COLLEGE PARK, Md. _ Minnesota didn't just survive without injured quarterback Mitch Leidner on Saturday. It thrived.
Backup Conor Rhoda kept them turnover-free, Rodney Smith had two touchdowns, including a 70-yarder, and Minnesota's defense delivered a gem.
Maryland starting quarterback Perry Hills was out with an injury, too, and the Gophers defense made things miserable for his true freshman backup, Tyrrell Pigrome in a 31-10 win at Maryland Stadium.
The win snapped a two-game losing streak from the Gophers (4-2, 1-2 Big Ten), heading into next week's homecoming game against Rutgers.
Maryland (4-2, 1-2) entered as a 6{-point favorite, largely because Leidner was out after suffering a concussion last week against Iowa.
Rhoda, a former walk-on, gave the Gophers exactly what they needed. He wasn't mistake-free, but he didn't do anything to derail them, either.
Rhoda showed off a strong arm, completing seven of 15 passes for 82 yards and a touchdown. He fumbled once on a handoff in the first half, but it recovered it himself. He was also nearly intercepted twice in the third quarter.
But Rhoda showed his poise, too. His touchdown pass came on a 17-yard screen pass to Shannon Brooks with 14 seconds remaining in the first half. Maryland came with a blitz, but Rhoda got rid of the ball, and withstood a big hit from two Terps defenders.
Rhoda lifted his arms in triumph, when he got up, as the Gophers took a 14-0 lead to the locker room.
Brooks finished with 22 carries for 86 yards. His counterpart, Smith, had 18 carries for a career-high 144 yards.
Smith's first touchdown came on a third-and-2 play early in the second quarter. He could have been stopped short, but spun away from a would-be tackler on the right side, and looped to the left for an eight-yard score.
The Gophers opened the second half with a nice, sustained drive, stretching the lead to 17-0 on a 37-yard field goal from Emmit Carpenter.
Maryland came in ranked third in the Big Ten in scoring offense (37.4 points per game). But the Gophers held the Terps scoreless for the game's first 48 minutes.
Hills suffered a shoulder injury at Penn State last week, and coach D.J. Durkin said he thought the senior would play. But Hills couldn't throw a pass in warm-ups.
Pigrome, a previous Alabama Gatorade Player of the Year, had a rough day, completing 18 of 37 passes for 161 yards, with two interceptions and a fumble.
It was 17-3 when Smith broke free with another third-down run, this one for a career-long 70 yards into the end zone.
Gophers freshman Antoine Winfield Jr., finished the scoring, when he grabbed a tipped ball for his first career interception and returned it 82 yards for a touchdown.
