Post Game Thread: Gophers Win 3rd Quick Lane Bowl!!

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DETROIT -- — Freshman Darius Taylor returned from a leg injury to rush for a career-high 208 yards, and Minnesota beat Bowling Green 30-24 in the Quick Lane Bowl on Tuesday.

Minnesota (6-7), which was selected for the bowl because it had the best Academic Progress Rate among five-win teams, won its seventh consecutive bowl game overall and fifth in a row under coach P.J. Fleck.

Taylor, who had missed the Gophers' previous five games, had 35 carries, including a 17-yard touchdown run midway through the fourth quarter that gave Minnesota a 30-17 lead. The 5-foot-11 running back, a Detroit native, averaged 176 yards during a three-game stretch in September, but had only played in one game since.

“It’s so cool to watch him come back to his home city and his home state and do what he did in front of a lot of people who came to support him,” Fleck said. “He’s a really special individual, a great young person. And he’s going to be one of the faces of this program for a long time.”..

“We’re bowl champs with a lot of injuries,” Fleck said. “A lot of people would have folded, but this team did not, and Cole deserves a lot of credit. I’m really happy for his leadership and proud of his leadership and thankful for him.”

Kramer went 8-of-16 passing for just 26 yards, but he came through in the red zone, throwing for two touchdowns and running for another. The Gophers ran the ball 44 times for 255 yards while holding Bowling Green to 82 yards rushing..

Bowling Green: The Falcons had 116 yards of offense in the first quarter — 75 on their opening drive. But they were held to 35 yards the next two quarters.

Minnesota: Taylor led the Gophers in rushing despite missing seven games.


www.espn.com

Minnesota 30-24 Bowling Green (Dec 26, 2023) Game Recap - ESPN

Expert recap and game analysis of the Minnesota Golden Gophers vs. Bowling Green Falcons NCAAF game from December 26, 2023 on ESPN.
www.espn.com www.espn.com
 

Honestly, considering all of the players on defense who were injured or sitting out, I was worried that Bowling Green might be able to turn the game into a shootout - which is the last thing the Gophers would have wanted with Kramer at QB.

But after giving up the early TD pass (due to what appeared to be a blown coverage), the defense really played well into the 4th Qtr. Even at the end, the Defense forced BG to use over 5 minutes to get its final TD and forcing them to go for the onside kick.

so I see some potential for next season with the returning players and some help from the portal. but it makes the choice of a new DC very important.
 

2nd longest active bowl winning streak. T-7 for all time bowl winning streak
 


TNGophfan said:
Taylor is really, really good. He could start for Michigan. Not sure how PJ not only got him, but he's not in the portal. He could set all sorts of records if he stays healthy next year. The real surprise to me is how strong on his feet he is for a freshman. We need a passing game and some DB's. Someone help me here. Besides Jackson, who at WR do you think can make a difference? Or is it all QB play?
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Brockington.
 

Nice to get the win today. Always good to end the year on a positive note. Taylor was a beast! D played much better after the opening drive. Looking forward to getting back at it on 8/29/24!
 





This is a great win for the kids in the program. The larger is not empty.

The DC hire is definitely critical.
 



SHGopher said:
I had frowned on this loser bowl. Cut the number of bowls.

But then I liked the game so it turned out fine. It was a good use of my attention and time. Nice ending to the season.
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Agree. Sometimes I think the same thing, but then I just realize if folks don’t like the games, they can just choose not to watch.
 



GophersInIowa said:
I have to wonder if running Taylor that much was a way to show his commitment to him and make sure he sticks around.

He's clearly really good and should get the bulk of the carries but man that is a lot.
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I thought this too. Especially in his home state.
 


Dilly Bar Guy's place in Gopher lore has been taken by Katie.
 

disco said:
She was on the flights to and from Detroit today. TV does not do her justice. I didn't realize who she was until afterwards.
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She looks better in person? Wow. That’s hard to believe.
 












I have a lot of negative opinions on that bowl game, the season, and the state of the program, but PJ deserves credit for getting his group to give an effort in this bowl game. The last 3 bowl games have all come in situations where a lot of teams would have checked out because they didn't reach their goals and were now playing out the string. A lot of teams take bad losses in bowl games in these situations and PJ's never have. I think that shows there is still a buy in here among the players and hope that leads to better seasons in the future.
 


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