Koi Perich’s offensive role against Buffalo was a soft opening.

The Gophers standout played only seven snaps in the season-opening 23-10 win Thursday at Huntington Bank Stadium. On the second offensive play of the game, he caught a 12-yard out route along the sideline. That was the peak.

It was his only target of the game. On the second series, he lined up in a wildcat formation alongside tailback Darius Taylor, who kept the snap for a short gain.

“Offensively, we had a plan to play him more if we needed to,” head coach P.J. Fleck told the Pioneer Press on Monday.

The 17-point favorite Gophers led the Mid-American Conference opponent all game and pulled away with a one-sided, 10-point fourth quarter.

On defense, Perich played all 44 snaps, contributing two tackles.

KFAN sideline reporter Justin Gaard observed during the game that Perich “was itching” to contribute more, especially in the return game.

Buffalo had seven punts, but Perich was able to return only one, which he took back 18 yards.

Fleck previously said Perich’s contributions on offense will not be a gimmick this season, so fans can expect more snaps and touches in bigger games later on this season.

Catalyst?

Compared to Buffalo, the Gophers will be an even bigger betting favorite against Northwestern (La.) State at 11 a.m. Saturday in Minneapolis.

The Demons snapped a 20-game losing streak — the longest in FCS — with a 20-10 win over Alcorn State on Thursday. The skid started in November 2022.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a team and a campus and a city as in need of a win as this football team, this university and Natchitoches did,” Northwestern State coach Blaine McCorkle said in the Vicksburg Post. “It allows everybody to take a sigh of relief and lets people know that this football program, this city and this campus loves so much is alive and well, and we’re going to be A-OK. A new day’s coming.”

Fleck compared Northwestern State’s win to what the Gophers did in snapping a 14-game losing streak to Wisconsin in 2018. “Those are program-defining wins that can really jumpstart a whole program,” he said.

“Horrible call”

Fleck doesn’t entertain hindsight very often, but was willing to do so Monday over the tush push play call in the first quarter on Thursday.

“That was a horrible call,” Fleck lamented. “That was bad. … When you are sitting there as a head coach saying, ‘I think I should call a timeout here. I really should call a timeout here.’ Ugh. Idiot.”

It was listed as fourth and inches, but it was more than a yard and 1/2, Fleck estimated.

“We call the tush push and we have 15 different ways to do it,” he said. “I’m not out on the tush push because of one play. That particular play, I didn’t like it.”

Instead of quarterback Drake Lindsey, tight end Jameson Geers lined up under center and was tackled for no gain by Bulls outstanding linebacker Red Murdock.

Driver’s status

Receiver Christian Driver remains with the Gophers football team, but he was sidelined during fall camp and the season opener.

“He’s dealing with some personal issues,” Fleck told the Pioneer Press, wanting to keep specifics private. “But we’re supporting him 100% and glad to have him on the team.”

It’s unclear if Driver will return to the field this season. The son of former Packers wide receiver Donald Driver, he had seven receptions for 49 yards and one touchdown in 11 games last season.

Closing statement

Nebraska tailback Emmett Johnson attended Academy of Holy Angels in Richfield and wanted to call attention to the mass shooting in Minneapolis last week. After rushing for a game-high 108 yards in the 20-17 win over Cincinnati on Thursday, Johnson called for prayers for the families affected in the tragedy when he was done with a press conference.

“It was right by my high school back home,” he told reporters in Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. “I had it written on my wrist during the game.”

Briefly

Last year, the Gophers missed 22 tackles in season-opening loss to North Carolina. Fleck credited new defensive coordinator Danny Collins’ practice work on the fundamental for Minnesota not being docked even one missed tackle against Buffalo. Not having to tackle Omarion Hampton makes that easier; the former Tar Heels tailback was a first-round NFL draft pick by the Chargers last April. … The same five offensive lineman played all 80 snaps together on Thursday, with Fleck adding: “hopefully (we’ll) play even more people on the offensive line as we keep moving forward.” … Top in-state true freshman Emmanuel Karmo of Robbinsdale Cooper was on the opening kickoff coverage team Thursday, just like Perich was against the Tar Heels last year.

