MINNEAPOLIS _ Rodney Smith etched his name into the Minnesota record books in the most fitting way: with a touchdown.
On a 1-yard rushing score in the third quarter, Smith eclipsed 96 yards in the game and thus stood alone atop the Gophers' all-time all-purpose yards list, ending the game with 5,117 total yards. His 103 yards on 17 carries also helped him reach the top-three of Gophers' all-time rushers with 3,848 career yards.
Not bad for a sixth-year veteran who contemplated not coming back after tearing his ACL last season. And team-wise, the Gophers trounced Maryland, 52-10, on Saturday at TCF Bank Stadium in front of an announced crowd of 44,715.
The No. 17 Gophers now head into a bye week 8-0 for this first time since the early 1940s, including being 5-0 in the Big Ten conference. A meeting with their first ranked opponent of the season, also undefeated Penn State, awaits Nov. 9.
Smith has stung together five-consecutive games of 100 or more rushing yards. The Gophers are on a 10-game winning streak, dating back to last season.
While Maryland had run over the Gophers the past two seasons in the Big Ten opener, the Gophers turned the tables this year. The team amassed 321 yards on the ground, with several players besides Smith contributing.
Fellow running backs Mohamed Ibrahim and Shannon Brooks contributed, as did young backs Treyson Potts and Preston Jelen in the fourth quarter. But the surprises were quarterback Tanner Morgan and his 30 yards on scrambles and wildcat quarterback Seth Green.
The Gophers relied on the wildcat formation heavily last season, with Smith and Brooks injured for most of the year. This season, it has been largely dormant. But Green tallied 34 yards on six carries plus two touchdowns. And he came into the game not just in scoring situations but in several short-yardage scenarios on the field.
The passing game, though, had its moments, good and bad. The Gophers receivers showed once again their talent, with Tyler Johnson tipping a too-high Morgan throw right to Rashod Bateman for a 20-yard gain before burning his defender to score a 16-yard touchdown. They added to the Gophers' 498 total offensive yards.
On the defensive side, Gophers safety Antoine Winfield Jr., needed only the second snap of the game, to grab his fifth interception of the year and return it 30 yards to set up the Gophers' first touchdown.
Winfield endured season-ending injuries against Maryland the past two seasons, making him a rare fourth-year sophomore. But with that big play, Winfield proved he wasn't fated for the same catastrophe. Morgan threw a 9-yard touchdown to Bateman to capitalize on that momentum shifter.
Cornerback Coney Durr showed that up, though, picking off Maryland's Tyrrell Pigrome for a 72-yard touchdown return. Those interceptions proved a bit contagious, as Morgan threw his own when he overshot Bateman. That 40-yard return led to Maryland's loan field goal score.
The defense held firm on that drive despite Maryland creeping up to the 4-yard line. The Gophers limited the Terrapins to just 210 total yards, even without their best defensive player, Kamal Martin, who did not play with an injury.
