The Minnesota Golden Gophers are well aware of what happened to them when they played North Dakota State in 2007, and if the first drive is any indication, they won’t let that happen again.

The Gophers took the opening kick and went 68 yards in 13 plays, using a nice mix of running and passing the ball, and freshman running back Donnell Kirkwood went in from 4 yards out. With the Chris Hawthorne extra point, the Gophers have an early 7-0 lead.

On the drive, junior QB MarQueis Gray was 3-4 for 31 yards, including a nice 16 yard pickup to DaJon McKnight on the first third down of the series. He also had 3 carries for 13 yards, while Kirkwood contributed 17 yards.

North Dakota State currently has the ball and they just crossed midfield, aided by a 15 yard personal foul penalty against the Gophers on third down. With just over 4 minutes left in the opening quarter, it’s 7-0 Minnesota.