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There are more concerts than ever at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, which means there are more fans than ever. However, the world-famous Morrison venue’s relatively modest capacity of 9,525 means there’s also a fixed amount of people and parking per show, which means predictable logistics despite fickle weather.

Here are some tips for getting the most out of your concert visit to Red Rocks.

Getting there early

On-site parking lots open two hours before show time, and staffers will direct motorists to any open spaces. They’re free and first-come first-served, but once they’re full you’ll have to park along the road. While driving, take care to avoid motorists (not all of them sober) walking along the roads, especially after shows and in the dark.

The Upper South lot is accessible to wheelchairs, with a recently added drop-off circle above the venue and limited accessible parking by the Trading Post outside the venue. The majority of spots are located in four other public lots surrounding the venue, with charging stations below Lower South Lot 2 (four of them so far). See redrocksonline.com for a detailed lot map.

Expect slow-moving lines until you reach the exit, and go to the bathroom beforehand. Carpool or rideshare if you can, since you can skip the post-show gridlock by waiting for a ride at the Jurassic Lot near Entrance 2. And don’t leave your car overnight, as it will get ticketed or towed.

The walk and the weather

Getting into Red Rocks means climbing lots of stairs, regardless of how you enter, so wear comfortable, close-toed walking shoes that can withstand water, mud and dust. It’s also an outdoor venue in the Colorado foothills, which means fast-changing conditions any time of year. Occasionally, a flash weather event will result in injuries, such as 2023’s hail-racked Louis Tomlinson show.

Park employees will warn concertgoers of incoming threats, but the city of Denver (the venue’s owner) has also made it clear that risks are assumed at any outdoor show, so be aware of your closest exits and cover.

However, tree cover and indoor spaces are scant, so bring rain gear depending on the forecast and, if you really want to cover your bases, portable seats or other stiff coverings that can act as protection from damaging hail. The city’s recommendation is that you head for your car and wait it out if it’s really bad. Wind whips both the sound waves and temperatures around, so bring a blanket even if it’s not forecast to rain or hail.

Getting inside

Lines into the venue move slowly, but you can help speed them by remembering a few basics: bags must fit under your seat and have only one pocket. Non-alcoholic drinks up to 32 ounces can be brought in if they’re sealed, and empty water bottles and six packed-sized coolers are allowed.

Food must be pre-cut and in clear plastic bags, and only plastic utensils are allowed. No glass or aluminum, no animals, and for the love of nature, no glitter (which is actually mentioned on the Prohibited Items list). Promoter AEG Presents books most of the concerts there with its AXS ticketing system, so you can use a digital AXS Mobile Delivery service to get in with an AXS Mobile ID.

Steve and Lee Joyce tailgate before a Sheryl Crow concert at Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison on Tuesday, June 10, 2025. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)

Tailgating, food and drink

Party with care in the foothills and high country because the altitude is thinner than in Denver, and dehydration and sunburn are constant threats — especially for sea-level visitors. That also means pacing yourself if you dive into the famous parking-lot scene in Lower South Lot 1 (a.k.a. Shakedown Street), as you’ll have a long night ahead of you.

Once inside, there are food, drink, beer and other adult-beverage options at the top and bottom of the seating area, as well as concession stands along the stairs on either side. However, they are not cheap. In addition to the Ship Rock Grille and Row 71 Bar (both above the venue), there are local restaurants such as Anthony’s Pizza & Pasta, Machete Tequila + Tacos, Rolling Smoke BBQ and Birdcall scattered throughout the venue. There are also roaming vendors (a la Coors Field baseball games), with beer and other drinks.

