Breaking down the Gophers' opponents: Fresno State

College football is just around the corner -- we're exactly six weeks away from the Gophers' season opener against New Mexico State on Aug. 30. So, with that in mind, I'll take a look at Minnesota's 12 opponents by asking five questions to a writer covering that team. Today's installment is Game 2, Fresno State.

Opponent: Fresno State

When, where: Sept. 8, 6:30 p.m., TCF Bank Stadium. TV: FS1

2017 record: 10-4, 7-1 Mountain West; lost 17-14 to Boise State in MWC title game; defeated Houston 33-27 in Hawaii Bowl.

Opponent's beat writer: Robert Kuwada, Fresno Bee

Five Questions for Robert Kuwada on Fresno State

1. Fresno State went from 1-11 to 10-4 in Jeff Tedford's first year as coach and played in the Mountain West championship game. What was the key to the quick turnaround?

2. Quarterback Marcus McMaryion quickly earned the starting job last year after transferring from Oregon State. What do you see as his potential in his second year as starter?

The thing about McMaryion, he didn't step foot on the practice field until after the first scrimmage in fall camp. He was in a catch-up mode all season. He would get a game plan and try to execute it. But the 'why this?' and 'why that?' and 'what do I do if this or that happens?' he didn't always have those answers. He also had to learn his receivers, how they run routes, how they come out of breaks, where you can and can't throw it. His first pick -- and he only threw five of them in 351 attempts -- happened because the receiver cut off a route and he was not at that point in the season able to anticipate it. He didn't have a great base in the offense. With a spring practice, a summer and a full fall camp, the expectation is he will have a better grasp of the offense and be much more adept at operating it. That should show in limiting mistakes and greater production in different parts of the field. Fresno State, for instance, was not a good third-down team last season (35.6 percent conversions, eighth in the league) and struggled in the red zone (54.7 touchdown percentage, eighth).

3. The Bulldogs defense returns seven starters but none on the defensive line. How big of a concern is that for the coaching staff?

That is a concern and it will be a big one on Sept. 8, given their history against Power Five programs. That's not pretty -- they've lost their past nine games and seven of them have come by 30 or more points, though they have played some good teams. There is a physical gap there for just about every Group of Five program. The No. 1s along the defensive line entering fall camp all got reps last season but will be making a significant jump to 40 or 50 snaps a game from 10 or 15, so there are a lot of questions to be answered.

4. Fresno State will beat Minnesota if …

5. Minnesota will beat Fresno State if …

That Power Five divide is something Fresno State has to overcome and until they do ... There were some hints last season that they could negate that issue. No. 1 Alabama and No. 4 Washington on the road in back-to-back weeks would crush just about anyone, but they played well in the second half at Seattle and carried that the rest of the season. They beat up San Diego State, which won at Arizona State and beat Stanford last season. They beat BYU, which always has a good number of older, physical players. They won the first of their two games against Boise State, which has been one the of the top Group of Five teams for years, and the difference in the second game wasn't physicality. Boise had a receiver run through coverage for a long TD. They also beat Houston in the Hawaii Bowl, and Houston has had some big wins over Power Five programs. But, we'll see ...

Looking for more on the upcoming college football season? Check out some previous posts:

http://www.startribune.com/breaking-down-the-gophers-opponents-new-mexico-state/488507281/

http://www.startribune.com/looking-ahead-five-players-to-watch-on-the-gophers-nonconference-schedule/485168071/

http://www.startribune.com/week-by-week-a-look-at-the-best-college-football-matchups-of-2018/485820071/

http://www.startribune.com/looking-ahead-the-best-and-worst-of-nonconference-matchups-in-the-big-ten-west/485253121/

http://www.startribune.com/looking-ahead-the-best-and-worst-nonconference-matchups-in-the-big-ten-east/485374001/