It’s Gophers vs. Georgia Tech in Quick Lane Bowl; Yellow Jackets unhappy
Minnesota wide receiver Tyler Johnson (6) gets some love from head coach P. J. Fleck after scoring his third touchdown against Miami (Ohio) in the third quarter of an NCAA football game at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2018. The Gophers beat Miami (Ohio), 26-3. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)
By ANDY GREDER | agreder@pioneerpress.com | Pioneer Press
PUBLISHED: December 2, 2018 at 3:38 pm | UPDATED: December 3, 2018 at 4:22 pm
The intrigue Sunday was less about where the Gophers would play their bowl game and more about who they would play. Answer, Georgia Tech in the Quick Lane Bowl on Dec. 26 at Ford Field in Detroit.
Since Minnesota became bowl eligible with a 37-15 upset win at Wisconsin on Nov. 24, most national experts had the Gophers headed to the Quick Lane Bowl for the second time in four years. To get there, Minnesota had to win two of their last three regular-season games, including knocking off Wisconsin for first time since 2003 in the season finale.
“I’m really proud of our football team, a team that found a way to get 6-6,” Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck said. “… It’s been a tremendous year. I think this team has overachieved in a lot of areas, and I’m very excited about having the opportunity to have the extra practices — especially for our young guys.”
After winning two of their last three regular-season games to become eligible, the Gophers were happy to be still playing. Not so Georgia Tech (7-5), whose players were unhappy about being sent north.
The Yellow Jackets thought better of themselves after going 5-3 in the Atlantic Coast Conference and tied for fourth-place finish behind No. 2 Clemson, Pitt, and Syracuse.
“How do we finish FOURTH in the ACC and get the lowest bowl in the ACC!!!!” Tech running back Qua Searcy tweeted. “HOW!!!!!”
Quarterback TaQuon Marshall tweeted, “I’m baffled at this bowl game …” with an emoji of a man holding his head in his hands.
While the Yellow Jackets beat three teams that received better ACC bowls bids — Miami (Pinstripe), Virginia (Belk) and Virginia Tech (Military) — Searcy and Marshall walked back their comments in later tweets. Marshall wrote: “We don’t want it to seem like we are any kind of ungrateful.”
Tech head coach Paul Johnson, fourth in wins among active FBS head coaches with 189, announced last week he’s stepping down after 11 seasons in Atlanta, so the bowl will be his final game at the helm.
Georgia Tech runs the nearly extinct triple-option offense, for which Minnesota will have a few weeks to prepare in their first-ever appearance against the Yellow Jackets. Fleck said it could entail different defensive looks and players in different spots under new permanent defensive coordinator Joe Rossi.
“Georgia Tech provides a lot of different challenges, where you have to switch up your defense and not necessarily play your defense,” Fleck said.
Other Big Ten teams headed to bowls: Ohio State in Rose on Jan. 1; Michigan in Peach on Jan. 1; Penn State in Citrus in Jan. 1; Northwestern in Holiday on Dec. 31; Iowa to Outback on Jan. 1; Michigan State to RedBox on Dec. 31; Wisconsin to Pinstripe on Dec. 27; and Purdue in Music City on Dec. 28.
Gophers fans showed a desire to return to the Music City Bowl in Nashville, flooding the mentions of their Twitter account last week. “A lot of Minnesota fans blowing up our feed … We see you Gophers,” a Music City Bowl representative tweeted.
But the Gophers won’t be headed back to Nashville, where they beat Arkansas in 2002 and Alabama in 2004, and lost to Virginia in 2005, in the Tennessee Titans’ stadium.
Some of the experts’ also-mentioned destinations for Minnesota were the RedBox Bowl in Santa Clara, Calif., and the Pinstripe Bowl in New York City. Instead, it’s back to the Quick Lane Bowl, where Minnesota topped Central Michigan, 21-14, in 2015.
