The Minnesota Golden Gophers (8-5) closed out the 2025 season with a 20-17 overtime win over the New Mexico Lobos (9-4) in the Rate Bowl at Chase Field in Arizona on Friday.
The Elite
Anthony Smith. No one shone
brighter under the lights of Chase Field than the Gophers’ All-Big Ten defensive end, who was a force to be reckoned with on Friday, racking up six total tackles, four tackles for loss, and two sacks. Smith added an exclamation point to his MVP performance by announcing after the game that he will be returning to Minnesota next season for his final year of eligibility.
The Gopher defense. Through four quarters and one overtime period, Minnesota’s defense did not allow New Mexico to score a touchdown, limiting the Lobos to three field goals. They sacked quarterback Jack Layne four times, only allowed him to throw for 88 yards, and intercepted him once. There were no coverage busts, with New Mexico’s longest pass play of the day coming on a 16-yard completion. The Lobos found some success on the ground with running back Damon Bankston and change-of-pace quarterback James Laubstein, both of whom combined to average 5.7 yards per carry, though neither of them found the end zone.
Maverick Baranowski. He opened the game with a sack on the first play of the opening drive and then spent the rest of the game playing like a man possessed, racking up a team-high 17 total tackles.
Jalen Smith. Short-handed at the wide receiver position after leading receiver Le’Meke Brockington opted out and four other wide receivers left the program to enter the transfer portal, the Gophers needed one of their pass catchers to step up, and it turned out to be Jalen Smith. He capped a promising redshirt freshman season by hauling in six receptions for 64 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winner in overtime.
Darius Taylor. No one loves a bowl game more than Taylor. The Minnesota running back has now rushed for 100+ yards and a touchdown in each of the Gophers’ last three bowl games. Taylor provided a much-needed spark in the second quarter, using a spin move to evade a tackle in the backfield and sprinting to the edge to create a 38-yard gain down the sideline on a go-ahead scoring drive before halftime.
Tom Weston. When the Minnesota offense spun its wheels in the fourth quarter after allowing New Mexico to tie the game, their punter refused to let the Lobos win the field position battle. Weston punted three times in the fourth quarter and all three punts were downed at or inside the 20-yard line, including one at the 4-yard line.
The bowl streak lives on. With the win, Minnesota has extended their bowl winning streak to nine games, and improved to 7-0 in bowl games under head coach P.J. Fleck.
The Meh
The offensive line. It’s been a problem all season long, so of course it was a problem in the bowl game. Nathan Roy, Tony Nelson, and Dylan Ray were each penalized for a false start, and Greg Johnson drew a holding penalty, leaving Ashton Beers as the only starting offensive lineman not to draw a flag. The right side of the offensive line remained a liability, though I think all five starting spots should be up for grabs this offseason because the offensive line as a whole was simply not good enough this season. They have to be better next year, especially in the run game, which has seen diminishing returns in each successive season under Greg Harbaugh Jr.
Drake Lindsey. Some rust is to be expected when it has been a month between games, but the Gophers’ redshirt freshman quarterback looked completely out of sorts for most of the first half. New Mexico defensive coordinator Spence Nowinsky deserves credit for effectively mixing and disguising coverages in the backend, which led to more than a few poor decisions by Lindsey. He was 6-of-12 for 56 passing yards in the first half but found his groove in the second half, going 12-of-16 for 91 passing yards after halftime. Lindsey was especially locked in during the Gophers’ second half scoring drive, a perfect 5-of-5 for 34 passing yards as he and Taylor combined to lead Minnesota down the field on a 12-play, 80-yard touchdown drive.
The Ugly
Special teams. New Mexico running back Damon Bankston was named first-team All-Mountain West as a kick returner this season, so it made sense that Brady Denaburg’s first two kickoffs were booted into the end zone for touchbacks. What didn’t make sense was taking a 14-6 lead in the fourth quarter and then kicking the ball down the middle of the field to Bankston. With a full head of steam, he simply ran straight through the Gophers’ kickoff coverage team, sprinting 100 yards untouched to the end zone for the game-tying score. That cannot happen. Minnesota also ended up punting from inside of New Mexico territory three times Friday night because they don’t have a reliable field goal kicker. And did I mention Koi Perich muffed and nearly lost the first punt he fielded in the game? I would love to know what special teams coordinator Bob Ligashesky gets paid for.
The 4th & 1 playcall. The Gophers were trailing 6-0 and facing 4th & 1 at the New Mexico 49-yard line in the second quarter when offensive coordinator Greg Harbaugh decided to get tricky. Minnesota lined up for a tush push, only the plan was for the snap to go between Drake Lindsey’s legs and end up in the hands of Darius Taylor, who was alone in the backfield. Taylor was then supposed to throw the ball to Jalen Smith behind the defense. Only the snap hit the right arm of the upback and Taylor could not corral it, turning it into a fumble recovered by the Lobos. It was an ill-advised play-call that failed spectacularly and put the defense in a difficult position.
