Thursday night's opener for Minnesota went as many expected with the Gophers dominating New Mexico State and securing a 38-0 win. The Gopher Report recaps the quarter-by-quarter action below.
1st Quarter:
* 9:50 - TOUCHDOWN, MINNESOTA; Mohamed Ibrahim 4-yard run - 7 plays, 74 yards in 3:05 - MINNESOTA 7, NEW MEXICO STATE 0
QUARTER RECAP: Defensively, Minnesota held the Aggies to just one first down. Offensively, the Gophers drove down the field with ease in their first possession and the Gophers were set up at the 1-yard line when the quarter ended. Mo Ibrahim is back like he never left, rushing for 70 yards on ten carries in the opening quarter.
2nd Quarter:
* 14:57 - TOUCHDOWN, MINNESOTA; Mohamed Ibrahim 1-yard run - 13 plays, 64 yards in 1:09 - MINNESOTA 14, NEW MEXICO STATE 0
* 8:26 - FIELD GOAL, MINNESOTA; Matthew Trickett 26-yards - 11 plays, 66 yards in 5:22 - MINNESOTA 17, NEW MEXICO STATE 0
* :19 - TOUCHDOWN, MINNESOTA; Tanner Morgan 1-yard run - 12 plays, 70 yards in 5:25 - MINNESOTA 24, NEW MEXICO STATE 0
QUARTER RECAP: An Ibrahim one-yard touchdown opened the second quarter to put the Gophers up two scores. Tanner Morgan missed on back-to-back throws on Minnesota's second possession of the quarter as the Gophers were inside the NMSU 10-yard line, settled for a Matthew Trickett 26-yard field goal. Morgan started to find a rhythm with Brevyn Spann-Ford on the Gophers' third drive of the quarter. Morgan caps off the drive with a 1-yard touchdown plunge.
Halftime Stats and Analysis:
Minnesota dominated New Mexico State in the first half. Gophers have a commanding lead in all the major statistical categories. The Gophers have 274 total yards (100 passing, 174 rushing) compared to the Aggies 49 yards. Minnesota tallied 18 first downs in the first half compared to just two for NMSU. The Gophers were also an efficient 6-of-7 on third down conversions.
Mohamed Ibrahim has shown no signs of rust with 121 yards and two scores on 19 carries at the break. Trey Potts is also returning from a major injury last season, but has also looked crips with 46 yards on eight carries. Tanner Morgan is 7-of-12 passing for 100 yards so far and has completed passes to six different receivers. The Gophers averaged 5.8 yards per rush in the first half.
3rd Quarter:
* 6:31 - TOUCHDOWN, MINNESOTA; Tanner Morgan 1-yard run - 13 plays, 77 yards in 8:23 - MINNESOTA 31, NEW MEXICO STATE 0
* :07 - TOUCHDOWN, MINNESOTA; Trey Potts 1-yard run - 9 plays, 59 yards in - MINNESOTA 38, NEW MEXICO STATE 0
QUARTER RECAP: Trey Potts took over the majority of rushing duties in the third quarter and sets with 89 yards rushing at the end of the quarter. Potts also hauled in a 14-yard pass in the quarter. Bryce Williams also getting some run at running back as Ibrahim's night appears to be done.
4th Quarter:
QUARTER RECAP: No scoring in the final stanza as Minnesota utilized their big lead to get some playing time for some of the young talent. Athan Kaliakmanis, Max Grand, Jordan Nubin got time on offense while Jacob Schuster, Jalen Glaze, and Deven Eastern made their presence known on defense.
FINAL: MINNESOTA 38, NEW MEXICO STATE 0
New Mexico State was simply outclassed in every facet of Thursday's contest. Minnesota finished with 31 first downs, compared to just six for the Aggies. The Gophers compiled 485 yards of total offense, compared to 91 for NMSU. Terell Smith recorded an interception for the Gophers while Thomas Rush and Danny Striggow each recorded a sack.
GAME MVP:
Sure, Minnesota's defense pitched a shutout. However, given the opponent I wouldn't consider that a significant feat as opposed to the impressive return of Mohamed Ibrahim. The Gophers' star running ended his day with 132 rushing yards and two scores on 21 carries. Another star running back returning from a major injury for Minnesota was Trey Potts, who took over primary backfield duties in the third quarter and finished with 89 yards. It's clear both will provide a powerful 1-2 punch for the Gophers offense throughout the upcoming season.
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