It wasn't always pretty, but the Minnesota Golden Gophers put together a fairly decent first drive against the USC Trojans to get things started.
After a false start on the first play, the first successful snap of the year was a give to running back Duane Bennett, who sprinted for 35 yards to near midfield. The Gophers also converted their first third down opportunity of the 2011 season, thanks to a nice pass from MarQueis Gray to tight end Eric Lair for 13 yards.
Unfortunately, the drive stalled after an incompletion on the next third down attempt, and the Gophers attempted a 51-yard field goal. Unfortunately, Chris Hawthorne's kick came up well short of its intended target, and Southern Cal took over at its own 34-yard line.
With a little more than ten minutes remaining in the first quarter of play, the Trojans have the ball near midfield with the game still tied at zero.