Bathrooms are at the top and bottom of the amphitheater. The lines can snake out the door on some nights, so prepare to wait 20-25 minutes or more. That said, the bathrooms at the bottom are always the most crowded, and the hike up to the Visitor’s Center tends to weed out a lot of competition. The Visitor Center bathrooms were also recently upgraded, so they’re your best bet.

As a young Taiwanese girl living in the Inland Empire, former singer and import model-turned-writer Kaila Yu said she often felt “uncomfortable” in her skin, growing up around Eurocentric beauty standards.

“I felt like my features weren’t desirable,” Yu said of her childhood. “I felt very insecure about all of that.”

The now 46-year-old  L.A.-based author explores themes of sexuality and race in her debut memoir, “Fetishized: A Reckoning with Yellow Fever, Feminism, and Beauty,” — out everywhere books are sold.

The candid memoir-in-essays format explores Yu’s upbringing in the 1990s and early 2000s, blending “vulnerable stories from her life with incisive cultural critique and history,” according to the synopsis. “Fetishized” explores Yu’s complex, intimate feelings around representation and objectifying stereotypes, while looking at how the media and colonialism have played a part in the “oversexualization of Asian women.”

“Growing up, Asians were so invisible, objectification was better than nothing,” Yu writes in the book, which the New York Times called “raw and lyrical.”

Born to Taiwanese immigrant parents, Yu grew up in Upland, attended Upland High School, and later earned a bachelor’s degree in Asian American studies from UCLA.

With the rise in anti-Asian hate amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and the March 2021 spa shootings in Atlanta that killed eight people, including six Asian women, Yu said she was inspired to begin writing her book. What happened at the spa stood out to her as a prime example of how the “fetishization of Asian women leads to real-life violence on Asian women,” she said.

Yu’s new book unpacks her career working as a former import car model and lead singer of the pop rock band Nylon Pink until 2015. She opens up about wearing scantily clad outfits, writing hypersexual lyrics that were “more performance,” she said, than reflective of her true self.

Following a “desire to be seen as beautiful,” Yu felt she played into stereotypes associated with Asian women through different moments in her career — hoping to prove to both herself and others that she’s “worthy of love.” The author said she grappled with impossible beauty standards which led her to alter her body through different procedures — including a double eyelid surgery and plastic surgery — after years of feeling “othered.”

Throughout her memoir, Yu reflects on the trauma of losing her sense of self “in pursuit of the image she thought the world wanted… reckoning with being an object of Asian fetish,” she writes. Battling a drug addiction, feeling misrepresented and “dehumanized” in the acting/modeling industry, and seeking to be desirable to “the White male gaze,” she said she often felt empty.

Yu’s book explores issues of racism and fetishization, unpacking the harmful impact of “yellow fever” — a problematic term describing a typically sexual Asian fetish — which scholar Robin Zheng defines as a primary “preference for Asian women (and men).”

The name, which derives from the mosquito-borne disease, emphasizes the phrase’s derogatory nature, Yu said. It has roots in outdated “orientalist” beliefs that Asian women are also “somehow more docile,” while also seen as “exotic, highly sexual beings.”

“Like mosquitoes, fetishists suck the humanity out of Asian women, turning them into 2D sex objects,” Yu writes.

“Fetishized” also explores problematic Asian female representation in media, which Yu said includes “hypersexualized” models or actress portrayals. She cites examples like pin-up model Sung-Hi Lee, the book-turned-film “Memoirs of a Geisha,” or different music videos or films portraying violence or sex. Providing an honest critique, Yu’s memoir looks at moments in culture that, she said, “reduced (Asian women) to bodies and menu items… as subservient props.”

She said all of this reinforced harmful stereotypes about Asian women and sexuality, which many — herself included — felt they needed to follow in their appearances and careers.

Asian women are often “not celebrated for our strength, humanity, and intelligence,” Yu writes in the book. Because of fetishization, they are instead “reduced to a fantasy fitting a male-dominance narrative.”

Now, Yu finds hope that diverse Asian representation in media has grown tremendously — and with more positive portrayals — from before.

