Will Mo play in a bowl game?

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pharmacygopher

pharmacygopher

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I'm assuming no. Won't be playing in a NY6 bowl and also highly, highly unlikely going to a NYD bowl.

The logical thing is for him to rest and start preparing for the combine, all star games (how did he not get a senior bowl invite??), and the draft. That makes complete sense. He's given everything to this program.

But.....pretty sure he's 50-100 yards away from setting the single season rushing mark (Cobb) and all time rushing record (Thompson). Does he want those records and the legacy?

Sorry if this has already been answered.
 



pharmacygopher said:
I'm assuming no. Won't be playing in a NY6 bowl and also highly, highly unlikely going to a NYD bowl.

The logical thing is for him to rest and start preparing for the combine, all star games (how did he not get a senior bowl invite??), and the draft. That makes complete sense. He's given everything to this program.

But.....pretty sure he's 50-100 yards away from setting the single season rushing mark (Cobb) and all time rushing record (Thompson). Does he want those records and the legacy?

Sorry if this has already been answered.
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If he plays great, selfishly I want him to suit up. If opts to not participate, totally get it.

Ankle has been an issue, might have also sustained something else yesterday on his first carry.
 



Ope3 said:
If he plays great, selfishly I want him to suit up. If opts to not participate, totally get it.

Ankle has been an issue, might have also sustained something else yesterday on his first carry.
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He will have a full month to heal up before the bowl game. He may opt to prep for the draft....but Mo strikes me as the type that will want to play and not skip out on his team in pursuit of his own interests.

Won't fault him either way, I just think he will elect to play.
 

I would guess he’s a late round pick or UFA in camps I can see if he’s worried about injuries though
 

I haven't entirely ruled out his coming back.
 





I don't recall any of our four 2022 draft picks skipping our lowly bowl last season. I hope this year's draftees do the same.
 


As a college football fan I hate it when they opt out but I get it. Can you imagine a career ending injury in a meaningless bowl game. Could cost the dude millions.
 



cjbfbp said:
I don't recall any of our four 2022 draft picks skipping our lowly bowl last season. I hope this year's draftees do the same.
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They weren't RBs though.
MNVCGUY said:
He will have a full month to heal up before the bowl game. He may opt to prep for the draft....but Mo strikes me as the type that will want to play and not skip out on his team in pursuit of his own interests.

Won't fault him either way, I just think he will elect to play.
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Assuming he doesn't need some sort of surgery, yes that makes it more reasonable that he plays. I can understand (& support) either decision.
 


Mo might be my favorite Gopher football player ever...

For Barber/Maroney I was in middle and high school and not paying all that much attention. In college we had Deck who was great, but Mo just puts in the work over and over.

In my heart I'd hope he plays just to break the career record, because he deserves it.
 

cjbfbp said:
I don't recall any of our four 2022 draft picks skipping our lowly bowl last season. I hope this year's draftees do the same.
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This is actually interesting because Otomewo actually got hurt in the lowly bowl game and missed the combine and post season/all star bowl games. Still got drafted but fair to say it had some impact on his draft position.
 


Live in the now said:
Can you imagine a career ending injury in a meaningless bowl game. Could cost the dude millions.
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It is a thing, unfortunately. Not quite the same situation, but I will never forget Robert Edwards, after setting rookie rushing records with the Patriots, blowing out his knee while playing in a rookie flag football game in Honolulu during Pro Bowl week in 1986. That injury was so terrible that there was real fear that his leg would need to be amputated or that he might never walk again. That did cost him his entire career, many millions, and really everything, as it looked like he was going to become a major, major star.
 

bonin21 said:
According to his GopherSports page this is his last year of eligibility?
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He's the same year as CAB who is (apparently) filing for another year of eligibility because of the injury this season. CAB played three games this year.

If CAB could potentially be eligible, Mo could potentially be eligible because of only playing 1 game in 2021.
 


Seany said:
It is a thing, unfortunately. Not quite the same situation, but I will never forget Robert Edwards, after setting rookie rushing records with the Patriots, blowing out his knee while playing in a rookie flag football game in Honolulu during Pro Bowl week in 1986. That injury was so terrible that there was real fear that his leg would need to be amputated or that he might never walk again. That did cost him his entire career, many millions, and really everything, as it looked like he was going to become a major, major star.
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It was 1998. He did have a few solid years in the CFL but yeah was never the same unfortunately.
 

bonin21 said:
Mo might be my favorite Gopher football player ever...

For Barber/Maroney I was in middle and high school and not paying all that much attention. In college we had Deck who was great, but Mo just puts in the work over and over.

In my heart I'd hope he plays just to break the career record, because he deserves it.
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He has definitely been my favorite to watch. The Outback bowl was a huge performance and really a big step for the program. That was a game the Mason era teams would not have won.

