Gophers dominate in every way to stomp New Mexico State 38-0

Yeah, Mohamed Ibrahim still can run the ball. Trey Potts, too.

Yep, Kirk Ciarrocca and Tanner Morgan still can hit the right notes.

And yes, the Gophers still can play stingy defense.

All of that came together in a 38-0 rout of overmatched New Mexico State on Thursday night in the Gophers' season opener at Huntington Bank Stadium.

The pregame intrigue surrounded the one-sided feud between Jerry Kill, the current Aggies coach and former Gophers coach, and Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck, who succeeded Tracy Claeys, Kill's longtime assistant and friend.

Fleck sought out Kill for a pregame handshake, put his arm around his former boss at Northern Illinois and chatted with him for a couple of minutes. They shook hands after the game and talked again.

Then, Fleck's team methodically rolled over the Aggies, who were 2-10 last year and gave up 40.4 points per game.

"This toughness piece that we talk about, that's not a macho tough,'' Fleck said. "Can you be committed? Can you control your emotions? Can you challenge each other? Can you have confidence? Can you concentrate? I thought I saw a tough football team out there.''

Ibrahim, back from a ruptured Achilles' tendon that ended his 2021 season in the opener against Ohio State, rushed 21 times for 132 yards and two touchdowns. He surpassed 100 rushing yards for the 10th consecutive game, and his 35 career TDs are tied for second in program history with Marion Barber III.

"Emotional,'' Fleck said when asked about his reaction to Ibrahim's performance. "I'm not any of these players' parents, but you feel like you are. … What he's been through, what he's overcome is what 'Row the Boat' is all about. It's what his faith is all about.''

Potts, returning from an injury that ended his 2021 season in October at Purdue, had 17 carries for 89 yards and a TD.

"Thanks to the doctors at Purdue and the medical team there; thanks to the doctors in Indiana; thanks to the doctors and medical team here at the University of Minnesota, he's alive,'' Fleck said. "And not only is he alive, he ran for a lot of yards and a touchdown tonight. We never knew if he'd play again.''

Ciarrocca's play-calling and Morgan's play kept the offense balanced, with the sixth-year QB completing 13 of 19 passes for 174 yards. He also had a pair of 1-yard QB sneaks for TDs. Through three quarters, the Gophers outgained the Aggies 485-91 and held the ball for 44 minutes, 30 seconds to the Aggies' 15:30.

"When you watched him go through his progressions, you could just feel Kirk speaking to him,'' Fleck said.

The Gophers defense, which ranked third nationally in fewest yards allowed last year, didn't let the Aggies breach Minnesota territory until the fourth quarter. The shutout at home was the first since Sept. 16, 2006, in a 62-0 blanking of Temple.

"Every day that we come to work, we have to have that mentality that we need to be a tough defense,'' linebacker Mariano Sori-Marin said. "When you look at the Big Ten West, teams like Iowa and Wisconsin are built on stopping the run, physicality up front. As a defense, we have to mold to that mentality and be tough at all times.''

Ciarrocca, in the first game of his second stint with the Gophers, came out throwing. Morgan hit Chris Autman-Bell on a slant for a 15-yard gain, and Morgan found Mike Brown-Stephens on a slant for 26 yards on the next play. Ibrahim followed that with a 16-yard gain to the Aggies 17. Four plays later, Ibrahim bulled in from the 4 for his 34th career TD and a 7-0 lead with 9:50 left in the first quarter.

New Mexico State got a first down on its next possession, but the Gophers quickly forced a punt and took over at their 36 after a fair catch interference penalty on the Aggies.

On their second possession, the Gophers went on a 13-play, 64-yard march with their running game. Ibrahim got it started with gains of 15 and 9 yards. Back-to-back runs by Potts for 11 yards moved the ball to the 15. Ibrahim followed with four carries for 14 yards, taking it in from the 1 on the first play of the second quarter for his 35th career touchdown and a 14-0 lead.

After Minnesota's defense forced another three-and-out, the offense tore through the Aggies defense before stalling inside the 10 and settling for Matthew Trickett's 26-yard field goal for a 17-0 lead. Morgan a found Autman-Bell in the back of the end zone, and the wideout tried to get a toe in bounds, but a replay review confirmed the official's incomplete call.

The Gophers boosted the lead to 24-0 with 19 seconds left in the first half on Morgan's 1-yard QB sneak.

The Gophers got the ball to start the second half and marched 77 yards over 13 plays for a 31-0 led with Morgan in a starring role.

The QB immediately hit Autman-Bell on a drag route for a 19-yard gain. Four plays later, Morgan found a wide-open Brown-Stephens for 18 yards to the Aggies 26. But holding calls on left tackle Aireontae Ersery and right tackle Quinn Carroll made it second-and-26 from the 44. Morgan's screen to Potts got 14 yards back, and Morgan scrambled out of danger, cut back and got the first down with a 14-yard run to the 16. Three plays later, Morgan scored on another 1-yard sneak. The drive lasted 8:29.

"I was stumbling a little bit,'' Morgan said of his big run. "I knew I had to get the down. I had a couple really good blocks from the outside.''

Potts' 1-yard TD run with 7 seconds left in the third quarter made it 38-0.

"I loved how our guys played,'' Fleck said.