“Christmas in Detroit,” Fleck said. “Let’s go!”
https://www.twincities.com/2018/12/...y-georgia-tech-in-quick-lane-bowl-in-detroit/
Minnesota wide receiver Tyler Johnson (6) gets some love from head coach P. J. Fleck after scoring his third touchdown against Miami (Ohio) in the third quarter of an NCAA football game at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2018. The Gophers beat Miami (Ohio), 26-3. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)
By ANDY GREDER | agreder@pioneerpress.com | Pioneer Press
PUBLISHED: December 2, 2018 at 3:38 pm | UPDATED: December 3, 2018 at 4:22 pm
The intrigue Sunday was less about where the Gophers would play their bowl game and more about who they would play. Answer, Georgia Tech in the Quick Lane Bowl on Dec. 26 at Ford Field in Detroit.
Since Minnesota became bowl eligible with a 37-15 upset win at Wisconsin on Nov. 24, most national experts had the Gophers headed to the Quick Lane Bowl for the second time in four years. To get there, Minnesota had to win two of their last three regular-season games, including knocking off Wisconsin for first time since 2003 in the season finale.
“I’m really proud of our football team, a team that found a way to get 6-6,” Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck said. “… It’s been a tremendous year. I think this team has overachieved in a lot of areas, and I’m very excited about having the opportunity to have the extra practices — especially for our young guys.”
After winning two of their last three regular-season games to become eligible, the Gophers were happy to be still playing. Not so Georgia Tech (7-5), whose players were unhappy about being sent north.
The Yellow Jackets thought better of themselves after going 5-3 in the Atlantic Coast Conference and tied for fourth-place finish behind No. 2 Clemson, Pitt, and Syracuse.
“How do we finish FOURTH in the ACC and get the lowest bowl in the ACC!!!!” Tech running back Qua Searcy tweeted. “HOW!!!!!”
Quarterback TaQuon Marshall tweeted, “I’m baffled at this bowl game …” with an emoji of a man holding his head in his hands.
While the Yellow Jackets beat three teams that received better ACC bowls bids — Miami (Pinstripe), Virginia (Belk) and Virginia Tech (Military) — Searcy and Marshall walked back their comments in later tweets. Marshall wrote: “We don’t want it to seem like we are any kind of ungrateful.”
Tech head coach Paul Johnson, fourth in wins among active FBS head coaches with 189, announced last week he’s stepping down after 11 seasons in Atlanta, so the bowl will be his final game at the helm.
Georgia Tech runs the nearly extinct triple-option offense, for which Minnesota will have a few weeks to prepare in their first-ever appearance against the Yellow Jackets. Fleck said it could entail different defensive looks and players in different spots under new permanent defensive coordinator Joe Rossi.
“Georgia Tech provides a lot of different challenges, where you have to switch up your defense and not necessarily play your defense,” Fleck said.
Other Big Ten teams headed to bowls: Ohio State in Rose on Jan. 1; Michigan in Peach on Jan. 1; Penn State in Citrus in Jan. 1; Northwestern in Holiday on Dec. 31; Iowa to Outback on Jan. 1; Michigan State to RedBox on Dec. 31; Wisconsin to Pinstripe on Dec. 27; and Purdue in Music City on Dec. 28.
Gophers fans showed a desire to return to the Music City Bowl in Nashville, flooding the mentions of their Twitter account last week. “A lot of Minnesota fans blowing up our feed … We see you Gophers,” a Music City Bowl representative tweeted.
But the Gophers won’t be headed back to Nashville, where they beat Arkansas in 2002 and Alabama in 2004, and lost to Virginia in 2005, in the Tennessee Titans’ stadium.
Some of the experts’ also-mentioned destinations for Minnesota were the RedBox Bowl in Santa Clara, Calif., and the Pinstripe Bowl in New York City. Instead, it’s back to the Quick Lane Bowl, where Minnesota topped Central Michigan, 21-14, in 2015.
“Christmas in Detroit,” Fleck said. “Let’s go!”
https://www.twincities.com/2018/12/...y-georgia-tech-in-quick-lane-bowl-in-detroit/
