BOWLING GREEN, Ohio — Minnesota junior linebacker Simoni Lawrence said he was playing with a little extra motivation Saturday night. The reason? His parents. They had driven from Philadelphia to see him and the rest of the Gophers football team take on Bowling Green, and he wanted to be his best. And he was. Simoni recorded seven tackles and half a sack, and apparently, the motivation was contagious. With the help of turnovers and sophomore quarterback Adam WeberâÄôs efficient arm, Minnesota rolled past the Falcons 42-17 Saturday night at Doyt Perry Stadium in Bowling Green, Ohio. The Gophers (2-0 overall, 0-0 Big Ten) entered the game as four-point underdogs according to most Las Vegas oddsmakers, a position nearly unheard of for a Big Ten team playing a Mid-American Athletic Conference opponent. The Big Ten and the MAC have met 342 times; the Big Ten has won 291 of those meetings. To be a Big Ten team and not be favored is rare. But Bowling Green (1-1 overall, 0-0 MAC) was coming off one of its biggest wins in school history, a 27-17 stunner over then-No.-25-ranked Pittsburgh, and Minnesota had barely squeaked by a Northern Illinois team that went 2-10 a season ago. But like the season opener, the Gophers started fast. Their opening drive was clinical: Eight plays, 71 yards, just more than four minutes off the clock. Weber hinted of things to come by going 4-for-4 on the drive, including a 34-yard touchdown strike to sophomore running back Duane Bennett out of the backfield. And after that drive, Weber was nothing less than a model of efficiency. He finished the night 21-of-25 for 233 yards and three touchdowns. Of course, it probably helped that his defense kept giving Minnesota the ball. The GophersâÄô defense and special teams forced five turnovers on the evening âÄî the most theyâÄôve forced since the 2006 regular-season finale against Iowa âÄî including an interception that put the momentum squarely in MinnesotaâÄôs favor. The game remained close into the fourth quarter, with the Gophers up by only four and Bowling Green driving. FalconsâÄô quarterback Tyler Sheehan looked long for wide receiver Chris Wright, but junior safety Tramaine Brock was tight on the coverage and came down with the ball. âÄúThat was a big play,âÄù head coach Tim Brewster said. âÄúEvery opportunity we had to come up with a big play, we came up with it.âÄù On the ensuing drive, a play that was nearly disastrous instead kept Minnesota driving toward its most important score of the game. On third-and-nine, a high snap bounced off WeberâÄôs fingertips and over his head, but he managed to catch the ball on the fly, recover and complete a 14-yard pass to junior wide receiver Ben Kuznia for the first down. Four plays later, the Gophers faced a fourth and four, but Weber coolly completed a seven-yard pass to senior tight end Jack Simmons. âÄúWe knew we had a good play,âÄù Weber said. âÄúAnd we knew Jack (Simmons); he finds a way to get open in the holes.âÄù On the ensuing play, Weber found junior wide receiver Eric Decker in traffic for a 28-yard touchdown strike to give Minnesota a 28-17 lead and a bit of breathing room with 10:35 remaining in the game. And though the score was important, it was the GophersâÄô defense that sealed the game. Bowling GreenâÄôs next two offensive possessions ended in fumbles, both of which resulted in scores for Minnesota. By the end of the night, the Gophers had scored 28 points off Falcons turnovers and had a plus-five turnover advantage. âÄúI donâÄôt know what the ratio is for winning and losing with plus-five turnovers,âÄù senior linebacker Deon Hightower said. âÄúBut I think itâÄôs pretty great for winning.âÄù