But with Asian lead roles still significantly underrepresented, Yu said more work needs to be done.

As an author, luxury travel and culture journalist, Yu has since written about other harms toward Asian communities, among other things. Her writing on entertainment, travel and lifestyle has been featured in the Los Angeles Times, National Geographic and Rolling Stone.

Yu hopes that “Fetishized” adds to the complex, nuanced conversations about her community.

Yu’s debut memoir, “Fetishized: A Reckoning with Yellow Fever, Feminism, and Beauty,” can be found everywhere books are sold. More information and future events are shared on her social media, @kailayu.

Staff writer Allyson Vergara contributed to this report. 

Remember the days before streaming when the fall TV season was a source of anticipation? So many new shows premiering in a nice, tidy chunk over a few weeks. It was so easy to stay on top of it all.

Streaming has altered the television landscape, from the number of shows to the kinds of shows available. Premieres happen year-round now, which dampens the collective thrill that once accompanied this time of year, but let’s try to generate some excitement, shall we?

Wait, isn’t that actually the job of networks and streamers?! Well, very few shows get a big promotional push these days. Or if they do, it’s harder to reach a mass audience because the monoculture of old is gone, replaced by algorithms that silo us off from one another.

But like I said! Let’s generate some excitement of our own, yes? Here’s a look at what’s coming up this fall in chronological order. There are at least four separate “hmmm, something strange is going on”-type thrillers starring women. Make of that what you will.

“Second Sight” (Sept. 1; BritBox): Clive Owen plays a dogged police detective who is hiding a secret: He’s losing his sight. A new detective joins his serious crime unit and, when she figures out what’s going on, forms an uneasy alliance with him. She will help him fill in the gaps, but wants career advancement in return.

“Return to Paradise” (Sept. 2; BritBox): Another detective show, this one set in a surfing town in Australia called Dolphin Cove, where a detective who made her reputation in London returns to her childhood home: “She’s still no fan of the town, and the people of Dolphin Cove are certainly no fans of hers; everyone would prefer her not to be there.”

“The Paper” (Sept 4; Peacock): The premise for this mockumentary sounds a bit strained, but maybe that won’t matter. The never-seen documentary crew who filmed the haphazard goings on at a Scranton paper supply company (that’s right, “The Office”) have moved on to their next project: A struggling Midwestern newspaper. An early description of the show said the journalists were volunteers — which rankled many of us who are struggling to hang on to the paying journalism jobs that remain — but I’m not seeing that language in more recent marketing materials, so who knows if that aspect was reworked. Regardless, I’m curious enough to check it out. Though set in Toledo rather than Scranton, the show exists in the “same stylized comedic universe” as “The Office” and includes one familiar face: Oscar Nuñez is the paper’s accountant. Also, Greg Daniels (who developed “The Office” for U.S. television) is one of the show’s creators.

“Task” (Sept. 7; HBO): Mark Ruffalo plays an FBI agent in this seven-episode series set in the working-class suburbs of Philadelphia, where he heads up a task force working to solve a string of violent robberies. His performance as the Hulk aside, Ruffalo tends to go for thoughtful over machismo, so here’s hoping that’s what the role entails.

“Seen & Heard: The History of Black Television” (Sept. 9; HBO): The two-part documentary examines the history of Black people and Black culture on television, from “early, stereotypical portrayals, to today’s more authentic and complex narratives, the series highlights how Black television makers have not only survived but thrived, despite the industry’s early reluctance to fully recognize their power and creativity.”

“Only Murders in the Building” (Sept. 9; Hulu series): The comedic murder-mystery returns for a fifth season (somehow that number feels like a miracle in the streaming era). This time the show’s trio of sleuths (played by Martin Short, Steve Martin and Selena Gomez) work to uncover a “dangerous web of secrets connecting powerful billionaires, old-school mobsters and the mysterious residents of the Arconia.”

