After nine games, we can officially say Minnesota is for real.

Coming off a 31-26 upset of No. 5 Penn State in Minneapolis, the Gophers shot up the AP Poll, going from No. 13 to No. 7.

Minnesota is led by a powerful offense that ranks second in the Big Ten in scoring (37.6 yards per game) and third in total offense (432.9 yards per game).

A key part of that production is the connection between quarterback Tanner Morgan and wide receiver Rashod Bateman.

Bateman leads the Big Ten with 847 receiving yards on 38 receptions, while Morgan has steered clear of big mistakes while throwing for 2,100 yards and 21 touchdowns.

Their chemistry became clear early in the Gophers’ win over Penn State on Nov. 9.

Less than three minutes in, Morgan found Bateman, who lined up at the top of the numbers on the outside to the field on the right.

Bateman runs a fade route against the zone defense making his way to the bottom of the numbers, and Morgan finds him. All Bateman has to do then is break a tackle, and he’s free for six points.

Throw in Tyler Johnson — who boasts 730 receiving yards — and Chris Autman-Bell’s 319, and the Gophers have plenty of high-quality weapons for Morgan to spread the ball around to.

Minnesota combines its potent passing attack with one of the best running back in the Big Ten this season: Rodney Smith.

Smith trails only Wisconsin’s Jonathan Taylor and Ohio State’s J.K. Dobbins with 940 rushing yards on the season.

Against Illinois —which has been one of the hottest teams in the conference as of late — on Oct. 5, Smith carried the ball 24 times for a season-high 211 yards and a touchdown.

That game included a 64-yard scamper by Smith to set up a 12-yard touchdown catch by Johnson.

Smith lines up in the shotgun to the right of Morgan.

Then, after evading a tackle in the backfield, Smith bounces it outside and sprints past four Illini defenders from the defensive line, linebacker corps, and secondary, showing off his speed.

With the four defenders in pursuit, he breaks another tackle 16 yards downfield to propel him even further.

While the Gopher defense isn’t the best the Big Ten has to offer — it ranks seventh in scoring defense (20.7 points per game) and sixth in total defense (309.8 yards per game) — it boasts one of the best defensive backs in the country in Antoine Winfield Jr.

Winfield ranks second in the nation with seven interceptions — the same number Iowa has as a team.

Winfield, the son of former Minnesota Vikings cornerback Antoine Winfield, has recorded two multi-pick games this season with one coming against Rutgers and one coming against Penn State.

Winfield owns the ability to bate quarterbacks, but he can also make plays by taking an interception to the house.

With a comfortable 28-0 lead over the Scarlet Knights, he did just that.

On a play-action pass, Minnesota gets into the backfield early, forcing Rutgers quarterback Johnny Langan to throw an errant pass.

The ball didn’t come close to a Scarlet Knight, instead finding its way into Winfield’s hands. Winfield simply uses his speed to swerve around the Rutgers offense before taking it for six.