In a word, the Minnesota Gophers did everything they needed to do against an overmatched New Mexico State team. The Gophers manhandled the Aggies in a 38-0 route in their home opener at Huntington Bank Stadium. The Aggies entered the game with 60 new players, and they could not match the experience or the speed of P.J. Fleck’s team.
The Minnesota Gophers Have a Dominating Offensive Line
BREAKING: #Gophers center John Michael Schmitz named Preseason Second-Team (AP) All-American.
— Tony Liebert (@TonyLiebert) August 22, 2022
The third consecutive season Minnesota has had at least one player named to either preseason team. pic.twitter.com/XDRg80x1f9
The first, second, and third storyline of the game was the dominating performance of the Minnesota offensive line. The Gophers’ linemen did not so much open holes for Mo Ibrahim and Trey Potts as much as they road graded the Aggies’ front seven down the field on every running play.
Particularly destructive was the left side of the Gophers line, tackle Aireontae Ersery, guard Axel Ruschmeyer, and center John Michael Schmitz. Minnesota backs were not getting touched until five yards down the field and the New Mexico State defenders were completely demoralized by game’s end. Examples of the Gophers’ dominance included:
485 yards in total offense
Scoring drives on their first six possessions
Offensive time of possession- 42 minutes and 24 seconds.
Tanner Morgan Regains His Confidence
Tanner “Wheels” Morgan, everybody. pic.twitter.com/NwN4YaWmA2
— Minnesota Football (@GopherFootball) September 2, 2022
Tanner Morgan and Ibrahim each scored two touchdowns on the ground and Potts added one. Gopher faithful were overjoyed to see Ibrahim healthy and in the form that made him a dominant college back in 2019 and 2020. In addition to the two scores, Ibrahim carried the ball 21 times for 132 yards. Pott’s totals were 17 carries for 89 yards.
Morgan looked like his confident former self. Although the offensive game plan devolved into a ball control scheme, he finished the night 13-19 for 174 passing yards and no turnovers. He also spread the ball around nicely hitting six different receivers and he looked at all times in control of the offense. Welcome back offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca.
Minnesota Gophers Defense Does Their Part
A dominant defensive showing was highlighted by this Terell Smith’s end zone INT! pic.twitter.com/MKUCkxG35V
— Minnesota Football (@GopherFootball) September 2, 2022
The defense of the Minnesota Gophers certainly did its part to ensure a victory. They held the Aggies to 91 yards total offense and cornerback Terell Smith added a fourth-quarter interception. Linebacker Mariano Sori-Marin led the team with one solo tackle and four assists and defensive lineman Danny Striggow and Thomas Rush each added a sack.
Fleck and Kill
PJ Fleck and Jerry Kill’s postgame handshake. Fleck seemed to hold it a bit longer… pic.twitter.com/O2W94AbLRn
— Tony Liebert (@TonyLiebert) September 2, 2022
And what about the P.J. Fleck and Jerry Kill feud? No drama required. They shook hands and talked for about ten minutes before the game, and they had a friendly conversation and handshake after the game. Nothing to see here folks.
The Gophers’ next game is against Western Illinois in what should be another very winnable game. The Minnesota Gophers need to dominate their non-conference opponents and continue to build their momentum as the Big Ten season approaches. To that end, Coach Fleck and Gopher Nation had to be extremely pleased with the team’s performance on Thursday night.
For more sports-related content, head over to Belly Up Sports. Follow me on Twitter for more of my articles.