“The Girlfriend” (Sept. 10; Amazon): Robin Wright returns to television for this psychological thriller based on the 2017 novel. In it, she plays a woman whose perfect life falls apart when her son starts dating a woman who might be an opportunist using the relationship to improve her social status.

“aka Charlie Sheen”(Sept. 10; Netflix): This two-part docuseries about the life of actor Charlie Sheen was made with his cooperation, like so many other celebrity documentaries these days, and the end result is usually an exercise in celebrity image management. But who knows, hope springs eternal and maybe this one will break the pattern. If anything, there’s probably some curiosity about how Sheen will look back on his own infamy.

“The Morning Show” (Sept. 17; Apple TV+): I have nothing good to say about this ridiculous show, which is back for a fourth season. But I will admit, the synopsis for this season sounds similar enough to the recent Paramount-Skydance deal that I’m the tiniest bit interested to see what the show has to say about its own fictional media merger: “With the UBA-NBN merger complete, the newsroom must grapple with newfound responsibility, hidden motives and the elusive nature of truth in a polarized America. In a world rife with deepfakes, conspiracy theories and corporate cover-ups — who can you trust? And how can you know what’s actually real?”

“Black Rabbit” (Sept. 18; Netflix series): Jude Law and Jason Bateman star as brothers “pushed to the brink by their duty to family and the pursuit of success” running a VIP establishment called Black Rabbit that is in jeopardy if they can’t figure out how to navigate old problems and new.

“Slow Horses” (Sept. 24; Apple TV+): Another streaming show hitting its fifth season, huzzah! This time, the gang’s tech expert, Roddy Ho, has a new girlfriend who seems too glamorous to be hooking up with this guy. Based on Mick Herron’s novel “London Rules.”

Gary Oldman and his Slough House misfits are back for Season 5 of “Slow Horses.” (Jack English/Apple TV+/TNS)

“House of Guinness” (Sept. 25; Netflix): On one hand, the brewery probably has an interesting history. On the other, how is this not yet more corporate myth-making along the lines of “Air” (Nike basketball sneakers), “Tetris” (the eponymous video game), “Blackberry”(the smartphone brand) and “Flamin’ Hot” (processed snack foods)? The story is set in both Dublin and New York in the 19th century. An interesting footnote: Per Wikipedia, “Before 1939, if a Guinness brewer wished to marry a Catholic, his resignation was requested. According to Thomas Molloy, writing in the Irish Independent, ‘It had no qualms about selling drink to Catholics but it did everything it could to avoid employing them until the 1960s.’” Here’s hoping this aspect is part of the story, as well.

“The Savant” (Sept. 26; Apple TV+): Jessica Chastain stars in this thriller as an investigator who “infiltrates online hate groups in an effort to stop domestic extremists before they act.”

“Chad Powers” (Sept 30; Hulu): Glen Powell leads this comedy playing a former hotshot college quarterback who sees his prospects evaporate after some bad behavior. So he disguises himself and “walks onto a struggling Southern football team as the talented, affable Chad Powers.” Eli and Peyton Manning are executive producers.

“Boots” (Oct. 9; Netflix): A coming-of-age dramedy set in the “tough, unpredictable world of the U.S. Marine Corps” in the 1990s. One recruit is closeted. Another is the son of a decorated Marine. They are all facing pressures while also figuring out who they are.

“The Diplomat” (Oct. 16; Netflix): Big fan of the first season of this show, wherein Keri Russell plays a U.S. ambassador to Great Britain. I was lukewarm on Season 2, but let’s see what Season 3 has in store. The ambassador’s charming but untrustworthy husband has been scheming to get her appointed as vice president; the current office holder (Allison Janney) is about to be engulfed in a scandal that will necessitate her resignation. Turns out the latter is more formidable than anyone anticipated. And she’s not going anywhere; Season 2 ended with the death of the president and now she’s the big cheese.

