The Gophers have one more tune-up before opening the Big Ten season against Purdue Sept. 24.

Florida Atlantic, in its first season as a Division 1 competitor, comes to the Metrodome in an attempt to slow down the powerful Gopher offense. It appears to be an impossible assignment.

The Gophers will be going for their 19th straight victory outside the Big Ten. Minnesota has not lost a non-conference game since dropping a 38-17 decision to Toledo in 2001.

Minnesota has done it with an explosive offense. They roasted Colorado State 56-24 last week and ran for 355 yards; yet the tone in the locker room was similar to the one following the Week One win over Tulsa.

"We were like, 'We had that many yards?'" said sophomore running back Gary Russell, who had 66 rushing yards and two touchdowns. "We definitely have room for improvement."

The thought of improvement in the running game is somewhat scary. The Gophers are averaging 48.5 ppg, ranking eighth in the nation and are averaging 540.5 yards per game.

Heisman Trophy candidate Laurence Maroney is the key to the running game, but an outstanding offensive line and solid backups in Gary Russell and Amir Pinnix support him. To become a complete offensive team, Minnesota has to take advantage of opponents who are putting eight or nine men in the box by hitting open receivers.

"You've got to realize that people are going to overplay the run," Mason said. "They're going to do some things that are going to give us some problems. A lot of those passes were wide open because those other two safeties are running downhill. Football is a game of numbers. You only have so many blockers. If they have more to defend than you have blockers, you've got problems."

So far the Gophers have not had any serious problems. But they must show some consistency in the passing game once they open Big Ten play Sept. 24 vs. Purdue.

SCOUTING THE OFFENSE: The Minnesota running attack is once again intimidating and explosive. Although Marion Barber has moved on, Laurence Maroney, Gary Russell and Amir Pinnix can cause problems for any opponent. The Gophers get sensational run blocking from their huge offensive line. Bryan Cupito must improve his accuracy after completing 9-of-21 passes vs. Colorado State.

SCOUTING THE DEFENSE: The strength of the defense is the LB trio of John Shevlin, Mike Sherels and Kyle McKenzie. They all move well and have combined for 35 tackles in the first two games of the season. The Gophers have been a very hard-hitting team in the first two games with seven forced fumbles.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "Three hundred yards is something we expect. I think in Big Ten games 300 yards would be viewed a lot different. Right now, we want to get in that 400-yard range, and we haven't gotten that yet." -- QB Bryan Cupito on the strength of the Minnesota rushing attack.

THIS WEEK'S GAME: vs. Florida Atlantic Sept. 17 -- The Owls have only played football for five years and this is the first meeting between the two teams. Veteran Howard Schnellenberger coaches Florida Atlantic and this is the third time Glen Mason has matched wits with him. The pair split two meetings while Mason coached at Kansas and Schnellenberger coached at Louisville. Though playing its first I-A season, FAU has played competitive ball in its first two games.

PLAYERS TO WATCH: QB Bryan Cupito -- He has solid tools to work with -- good arm strength and athleticism -- but was just 9-of-21 vs. Colorado State.

RB Laurence Maroney -- He has run for 336 yards in the first two games and is at least an outside contender for the Heisman Trophy. Look for Maroney to have another 150-plus yard game against the smallish Florida Atlantic front seven.

LB John Shevlin -- A big hitter who has 11 tackles and three forced fumbles in the first two games. Shevlin is very good at diagnosing the play and then delivering a nasty hit. He is listed as questionable against Florida Atlantic and he would be missed if he could not play.

PK Jason Giannini -- He missed 3-of-6 extra point attempts vs. Colorado State. That could cause problems later on in the year for the Gophers.

ROSTER REPORT: Offensive lineman Joe Ainslie (hand) is doubtful against Florida Atlantic. Defensive lineman Mark Losli (back) and linebacker John Shevlin (knee) are questionable