Meineke Car Care Bowl vs. Texas Tech: Pregame Thread

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@DarrenWolfson: The #Gophers have sold 3,163 tix for their bowl game on Friday. They are responsible for 12,000. Remaining will be eaten from bowl proceeds.

Go Gophers!!
 



STrib: U's Stoudermire shoots for return record

Still, it would be nice to give his family, most of whom haven't seen him play since his days at Skyline High School in Dallas, something to remember. He'll be trying to remember everything about his last collegiate game.

"It's been a long journey," he said. "Today at practice, I was joking around, [saying] 'I'm going to miss you.' And it started hitting me -- after Friday, I'm not going to be around this team anymore. I'm staying in Houston after the game to start training for the NFL combine. My next journey is about to start. So this game is a little bittersweet."

http://www.startribune.com/sports/gophers/184880391.html

Go Gophers!!
 

per Sid:

Gophers more healthy

Gophers football coach Jerry Kill said that one plus for the team in Friday's Meineke Car Care Bowl against Texas Tech is that many of the starters are healthy again after sitting out parts of the season.

"I think the great thing up front is that our strongest group up front will be healthy," Kill said. "That will be with Jon Christenson at center and Zac Epping at guard. We get [tackle] Eddie Olson back. Up front we'll be as healthy as we've been, when we thought we were playing really well.

"Our tight ends will be healthy for some of the things we do, with Drew Goodger and John Rabe, along with [fullback] Michael Henry. I think offensively we certainly helped ourselves healthwise."

Kill described Texas Tech as a wide-open football team, one that isn't similar to any team in the Big Ten.

"Their team is going to ... spread it out," he said. "They're going to set their run up by throwing it. They have great, big receivers on the edges and a quarterback that is very efficient. An offensive team similar to Syracuse, except I think even a little bit better skilled than Syracuse, and they're better up front.

"Defensively they're going to be a 4-2-5 defense. They've got big guys up front and then they're very skilled on the back end. They have to defend the pass all the time in practice, so they're very good at that."

The Gophers are to 13-point underdogs against the Red Raiders according to most Las Vegas oddsmakers.

http://www.startribune.com/sports/vikings/184874351.html

Go Gophers!!
 





PiPress: Gophers receivers have motivation

"Obviously, we're going to miss (Barker), but he's moved on and we've moved on, too," Derrick Engel said recently. "We would have liked to end better as a passing unit. We barely broke 100 yards in the last few games. So we've worked more this last month on getting a lot better, getting our timing down and our routes down and everything."

http://www.twincities.com/gophers/ci_22264464/gophers-receivers-have-motivation

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Okay for us watching back on TV Over/Under how many times will the ESPN broadcast either show a clip or talk about the 2006 game against TT?
 

@NSandell: Update from Houston: DE Ben Perry tweaked his knee in practice yesterday, per Kill, but "moved around pretty good today." ...

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ESPN: Big Ten predictions: Bowl picks

Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas

Brian Bennett: The Red Raiders have an interim coach, and Minnesota has had a month to heal the many injuries that ravaged its offense late in the season, both of which are positives for the Gophers. I think Matt Limegrover will find some creative ways to use MarQueis Gray. Still, Minnesota lacks the weapons to go up and down the field against a high-scoring Big 12 team. Michael Carter and the Gophers secondary will make some plays but not enough to stop Texas Tech, which pulls away after a close first two-and-half quarters. ... Texas Tech 31, Minnesota 17.

Adam Rittenberg: The Gophers' defense is much improved in Year 2 under Tracy Claeys, but you need a decent amount of offensive firepower to keep pace with Texas Tech. Like you, my concern is the lack of playmakers surrounding Philip Nelson and Gray. Both men will see time at quarterback and help the Gophers take a first-half lead, but a Minnesota turnover changes the game and Texas Tech strikes for two fourth-quarter passing touchdowns to win. ... Texas Tech 34, Minnesota 21

http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id/68632/big-ten-predictions-bowl-picks

Go Gophers!!
 