Martin Scorsese in “Mr. Scorsese.” (Melinda Sue Gordon/Apple TV+)

“Mr. Scorsese” (Oct. 17; Apple TV+): The five-part docuseries about the career of Martin Scorsese is directed by Rebecca Miller, whose credits include the film “Personal Velocity.” She’s also spent her life around legendary figures, as the daughter of Arthur Miller and the wife of Daniel Day-Lewis, so perhaps she has a unique insight into what makes men like this tick. She was given “exclusive, unrestricted access to Scorsese’s private archives” according to the press materials. The series will include new interviews with Scorsese as well as those with his family, friends and creative collaborators. If any old sports figure is getting the docuseries treatment these days, no reason a filmmaker like Scorsese shouldn’t be either.

“From Rails to Trails” (Oct. 20; WTTW): This one-hour documentary is narrated by Edward Norton and looks at the “60-year struggle to convert thousands of miles of private, abandoned railways into public trails for cycling and walking,” including the Illinois Prairie Path, which will be featured. Chicago-based producer Dan Protess directs.

“Nobody Wants This” (Oct. 23; Netflix): I’m a sucker for the pleasures of a banter-fueled a romantic comedy, which fuels “Nobody Wants This,” about a cute rabbi played by Adam Brody who falls for a very non-religious woman played by Kristen Bell. Can they have a future together if she decides not to convert? Presumably all will be explored in Season 2.

Kristen Bell, left, and Adam Brody in Season 1 of “Nobody Wants This.” (Hopper Stone/Netflix/TNS)

“Down Cemetery Road” (Oct. 29; Apple TV+): Starring Emma Thompson and Ruth Wilson, the series is adapted from the novel by Mick Herron (whose books also form the basis for Apple’s “Slow Horses”). A bored housewife (Wilson) hires an investigator (Thompson) to help her unravel what happened after an explosion in suburban Oxford, England, led to a girl’s disappearance. The pair find themselves in a “complex conspiracy that reveals that people long believed dead are still among the living, while the living are fast joining the dead.”

“Death by Lightning” (Nov. 6; Netflix): The four-part miniseries is a historical drama about U.S. President James Garfield (Michael Shannon) and his admirer Charles J. Guiteau (Matthew Macfadyen), who would ultimately kill him. The series also stars Nick Offerman, Bradley Whitford, Shea Whigham and Betty Gilpin. “Game of Thrones” creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss are executive produers along with the miniseries’ creator Mike Makowsky.

“All Her Fault” (Nov. 6; Peacock): In her first series since “Succession,” Sarah Snook stars as a mother who arrives to pick up her son from a playdate, only to be greeted by an unfamiliar woman answering the door; she not only doesn’t have the kid, she’s has never even heard of him. Based on the Dublin-set 2021 novel by Andrea Mara, the TV adaptation takes place in Chicago (though it only filmed locally for a few days for exteriors; it was otherwise filmed in Australia). The cast also includes Jake Lacy, Dakota Fanning, Michael Peña and Jay Ellis.

“Pluribus” (Nov. 7; Apple TV+): The latest from “Breaking Bad” and “Better Call Saul” creator Vince Gilligan stars Rhea Seehorn (of “Better Call Saul”) and is described as a “genre-bending original in which the most miserable person on Earth must save the world from happiness.” Not sure where Gilligan is going with this, but based on his track record, likely someplace interesting.

“The Beast in Me” (Nov. 13; Netflix): A limited series starring Claire Danes and Matthew Rhys, it follows an author dealing with writer’s block ever since the death of her son. Her professional spark is reignited when an infamous real estate mogul —who happens to be the prime suspect in his wife’s disappearance — moves in next door. Suddenly, she has something to write about again.

“A Man on the Inside” (Nov. 20; Netflix): I liked the first season of this Ted Danson comedy about a man bored with his golden years who goes undercover at a retirement village to solve a mystery. Another mystery awaits in Season 2. (Also on Netflix with a similar theme: “The Thursday Murder Club” starring Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan and Ben Kingsley, which premiered earlier this month.)