Not exactly a murderer's row of college football power.

Yet those were the teams on Minnesota's schedule at the start of the season and those were the teams that the Gophers took on and dispatched without any trouble.

Now that the appetizers have been polished off, the Gophers prepare for a tough run through the Big Ten. They start off with a home game vs. Purdue before going on the road to Penn State and Michigan.

After those three games, Minnesota fans should know exactly what kind of team they have this season.

After the Gophers' 47-6 win over Florida Atlantic, the Gophers appear to be a talented and powerful offensive that may be a tad better defensively than they have been in the past.

While both of those units will have to prove themselves against the iron of the Big Ten, there is no doubt about RB Laurence Maroney's talent. He rushed for 145 yards on 20 carries against the Owls and also caught a 37-yard TD pass from Bryan Cupito that demonstrated his versatility.

NFL scouts are already coveting this junior in the event he comes out for the draft in April.

Cupito continues to develop as a big-play quarterback. He connected on 10-of-17 passes for 230 yards and threw two TD passes before sitting down in the second half.

With Purdue coming up, Cupito will have to stay in the game a lot longer. Whether the Gophers' soft-as-whipped cream schedule has prepared them for the job at hand has yet to be determined.

KEEP AN EYE ON: OLG Mark Setterstom -- He may not get quite as much publicity as teammate Greg Eslinger, but he is a solid all-around blocker who excels against the run. He dominated against Florida Atlantic.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "That first half, I think we were pretty impressive. If you look at the statistics, it was one-sided, both offensively and defensively." -- Head coach Glen Mason. Minnesota outscored Florida Atlantic 40-0 in the first half and had 442 yards of total offense.

--WR Jared Ellerson showed his big play-ability when he caught a 56-yard TD pass in the second quarter. That should do a lot for his confidence.

-- SS Brandon Owens has registered 19 tackles, one TFL and has recovered a fumble through the first three games. He has been active and physical for defensive coordinator David Lockwood

STILL NEEDS SOME WORK: The defense took a blow when LB John Shevlin had to come out of the game after just a couple of plays vs. Florida Atlantic. He is the Gophers' best tackler.

-- PK Jason Giannini continues to struggle. He missed two more extra points against Florida Atlantic and sent one kickoff out of bounds. This comes on the heels of missing three extra points vs. Colorado State the previous week.

-- WR Ernie Wheelwright did not have a catch vs. Florida Atlantic. While it didn't hurt Minnesota's chances for coming away with a win, he needs to be a vital part of the Gophers offense against upper-level Big Ten teams.

ROSTER REPORT: Starting linebacker John Shevlin, who injured his left knee against Colorado State, aggravated his knee in warmups and made it through only two plays. The team already was without three injured starters -- offensive tackle Joe Ainslie (right hand), defensive tackle Mark Losli (back) and fullback Justin Valentine.