It's a nice, cool morning here at TCF Bank Stadium, where the Gophers will kick off against Western Illinois at 11 a.m.
Weather.com says it'll be 64 degrees at kickoff. It'll be cloudy during the game, but the rain is supposed to hold off until later tonight.
It'll be interesting to see how competitive Western Illinois can make this game under first-year coach Bob Nielson, who won two national championships at Minnesota-Duluth. Here's Patrick Reusse's column on Nielson.
Here's my preview story, with a focus on how the Big Ten is trying to do away with these games against FCS teams. And here's my prediction.
Western Illinois is 2-0 after wins over Hampton and Division II Quincy. The Leathernecks have a player named Hi-C Scott, a junior college transfer who had three catches of more than 20 yards against Quincy.
The Gophers are wearing their gold jerseys and maroon pants today.
Donnell Kirkwood (sprained ankle) isn't expected to play, but he moved around great during warm-ups.
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