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The Minnesota Golden Gophers will face off against the New Mexico State Aggies at 9 p.m. ET on Thursday at Huntington Bank Stadium. Minnesota ended up 9-4 last season and capped things off with a win over the West Virginia Mountaineers in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl, so they are on the hunt for another strong season. New Mexico State was 2-10 last year and is coming off of a 23-12 loss against the Nevada Wolf Pack on Saturday.
Two last-season defensive stats to keep in the back of your head while watching: The Golden Gophers were 20th best in the nation (top 8%) in yards allowed per game, finishing the 2021 season giving up only 278.8 on average. Less enviably, New Mexico State ranked seventh worst in the nation with respect to passing touchdowns allowed last season, where the squad gave up 32. The good news for New Mexico State, of course, is that these forces working against them might not carry over into the new season.
Minnesota is the favorite in this one, with an expected 37.5-point (!) margin of victory. It would take nothing short of a miracle for the Aggies to pull off a victory, but maybe they can at least keep Minnesota from covering the spread.
