Minnesota-New Mexico in Rate Bowl: How to watch
PHOENIX - It's a Gopher football game day in Phoenix.
Minnesota and New Mexico will play in the Rate Bowl at Chase Field. Coverage starts at 2 p.m. CT with the FOX 9 Gopher Pregame on FOX 9, FOX Local and fox9.com/live. The game kicks off at 3:30 p.m. CT on ESPN.
By the numbers:
0 - The number of times Minnesota and New Mexico have played. The Rate Bowl will mark the first time the Gophers and Lobos have played.
5 - The number of times the Gophers have played in the Rate Bowl. Minnesota is looking for a second-straight win in the game after an 18-6 victory over West Virginia in 2021.
8 - Consecutive bowl game wins by Minnesota - the longest streak in the nation and longest streak in Big Ten history. Minnesota's streak dates back to the 2015 Quick Lane Bowl.
6-0 - The Gophers record in bowl games under head coach PJ Fleck. Last year, they beat Virginia Tech 24-10 and, after the game, Fleck got a mayonnaise bath via the game's sponsor, Duke's Mayo. Fleck's six bowl wins are the most by any coach in the school's history, accounting for 46% of Minnesota's total 13 bowl wins.
Local perspective:
New Mexico head coach Jason Eck has coaching roots in Minnesota and the Upper Midwest. Eck was an assistant at Winona State in 2007-2008 and Minnesota State-Mankato in 2013-2014, prior to his longer stint as an assistant at South Dakota State from 2016-2021 that launched his head coaching career at Idaho and now New Mexico.
What's next:
Darius Taylor: Transfer portal ‘not an option’
Gophers’ standout running back Darius Taylor plans to play against New Mexico. That in itself could send a big message about his future plans.
Taylor has more than 3,000 yards from scrimmage in his three seasons at Minnesota. He missed three games due to injury this season and leads the Gophers with 572 yards and three touchdowns. Early indications are he’ll be back for the 2026 season.
"I haven’t really thought about that stuff. It’ll probably be after the bowl game, I’ll sit down and talk to Coach Fleck, do all those things. I haven’t really thought about it much, the biggest thing is playing in the bowl game, getting my body together, excited to play with the seniors one last time," Taylor said. "Nah, the portal is not an option."
Gophers RB Darius Taylor says portal 'not an option' after Rate Bowl
Gophers running back Darius Taylor is among a few players pondering what's next after Minnesota faces New Mexico in the Rate Bowl on Friday. Taylor said the transfer portal is "not an option," which means he likely returns to Minnesota for the 2026 season.
Anthony Smith weighing NFL options
The possibility exists that Anthony Smith is playing in his final Gophers’ game on Friday. His 10.5 sacks leads the Big Ten, and he finished with 13.5 tackles for loss.
He has one year of eligibility left with Minnesota, and could also declare for the NFL Draft.
"Are you ready for the league, are you not ready? Some people don’t know those answers and some people do know those answers," Smith said. "What I’m really taking into consideration is who is going to coach me the best, who am I going to get coached by, who is going to push me."