Gophers pass rusher Boye Mafe getting to quarterbacks at high rate

Boye Mafe has a simple philosophy about happiness.

"I just try to make one person smile," the Gophers defensive end said. "If I see someone who's down or is having a hard day or somebody who's frustrated, just by making somebody smile, that makes my day. … If I'm in a room with 20 people and one person in the room is sad, I can't be happy."

Of course, that doesn't necessarily apply to those in football stadiums on the road. Mafe, a former Hopkins standout, certainly didn't put a smile on the face of Nebraska's Adrian Martinez last Saturday. Instead, he helped make sure the Cornhuskers quarterback was down, frustrated and having a hard day.

The 6-4, 265-pound Mafe forced a fumble by Martinez late in the third quarter and sacked the quarterback early in the fourth, two plays that were instrumental in the Gophers securing a 24-17 victory at Memorial Stadium. Playing in his first game since Nov. 13, the junior from Golden Valley continued his improvement as a pass rusher and ran his sacks total to 4½ in five games played this season.

On Wednesday, Mafe, whose 0.90 sacks per game is the best rate in the Big Ten, earned all-conference honorable mention.

"He's certainly taking his pass-rush game to the next level," Gophers defensive coordinator Joe Rossi said. "Basically, every game he's played … he's gotten home [sacked the QB] in those games."

Against Nebraska, Mafe's pass-rush work came at the expense of Huskers redshirt freshman right tackle Bryce Benhart, a former Lakeville North standout. Benhart was recruited heavily by the Gophers — so much so that coach P.J. Fleck once took a helicopter to the southern suburb's stadium on a Friday night in 2017 to woo the lineman.

After the turnover, Minnesota marched 39 yards for a touchdown that boosted its lead to 24-14.

Mafe's sack came on Nebraska's next possession, when he sped past Benhart and dropped Martinez for a 6-yard loss on third-and-10. That forced a punt, and the Huskers would get only one more possession.

"All game we were bull-rushing, setting the edge," Mafe said. "At that point, I felt it was time to set him up for something. I decided to go with a speed rush, and as I hit the speed rush, I noticed on my second or third step, I was hip to hip with him, and that's when I decided to take the corner."

Rossi was impressed, but he wants more from Mafe.

"I still think there's a tremendous ceiling, a tremendous upside for him," Rossi said. "I still believe he has more to give in the pass-rush game as he develops his moves. … We want to see him impact the run."