The home stretch of college football bowl games has arrived, and Friday’s Rate Bowl in Phoenix didn’t disappoint.
Minnesota Golden Gophers quarterback Drake Lindsey completed a game-winning 12-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jalen Smith in overtime for a 20-17 win against New Mexico (9-4) in the Rate Bowl. Lindsey found Smith in the middle of the end zone on third down and eight yards as Smith dove for the winning reception.
New Mexico rallied in the fourth quarter at the bowl game with a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Damon Bankston. Lobos quarterback Jack Layne forced overtime on a two-point conversion pass to Keagan Johnson, 14-14.
The Lobos then grabbed a 17-14 lead on the first drive in overtime with a 36-yard field goal by kicker Luke Drzewiecki. New Mexico’s defense looked poised to end things after shutting down the Gophers (8-5) on four previous drives, and the Lobos had all the momentum when Brett Karhu and Brian Booker sacked Lindsey in overtime.
Instead, Lindsey came up with one last big play. Lindsey went 18-28 for 147 yards passing and two touchdowns, and Smith finished with a team-best six catches for 64 yards and two touchdowns.
Gophers running back Darius Taylor previously gave Minnesota a 14-6 fourth quarter lead on a 5-yard touchdown. Taylor finished with 116 yards rushing on 24 carries.
Jalen Smith is a Player to Watch in 2026
Smith made a name for himself on Friday, but he has already shown potential for an NFL future.
He finished his freshman season with 22 receptions for 355 yards and two touchdowns. The Mankato, Minnesota, native notably caught a 78-yard pass from Lindsey during the season against Rutgers in September.
Smith was a three-star recruit out of Mankato West.
Gophers Keep Historic Bowl Streak Going
Minnesota won a ninth consecutive bowl game on Friday, and that kept the longest streak in Big Ten Conference history alive.
The Golden Gophers also have the fourth-longest bowl game winning streak in college football history. Minnesota could surpass Florida State’s mark of 11 straight between 1985 and 1995 with another three bowl game wins.
Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck now has a 7-0 mark in bowl game wins with the program. That said, the Gophers have yet to make the Big Ten conference championship game and get a shot at the College Football Playoff.
Once a dominant program with seven national titles, the Gophers haven’t won it all since 1960. The Gophers also haven’t been regulars in New Year’s Day bowl games for decades until two recent appearances in the 2010s.
Fleck has a 66-44 record with the Gophers in nine seasons.
New Mexico Had a Historic Turnaround
New Mexico played in a bowl game for the first time since the 2016 season as the Lobos enjoyed a historic turnaround under first-year head coach Jason Eck.
He led the Lobos to a 9-4 record, the best mark for a first-year Lobos coach in program history. It ended a streak of eight consecutive losing seasons for the Lobos.
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