The spirit of Erling Haaland and Norway is alive and well in Minneapolis. Prior to the Minnesota Golden Gophers' 2026 season opener at home against the Eastern Illinois Panthers on Thursday night, Minnesota fans did the Norwegian Viking Row, which was a continuous scene among fans in the 2026 FIFA World Cup as Norway made its way to the quarterfinal round of the tournament for the first time in program history. Of course, the Viking Row sees somebody bang a drum and the crowd simulate rowing a boat, while chanting "row." In this case, it was thousands of shirtless Golden Gophers fans at Huntington Bank Stadium.
In the Viking spirit, perhaps the local Minnesota Vikings substitute the "SKOL" rally for the Viking Row this season? Okay, probably not. Maybe it could be included in the home experience, though?
As for the actual game, Minnesota handled Eastern Illinois, 59-7. The Golden Gophers rushed for 156 yards and five touchdowns, three of those scores coming from senior running back Darius Taylor. Junior quarterback Drake Lindsey threw for 264 yards and one touchdown, posted a 185.3 passer rating and completed 79.2% of his passes (19 of 24).
Minnesota, which averaged seven yards per play, out-gained Eastern Illinois in total yards, 495-110. The highlight of the night was fifth-year senior wide receiver Javon Tracy running back two punts for a touchdown, one of them going 87 yards with 2:14 remaining in the first quarter and the other going 69 yards with 13:26 remaining in the third quarter. Next up for Minnesota is a home tilt against the Mississippi State Bulldogs on Sept.
12, with the Golden Gophers' Big Ten opener coming on the road against the Washington Huskies on Sept. 26.
