Jalen Smith, Minnesota Football News: Draft Scout Player News

Draft Scout College Football Player News

12/26/25 - WR Jalen Smith, rFr/2029, Minnesota, (DS#37 WR)

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. 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. 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 (UCLA) for the first time since 2007 and played in a bowl game outside of Albuquerque for the first time since 2004. The Lobos earned a spot in their first bowl game since the 2016 New Mexico Bowl behind a vastly improved defense. Fourth-worst in the FBS a year ago, New Mexico climbed to No. 49 this season, allowing about 222 yards less in total defense. The Lobos shut down Minnesota for most of the first half, recovering a botched snap on a midfield fourth-and-1 attempt and holding the Gophers to 112 first-half yards. - Minnesota/AP College Football

(DS#37 WR) rFr/2029