(BCSNN) — Minnesota didn’t dominate. It didn’t overwhelm. It simply survived - and in the postseason, that’s all that matters. Jalen Smith’s diving 12‑yard touchdown catch in the first overtime lifted the Gophers to a 20–17 win over New Mexico in the Rate Bowl on Friday, extending the program’s postseason winning streak to nine games.

The catch - spectacular in real time and confirmed after review - sealed Minnesota’s seventh straight bowl win under head coach P.J. Fleck and tied the Gophers with USC and Utah for the second‑longest bowl streak in college football history. Only Florida State’s run of 11 straight from 1985–95 stands above it.

The 2025 Rate Bowl bore little resemblance to last year’s 44–41 shootout between Kansas State and Rutgers. This one turned defensive early, with both teams trading stops until a fourth‑quarter burst briefly cracked the stalemate.

Minnesota (8–5) appeared to seize control when Darius Taylor punched in a 5‑yard touchdown to go up 14–6. But New Mexico’s Damon Bankston immediately answered with a 100‑yard kickoff return, and the Lobos tied the game at 14–14 with a trick‑play two‑point conversion.

From there, the defenses reasserted control. The teams traded punts throughout the final minutes of regulation, sending the game to overtime at Chase Field - the home of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

New Mexico (9–4) opened the extra period but failed to gain a first down. Luke Drzewiecki’s 36‑yard field goal gave the Lobos a 17–14 lead, but Minnesota needed only one possession to end it. After a short gain and an incompletion, Drake Lindsey lofted a high‑arching throw toward the right side of the end zone. Smith laid out, secured the ball, and held on through contact for his second touchdown of the night.

Minnesota’s offense struggled early, managing just 112 first‑half yards. A botched fourth‑and‑1 snap at midfield stalled one drive, and New Mexico’s improved defense - ranked No. 49 nationally after finishing fourth‑worst in the FBS a year ago - kept the Gophers off balance.

But Lindsey finally found rhythm late in the second quarter, guiding a nine‑play, 75‑yard drive capped by a rainbow 10‑yard touchdown pass to Smith in the back corner of the end zone.

Minnesota’s defense delivered its own steady performance, allowing two deep drives but holding New Mexico to field goals both times. The Gophers limited the Lobos to 124 first‑half yards and carried a 7–6 lead into the break.

New Mexico, playing in its first bowl game since 2016, showed the defensive growth that fueled its turnaround season. But the Lobos couldn’t generate enough offense late, and Minnesota’s postseason mastery continued.