Both Minnesota and Middle Tennessee State started slow on Saturday afternoon before the Gophers blew the game open with opportune turnovers by the defense and a few big plays by the offense to propel them to a 34-3 win and a 3-0 record.
It was a slow start with the Gopher offense struggling to move the ball for better part of 20 minutes. Before Rodney Smith got the offense going a little bit.
After the Blue Raiders tied the game up 3-3 with a 45-yard FG, Rodney Smith took the kickoff for a 40-yard return giving the Gophers excellent field position.