PHOENIX — Minnesota thrives in an era of bowl opt-outs, even when a national championship is out of reach.These Golden Gophers dig the postseason.Jalen Smith scored his second touchdown on a diving 12-yard catch in the first overtime and Minnesota extended its postseason winning streak to nine games with a 20-17 win over New Mexico in the Rate Bowl on Friday.Minnesota’s bowl winning streak — seven straight under coach P.J. Fleck — matches Southern California and Utah for second-longest all-time, behind Florida State’s 11 in a row from 1985-95. “It’s all about the players — the resolve, the resiliency, the scrap they have,” Fleck said. “I’m proud to be their coach for what they’ve done and what they continue to do.”A year after Kansas State beat Rutgers 44-41 in the Rate Bowl, the 2025 version turned defensive in the desert — until a flurry early in the fourth quarter.Minnesota (8-5) went up 14-6 when Darius Taylor scored on a 5-yard touchdown run, but Damon Bankston returned the ensuing kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown. New Mexico’s 2-point conversion on a trick play tied the game at 14-all.The teams returned to trading punts, sending the game to overtime at Chase Field, home of baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks.New Mexico (9-4) failed to get a first down on the opening possession and Luke Drzewiecki kicked a 36-yard field goal. The Gophers and their fans then got to celebrate Smith’s spectacular touchdown twice — once live, the other after an official review confirmed the catch.“Obviously, we didn’t start the way we wanted, but we battled,” said Minnesota quarterback Drake Lindsey, who threw for 147 yards and two touchdowns. “We had to battle back all season and we did it again.”New Mexico had its chances and took a couple more that failed.It didn’t work out, but the Lobos took quite a step forward in coach Jason Eck’s first season.A team picked to finish 11th in the 12-team Mountain West Conference, New Mexico went undefeated at home for the first time since 1962, beat a Power Four team ( …