RochesterGopher said:
Okay for us watching back on TV Over/Under how many times will the ESPN broadcast either show a clip or talk about the 2006 game against TT?
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Haven't you heard? We've never played Texas Tech before!
 


@GophersNow: #Gophers not revealing their plans for starting QB on Friday. I think it should be Gray one last time. But Nelson needs to play a lot, too.

Go Gophers!!
 

BleedGopher said:
Phil Miller blog: Interim coach has confidence of Red Raiders
http://www.startribune.com/sports/gophers/184937131.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
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If the Gophers can't win this one it will not be a good sign. I don't even think Texas Tech has enough active coaches on staff to run practice for each of the units; how in the world are they going to prepare a gameplan? Tuberville left TTU with a worse winning % than anyone there in the last 25 years. And they have multiple players suspended. The Gophers coaching staff is completely intact and everyone is basically healthy. McDonald has not been a huge factor this year so that's not a major loss for this game.
Again, bad sign if the Gophers can't outplay and outcoach an undermanned and undercoached team that probably barely cares about another mediocre in-state bowl game.
 

Catechol said:
If the Gophers can't win this one it will not be a good sign. I don't even think Texas Tech has enough active coaches on staff to run practice for each of the units; how in the world are they going to prepare a gameplan? Tuberville left TTU with a worse winning % than anyone there in the last 25 years. And they have multiple players suspended. The Gophers coaching staff is completely intact and everyone is basically healthy. McDonald has not been a huge factor this year so that's not a major loss for this game.
Again, bad sign if the Gophers can't outplay and outcoach an undermanned and undercoached team that probably barely cares about another mediocre in-state bowl game.
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Thanks again for your insightful contribution! As always, greatly appreciated...

Finally going to break that 63-yr postseason drought? If not, it would be a "bad sign"...
 



How can the Gophers win?

My guess will be:

1. Sustained effective Gopher pass rush (Haggeman & Wilhite create havoc with hurries, disrupting QB rhythm).
2. How well will our D secondary will match up against the taller TT WRs & their deep bench?
3. Whether our WR corps will step up. Q, TE play...
4. Great special teams play or the lack of it. Stoudemire returning a punt for a TD, if punter can pin TT deep, flawless kicking.
5. Whether TT running attack will remain dormant.
6. Can we get our ground and pound game going? Kirkwood & RW will need to get the RB tandem mojo going.
7. With the OL and others healthier & 15 extra practices, can we execute the zone read offense to perfection?
8. Finally, if the entire TT team come up with Dengue Fever then we will win!

IMHO, the Gophers will need to play an error free game to have a chance against a more experience TT. Otherwise, it may end up in a blow out.

There is still a chance. Go Gophers!
 

PiPress: Gophers not even telling MarQueis Gray who'll start at QB

"They haven't told myself or Philip (Nelson) yet who the starter is going to be tomorrow," Gray said after the 1 p.m. news conference Thursday, Dec. 27.

But Gray, a senior who finished the regular season playing wide receiver, said with a smile that he started his college career as a quarterback and "planned on ending it as a quarterback."

http://www.twincities.com/gophers/c...rce=rss&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

Go Gophers!!
 

Limegrover said on KFAN today something along the lines of he was our guy going into the season, he was our guy, he got injured, he's healthy now, we'll play him quite a bit at QB, game plan fits him very well.
 

BleedGopher said:
PiPress: Gophers not even telling MarQueis Gray who'll start at QB

"They haven't told myself or Philip (Nelson) yet who the starter is going to be tomorrow," Gray said after the 1 p.m. news conference Thursday, Dec. 27.

But Gray, a senior who finished the regular season playing wide receiver, said with a smile that he started his college career as a quarterback and "planned on ending it as a quarterback."

http://www.twincities.com/gophers/c...rce=rss&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

Go Gophers!!
Click to expand...

Sounds like a press conference answer.
 


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