BleedGopher
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per WCCO:
The 2019 season has been a dream for Gophers fans. The team started out 9-0, welcomed College GameDay to town for the first time and beat Penn State for the first time since 2013.
But, the shine came off a little bit down the stretch with a tough loss against Iowa and a blowout loss to Wisconsin in the battle for Paul Bunyan’s Axe. Still, P.J. Fleck’s group delivered the first 10-win season since 2003 and could possibly win 11 games for the first time since 1904. In order to do so, they would need to beat the Auburn Tigers when the teams meet in the Outback Bowl to kick off 2020.
In looking at the matchup, WCCO sports anchor Mike Max says that the Gophers health is a key factor.
“The Gophers come in pretty healthy. They didn’t have a lot of injuries during the year. So it’s not like they are worried about who is going to play, all those types of things. They are a healthy team and that matters a lot,” said Max.
But, Max, like many others this season, has questions about whether or not Fleck’s team is of the same quality as a team like Gus Malzahn’s Auburn Tigers.
“I think the biggest problem the Gophers might have going into this is the little bit of self doubt about do we belong with the big boys,” said Max.
Overall, Max thinks that Auburn’s talent will eventually overwhelm the Gophers, handing Fleck’s team its third loss of the season.
“Auburn’s speed might be a little bit much. I think it will be high-scoring because most college football games are. Not a lot of defenses that offenses can’t solve these days,” said Max. “I think it will be high-scoring, Minnesota will be able to match them (Auburn) for awhile and Minnesota will be able to control the ball up front because their offensive line is pretty good. But, in the end, you have to like Auburn to score about 40 and Minnesota to score about 28 points.”
Go Gophers!!
The 2019 season has been a dream for Gophers fans. The team started out 9-0, welcomed College GameDay to town for the first time and beat Penn State for the first time since 2013.
But, the shine came off a little bit down the stretch with a tough loss against Iowa and a blowout loss to Wisconsin in the battle for Paul Bunyan’s Axe. Still, P.J. Fleck’s group delivered the first 10-win season since 2003 and could possibly win 11 games for the first time since 1904. In order to do so, they would need to beat the Auburn Tigers when the teams meet in the Outback Bowl to kick off 2020.
In looking at the matchup, WCCO sports anchor Mike Max says that the Gophers health is a key factor.
“The Gophers come in pretty healthy. They didn’t have a lot of injuries during the year. So it’s not like they are worried about who is going to play, all those types of things. They are a healthy team and that matters a lot,” said Max.
But, Max, like many others this season, has questions about whether or not Fleck’s team is of the same quality as a team like Gus Malzahn’s Auburn Tigers.
“I think the biggest problem the Gophers might have going into this is the little bit of self doubt about do we belong with the big boys,” said Max.
Overall, Max thinks that Auburn’s talent will eventually overwhelm the Gophers, handing Fleck’s team its third loss of the season.
“Auburn’s speed might be a little bit much. I think it will be high-scoring because most college football games are. Not a lot of defenses that offenses can’t solve these days,” said Max. “I think it will be high-scoring, Minnesota will be able to match them (Auburn) for awhile and Minnesota will be able to control the ball up front because their offensive line is pretty good. But, in the end, you have to like Auburn to score about 40 and Minnesota to score about 28 points.”
'Auburn's Speed Might Be A Little Bit Much': WCCO's Mike Max On Gophers' Outback Bowl Matchup Against Tigers
WCCO sports anchor explains why he believes the Gophers will come up just short in their bid for the first 11-win season since 1904.
minnesota.cbslocal.com
Go Gophers!!