in singles, 16-0 in doubles) while losing only two sets en route to five championships between singles and doubles play, per her University of Michigan bio.
Lindsay Whalen, Girls Basketball, Hutchinson High School
One of the most influential girls basketball players in Minnesota, Lindsay Whalen was a four-time All-Missota Conference player, a four-time honorable mention on the All-State team, and led Hutchinson to three conference championships. She scored 1,996 points in her career.
Dave Winfield, Baseball, Boys Basketball, Football, St. Paul Central High School
Dave Winfield excelled in three sports in high school, leading to his recruitment to play baseball and basketball at the University of Minnesota. He went on to be a 12-time MLB All-Star and Hall of Famer.
Authorities say a Minnesota man charged with helping to orchestrate a $250 million fraud scheme has been taken into custody in Somalia.
Abdikerm Abdelahi Eidleh, 42, of Burnsville, Minnesota, was taken into custody Thursday in Mogadishu, U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen said in a news release. Court documents do not show if Eidleh has obtained an attorney, and he has not yet had an opportunity to enter a plea in the case.
Eidleh is one of dozens of people who were indicted in 2022 in connection with what prosecutors said was a massive scheme to defraud a federal meals program.
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According to court documents, Eidleh was an employee of Feeding Our Future, an organization that claimed it helped provide millions of meals to children in need during the pandemic under a federal child nutrition program. But prosecutors say just a small portion of the federal money went toward feeding kids, with the rest laundered through shell companies and spent on property, luxury cars and travel.
Eidleh is accused of creating fake child nutrition program sites, falsely claiming they were feeding thousands of children a day and creating shell companies that purported to be meal vendors at the sites. The indictment charges him with 31 counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery, federal programs bribery, conspiracy to commit money laundering and money laundering.
Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the Department of Justice’s National Fraud Enforcement Division said Eidleh was a central figure in “one of the largest fraud schemes in Minnesota history.”
“He not only stole taxpayer dollars, but he also robbed vulnerable children of critical resources they desperately needed. Rather than answer for his crimes in the United States, he fled to Somalia in a futile attempt to evade justice,” McDonald said.
President Donald Trump pointed to the fraud case as part of his justification for launching a massive immigration crackdown in Minnesota late last year.
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In 2026, Pittsburgh gets the bragging rights for the nation’s Best Fourth of July Celebration, as determined by voters in USA Today 10BEST Readers’ Choice Awards.
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Early voting for Minnesota’s 2026 primary elections began on Friday, 46 days ahead of the official Aug. 11 election.
Voters will decide on nominees for governor, an open U.S. Senate seat, and all state legislative positions.
Minnesotans can vote absentee by mail or in person at designated early voting locations.
Voting in Minnesota’s 2026 primary elections began Friday morning, 46 days before the official Aug. 11 Primary Election Day.
Minnesotans confront a hugely important midterm election in the fall, when all constitutional offices, an open U.S. Senate seat, a highly competitive congressional district and the Legislature will be on the ballot. Control of both state government and Congress are at stake.
Before then, however, the parties will choose their nominees in a bevy of competitive races that will shape the fall election.
We don’t have party registration in Minnesota, which means anyone can vote in the primary.
Following the sweep of a progressive slate in several New York primaries this week, political analysts will be closely watching voters’ preferences, which will set the stage for the second half of President Donald Trump’s second term.
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Here’s what you need to know.
Which races are on the ballot in Minnesota?
Every Minnesota citizen will have the opportunity to vote for statewide offices including governor and lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, auditor and U.S. Senator.
For this primary election, you can only vote for candidates from one political party. Your ballot will have Democrats on one column, and Republicans on the other. Choose one! If you vote for candidates from more than one political party, your votes will not count. You decide when you vote which one of the parties you will vote for.
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The governor’s race is wide open for the first time since 2018, when Gov. Tim Walz won his first term. Walz initially announced he would run for a third term before ending his campaign in early January following Republican attacks on his record on stopping fraud in Minnesota’s social safety net programs.
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The Senate seat is open following Sen. Tina Smith’s retirement announcement last year. Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who is running for governor, still occupies the other Senate seat. (If Klobuchar were to win the governor’s race and resign her Senate seat, she would appoint a successor to hold the position until a special election.)
The entire state Legislature is up for reelection in 2026, but not every race has a competitive primary.
Voters may see other local races on their ballots, including county commissioners, county attorneys and school board members.
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You can use this tool from the Secretary of State’s Office to preview your ballot.
BUSINESS: ‘Erratic’ tariffs blamed for Minnesota export slump
How do I vote in Minnesota?
Friday, June 26, is the first day of absentee voting. You can request an absentee ballot be mailed to you, which you can return in-person or through the mail.
Alternatively, you can vote “in person absentee” by going to your local early voting location, where you can request your absentee ballot, receive it, fill it out and submit it on the spot.
Starting July 24, you can vote in-person at the early voting locations in a process similar to that of voting on Election Day.
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Who’s running in Minnesota?
There are several competitive primaries in statewide races that will determine the matchups in the general election later this year.
For governor, Sen. Amy Klobuchar is expected to win the Democratic-Farmer-Labor nomination after winning the party’s endorsement on the first ballot, over a challenge from Kobey Lane, a 26-year old trans activist and former Republican legislative assistant.
The Republican primary is competitive; after Army veteran and former health care executive Kendall Qualls won the party’s endorsement in May, the other front-runners refused to drop out of the race, citing voting irregularities at the convention. House Speaker Lisa Demuth and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell round out the three-way race.
Dominion Voting Systems settles $1.3B defamation lawsuit with Mike Lindell
In the race to replace Smith in the Senate, two Democratic powerhouses are facing off: U.S. Rep. Angie Craig and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan. Flanagan won the endorsement after Craig dropped out of the endorsement process; Craig is gunning for votes outside of the party’s activist base.
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On the Republican side, GOP-endorsed former Navy Seal Adam Schwarze will face off against former sports broadcaster Michele Tafoya, whose name recognition and well-financed campaign could boost her performance in a primary.
With Craig’s highly competitive south metro seat in the U.S. House coming open, three top-tier Democrats are vying to replace her: former state Sen. Matt Little, state Rep. Kaela Berg and state Sen. Matt Klein. State Sen. Eric Pratt is running unopposed for the Republican nomination.
Minnesota Reformer is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
