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University of Minnesota Athletics
Saturday, September 8
TCF Bank Stadium
6:30 PM
University of Minnesota
vs
Fresno State
Players Mentioned
RB
/ Football
Game 2: Fresno State at Minnesota
9/3/2018 3:40:00 PM | Football
Gophers and Bulldogs to meet for the first time on the gridiron.
FIVE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
1. Minnesota welcomes Fresno State to TCF Bank Stadium for a 6:30 p.m. game on Saturday. The Gophers and Bulldogs have never met on the football field. The last time Minnesota faced an opponent for the first time was 2016 when the Gophers beat Big Ten newcomer Rutgers 34-32 at home. Prior to Rutgers, the last time Minnesota played an opponent for the first time was 2014 when it beat Eastern Illinois 42-20. Minnesota is 12-3 all-time against Mountain West opponents, and its most recent game was a 31-24 home win against Colorado State in 2016. The Gophers will play at Fresno State on Sept. 7, 2019.
2. Minnesota beat New Mexico State 48-10 to open the season and the 38-point margin of victory was the largest ever for the Gophers at TCF Bank Stadium. Minnesota had previously beaten Iowa (2014) and New Hampshire (2012) by 37 points at TCF Bank Stadium. The 38-point win was also Minnesota's largest margin of victory since 2006, when it topped Temple 62-0 at home.
3. Rodney Smith also keeps climbing in the record books for rushing yards. The senior has rushed 650 times (fifth all-time) for 2,958 yards (seventh all-time) in 38 career games. He is poised to become only the sixth Gopher in school history to rush for more than 3,000 career yards and would join Darrell Thompson (4,654 yards), Laurence Maroney (3,933), Thomas Hamner (3,810), Marion Barber III (3,276), Chris Darkins (3,235) and Marion Barber (3,094) in that category. Against New Mexico State, Smith tied his career high with 153 rushing yards (also rushed for 153 against Purdue in 2016). He also passed former Gopher great and friend David Cobb on Minnesota's all-time rushing list. Cobb, who was a senior in 2014 when Smith was redshirting, ended his career with 2,893 career yards, but set a single-season rushing record with 1,626 yards in 2014.
4. Minnesota passed for 227 yards and rushed for 295 yards against New Mexico State. It was the first time since Nov. 5, 2016, against Purdue (span of 16 games) that Minnesota eclipsed the 200 yard mark in both passing and rushing in the same game. Against Purdue, Minnesota passed for 231 yards and rushed for 235 as it won 44-31.
5. Minnesota held New Mexico State scoreless in the second half of its 48-10 win. It was the fourth time under Fleck that Minnesota has held an opponent scoreless in a half. Minnesota did not allow a point in the second half last season to Buffalo, Oregon State and Middle Tennessee.
You can read Minnesota's complete game notes here.
1. Minnesota welcomes Fresno State to TCF Bank Stadium for a 6:30 p.m. game on Saturday. The Gophers and Bulldogs have never met on the football field. The last time Minnesota faced an opponent for the first time was 2016 when the Gophers beat Big Ten newcomer Rutgers 34-32 at home. Prior to Rutgers, the last time Minnesota played an opponent for the first time was 2014 when it beat Eastern Illinois 42-20. Minnesota is 12-3 all-time against Mountain West opponents, and its most recent game was a 31-24 home win against Colorado State in 2016. The Gophers will play at Fresno State on Sept. 7, 2019.
2. Minnesota beat New Mexico State 48-10 to open the season and the 38-point margin of victory was the largest ever for the Gophers at TCF Bank Stadium. Minnesota had previously beaten Iowa (2014) and New Hampshire (2012) by 37 points at TCF Bank Stadium. The 38-point win was also Minnesota's largest margin of victory since 2006, when it topped Temple 62-0 at home.
3. Rodney Smith also keeps climbing in the record books for rushing yards. The senior has rushed 650 times (fifth all-time) for 2,958 yards (seventh all-time) in 38 career games. He is poised to become only the sixth Gopher in school history to rush for more than 3,000 career yards and would join Darrell Thompson (4,654 yards), Laurence Maroney (3,933), Thomas Hamner (3,810), Marion Barber III (3,276), Chris Darkins (3,235) and Marion Barber (3,094) in that category. Against New Mexico State, Smith tied his career high with 153 rushing yards (also rushed for 153 against Purdue in 2016). He also passed former Gopher great and friend David Cobb on Minnesota's all-time rushing list. Cobb, who was a senior in 2014 when Smith was redshirting, ended his career with 2,893 career yards, but set a single-season rushing record with 1,626 yards in 2014.
4. Minnesota passed for 227 yards and rushed for 295 yards against New Mexico State. It was the first time since Nov. 5, 2016, against Purdue (span of 16 games) that Minnesota eclipsed the 200 yard mark in both passing and rushing in the same game. Against Purdue, Minnesota passed for 231 yards and rushed for 235 as it won 44-31.
5. Minnesota held New Mexico State scoreless in the second half of its 48-10 win. It was the fourth time under Fleck that Minnesota has held an opponent scoreless in a half. Minnesota did not allow a point in the second half last season to Buffalo, Oregon State and Middle Tennessee.
You can read Minnesota's complete game notes here.
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