BOWLED OVER
Aggies fall to 0-2 after getting thumped by Minnesota
MINNEAPOLIS — True freshman walk-on Zack Annexstad threw two touchdown passes to Tyler Johnson in his debut as Minnesota opened the season by overwhelming New Mexico State in a 48-10 victory Thursday night.
Antoine Winfield Jr. pitched in the first punt return for a score by the Gophers in five years, a 76-yard zigzag through an Aggies coverage unit that missed six tackles during the play. Winfield’s was the third of four straight touchdowns for Minnesota in the second quarter.
Backup wide receiver Seth Green scored twice on direct snaps inside the 10-yard line, a clever twist from offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca that punctuated a 522-yard performance by the Gophers. Rodney Smith rushed 24 times for 153 yards, lightening the load on Annexstad in just the second time in major college football history that a true freshman walk-on quarterback started a season opener.
“This is what I wanted to see out of our football team,” coach P.J. Fleck said.
According to Minnesota’s research, Baker Mayfield was the only other one for Texas Tech in 2013. The last true freshman quarterback to start a season for the Gophers was Tim Salem in 1980. Adam Weber, the program’s all-time leading passer, was a redshirt freshman when he took over the job in 2007.
Annexstad completed 16 of 33 passes for 220 yards and no interceptions, before yielding to backup Tanner Morgan midway through the fourth quarter. Annexstad’s biggest gaffe was in the first quarter when he mishandled a shotgun snap that was
recovered by Aggies linebacker Terrill Hanks at the Minnesota 12-yard line.
Matt Romero’s best pass of the night came two plays later, a 13-yard connection in the corner of the end zone to Izaiah Lottie on a fade route against Antonio Shenault that tied the game at 7. Dylan Brown kicked a 45-yard field goal on the next drive to give New Mexico State a short-lived lead, before Annexstad and Smith took the Gophers 75 yards in seven plays on the ensuing possession.
“We got in a groove,” Smith said. “The offensive line picked up a little bit, and I’m proud of those guys up front.”
After the fumble, Annexstad
approached Fleck on the sideline and, putting a hand on the coach’s shoulder, assured him that the Gophers were going to be OK.
“That’s his personality,” said Fleck, who prohibits freshmen from conducting interviews. “It’s different, and I like it.”
The Aggies did have a few individual highlights:
Jonathan Boone set a career-high in receptions with eight, Drew Dan set a career-high in receiving yards with 61, Jonathan Hood had a team-leading 14 tackles, and Roy Lopez set a career high with 1.5 tackles for loss.
HANG ON: Romero finished 29 of 58 for 233 yards passing and one interception, a diving catch by linebacker Thomas Barber after one of several mishandled balls by Aggies receivers. Romero, a junior college transfer, made his debut Saturday during a 29-7 defeat by Wyoming in an unusually early start to the schedule.
“Really, he was sharp tonight,” Aggies coach Doug Martin said. “We had 15 dropped passes, so that’s hard to overcome for any quarterback. He didn’t get much help, but had we caught those balls, I mean, he was looking at a 400-yard passing night.”
THE TAKEAWAY: New Mexico State: The Aggies have allowed an astounding 607 rushing yards over their first two games, a sure sign that this will be a rebuilding project in Martin’s sixth season. Their net rushing total on offense, too, is just 29 yards.
Minnesota: Annexstad will face much more daunting defenses this season, but this was exactly the kind of smooth debut the Gophers needed for their rookie quarterback, let alone a team that has struggled badly with the forward pass in recent seasons. Demry Croft, who transferred to Tennessee State, totaled 262 passing yards over the final four games last season, and the Gophers didn’t have a touchdown pass over the last five games. Annexstad had two of them before halftime.
“I just went up to him and told him, ‘Keep balling. This is only a start,’” said Johnson, who had five catches for 100 yards. UP NEXT: New Mexico State visits Utah State on Sept. 8, a rematch of the Arizona Bowl game from last season.