Also was at the Colorado game in '21 and watched him coaching up the freshman on his scooter.

In my book, he's the best modern era gopher player. He may not have the success in the NFL that Barber or Maroney did, but as a college player he's been unstoppable. DT was awesome, but the teams never really were factors. It sure helps that he seems to be a great teammate on top of it.
 

pharmacygopher said:
This is actually interesting because Otomewo actually got hurt in the lowly bowl game and missed the combine and post season/all star bowl games. Still got drafted but fair to say it had some impact on his draft position.
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I didn't remember that. Thanks for the info!
 

Live in the now said:
As a college football fan I hate it when they opt out but I get it. Can you imagine a career ending injury in a meaningless bowl game. Could cost the dude millions.
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I get with the money at stake why players elect to opt out. But I respect the guys that play way more. It gives you a little peak into the values of the player, is the team more important or am I as an individual more important than the team?

If Mo is healthy I will be very surprised if he doesn't play. He has always struck me as a team first guy and I don't think he would view any bowl game as meaningless.

I also wonder how much these guys that elect to bail on their team completely to train for the combine really gain in the long run. But I guess the NFL is obsessed enough with numbers that if you can shave a fraction of a second off your 40 time maybe a team will suddenly see you as more valuable than you were when you were that tenth of a second slower.
 

The competitor in me is appalled by guys skipping. But at the end of the day it honestly isnt worth it. There is nothing that Mo could do in that game that will change his draft stock positively. While on the other side 1 injury could literally cost him millions, logically it makes no sense to play for him or guys in that spot.

That said, with all the NIL/Money out there for colleges now I think the bowls need to revamp the system. Something like ok every kid on the roster gets their choice if they play in the game, either say $5k or a $5k insurance policy that protects them for whatever it is $1m worth of value if they get hurt. Someone like say Crawford or Kramer goes hey sweet $5k, I'll take it! But someone like Mo goes hey the $5k doesnt help me long term but now i can play and if something terrible happens boom that policy can kick in and he can at least be ok. Again no idea how the numbers work but something to protect the kids while also helping the bowl with star power seems like a win win.
 


leib0039 said:
The competitor in me is appalled by guys skipping. But at the end of the day it honestly isnt worth it. There is nothing that Mo could do in that game that will change his draft stock positively. While on the other side 1 injury could literally cost him millions, logically it makes no sense to play for him or guys in that spot.
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It is one more chance to go out and play with the guys you have spent countless hours working and training with over the past 5+ years. To the guys hyper obsessed with the NFL that might not be worth it but for the guys who give a crap about their team and teammates the chance to suit up one more time with them has a ton of value, even if it doesn't improve their draft stock.
 

MNVCGUY said:
I get with the money at stake why players elect to opt out. But I respect the guys that play way more. It gives you a little peak into the values of the player, is the team more important or am I as an individual more important than the team?

If Mo is healthy I will be very surprised if he doesn't play. He has always struck me as a team first guy and I don't think he would view any bowl game as meaningless.

I also wonder how much these guys that elect to bail on their team completely to train for the combine really gain in the long run. But I guess the NFL is obsessed enough with numbers that if you can shave a fraction of a second off your 40 time maybe a team will suddenly see you as more valuable than you were when you were that tenth of a second slower.
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I am along the same lane as you but I think I have come around a little more. There is absolutely nothing for Mo to gain by playing in the game other thank breaking two records that I want him to have. I don't know Mo personally and don't know if the records mean anything to him.

Truth be told, whatever bowl game we get in is a meaningless game.

Where I have come around to is I have no problem with players opting out of bowl games but I do judge a player that opts out during the season. A couple of years ago, Mississippi State had a RB opt out to prepare for the draft in the middle of the year. That same player was just cut in the middle of his second year by the Packers. Matt LaFleur said his release was not an on-field decision. I don't know if it is a coincidence or not, but a player quit on his team in the middle of the year later gets cut mid-year with the coach indicating it was fit in the locker room/character.
 

MNVCGUY said:
It is one more chance to go out and play with the guys you have spent countless hours working and training with over the past 5+ years. To the guys hyper obsessed with the NFL that might not be worth it but for the guys who give a crap about their team and teammates the chance to suit up one more time with them has a ton of value, even if it doesn't improve their draft stock.
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I don't disagree with your premise, but that is easy to say when you have 0 skin in the game. This isnt a desk job at $80k a year he is risking, this is MILLIONS of dollars potentially on the line and that could get taken away with 1 hit. And yes, we as fans want to win the bowl but honestly it does a kid like Mo nothing long term. You can say its selfish, which again is true I suppose, doesnt mean it isnt the smart thing to do.
 

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