The Gophers had a great first game last night, beating the New Mexico State Aggies 38-0. The Gophers rushed for almost 300 yards and had five rushing touchdowns. Ibrahim and Potts both were back from injury and looked like they didn’t miss a beat. The Gophers new retooled offensive and defensive line looked great, pushing around New Mexico State’s offensive and defensive lines.
The Defense Is Back
Well, not that it went anywhere. The Gophers shutout their first opponent at home since they beat Temple 62-0 back in 2006. Minnesota held the Aggies to 91 yards of total offense. The defense only gave up six first downs and got the Aggies offense off the field quickly, limiting their time of possession to only 15:30. The Gophers defensive back Terell Smith had an interception in the end zone stopping the Aggies only drive of the game. The Gophers defense looks to be playing at a similar level to last year, a good sign in week 1.
Dominated The Line Of Scrimmage
Minnesota established their dominance at the line of scrimmage early and never gave it up. The run game was amazing, rushing for 297 yards and five touchdowns, all anchored by a strong performance from the offensive line that pushed around the New Mexico State defense. On the defensive side, the Gophers only gave up 38 rushing yards on 21 attempts, holding the Aggies to 1.8 yards per carry. They also had two sacks and three tackles for a loss, not giving the Aggies any ground.
Time of Possession
The Gophers did what they have done for the past couple of years and controlled the time of possession. They ate up the clock possessing the ball for 44:30. The Aggies had a little over a quarter spent on offense in the game. The Gophers drove, ran, and used up the clock not giving the Aggies a chance to do anything on offense. The Gophers had 31 first downs, which helped them score on their first six possessions. The only possessions the Gophers didn’t score on were their last two in which they had the backups in. The starting offense was able to score on every possession, a good sign to see, especially against an opponent much worse than them.
Running Attack
The Gopher’s rushing attack was fantastic last night. Minnesota rushed for 297 yards and five touchdowns. Mohamed Ibrahim led the way with 132 yards and two touchdowns. Trey Potts had 89 yards and a touchdown, while Bryce Williams had 25 yards. Tanner Morgan also had 22 yards and two touchdowns. The Gophers ran the ball and there was nothing New Mexico State could do to stop it. If the Gophers can keep this kind of consistency with their run game it should not only help them win games but open up a passing that should be just as dangerous.
Summary
While New Mexico State has been bad for the past few years, this was a good showing from Minnesota. Both the offensive and defensive lines were question marks going into the season and they looked very good (yes, yes, I am aware this is New Mexico State), but still a good sign from a new group of players. They need to build chemistry, specifically the offensive line and next week’s matchup against Western Illinois should be another easy matchup to help them build their confidence and get comfortable with each other. All-in-all the Gophers did what they were supposed to and dominated a lesser opponent to get to 1-0 after the first week.
