Gophers football replay

GOPHERS 44, NEW MEXICO STATE 21

The recap: Leading 3-0 after one quarter, the Gophers got rushing touchdowns from David Cobb and Rodrick Williams and a punt return touchdown from Marcus Jones to make it 27-7 by halftime.

What was learned: With starting tailback Donnell Kirkwood out because of a sprained ankle, the Gophers still rushed for 342 yards, including career highs for Williams (148) and Philip Nelson (122).

• Defensive end Alex Keith suffered what might be a broken hand after making four tackles, coach Jerry Kill said.

• Senior kicker Chris Hawthorne hit all three of his field-goal tries (from 45, 22 and 27 yards) and all five of his extra points.

• Backup quarterback Mitch Leidner saw action, albeit limited, for the second consecutive week, rushing two times for 11 yards.

• Marcus Jones raced 65 yards for the Gophers' first punt return touchdown since Tellis Redmon's against Northwestern in 2000.

Records: Gophers 2-0, Western Illinois 2-0

The skinny: Western Illinois plays in FCS (Football Championship Subdivision), which produced eight victories over FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) teams in Week 1. The Leathernecks went 3-8 last season, averaging fewer than 10 points per game, but they opened this season with victories over Hampton (42-9) and Quincy (34-6). They are coached by Bob Nielson, who went 100-26 and won two NCAA Division II championships in 10 years as the head coach at Minnesota Duluth.