BleedGopher
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per FSN:
What's the history of Quick Lane Bowl?
There have only been four games in the history of the Quick Lane Bowl, which officially began in 2014. Bowl games are nothing new to Detroit, however. Ford Field hosted the Motor City Bowl (also known as the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl) from 2002-13, a game that typically featured the eighth-placed Big Ten team against the Mid-American Conference champion. But in 2014, the Big Ten wanted to shake things up and joined up with the Quick Lane Bowl to face an opponent from the ACC. So it began. And under head coach Tracy Claeys, Minnesota beat Central Michigan 21-14 in the 2015 Quick Lane Bowl for the program's first postseason win since 2004. Mitch Leidner was named MVP of the game after throwing for 223 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
Who's on the other sideline?
No matter what happens in this game, it will mark the final time Paul Johnson will coach at Georgia Tech. The 61-year-old head coach announced this fall that he's stepping down after 11 seasons with the Yellow Jackets. Johnson ranks fourth among active FBS coaches with 189 career coaching wins, trailing only Brian Kelly, Nick Saban and Bill Snyder. His best season at Georgia Tech was an 11-win campaign in 2014 that ended in an Orange Bowl win over Mississippi State. Taking over for Johnson next season is Geoff Collins, who went 15-10 over two seasons (2017-18) at Temple and can be compared to P.J. Fleck with his high-energy style of coaching.
Who should the Gophers be worried about?
Georgia Tech will counter with an offense falled the "flexbone," a variation of the triple option that Johnson also ran effectively while coaching Navy from 2002-07. The Yellow Jackets' biggest weapon is quarterback TaQuon Marshall, a second-year starter who can do it all. Marshall rushed for 897 yards and added 824 through the air this season, passing for five touchdowns and rushing for 11. Tobias Oliver, who started a couple of games at quarterback this year when Marshall struggled, racked up 807 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns while playing primarily in the backfield. Those two are really the only two offensive players the Gophers need to key on. The Yellow Jackets have just one receiver with more than seven receptions on the season: Brad Stewart, with 15.
Who's playing? And who's not?
Star linebacker Blake Cashman is skipping the game to prepare for the NFL draft, but beyond that the state of the Gophers' roster is pretty nebulous at this stage. Fleck announced Wednesday that at least one starter -- and possibly others -- will miss the game for disciplinary reasons, confirming reports that began circulating last week. Fleck, however, says the discipline is related to violations of team rules, and not a legal issue. Who those players exactly are … well, I guess we'll find out on gameday.
Other facts
Minnesota snapped a seven-game bowl-game losing streak with that win over Central Michigan in 2015. The Gophers followed that up with a 17-12 win over Washington State in the 2016 Holiday Bowl. A win over Georgia Tech would give Minnesota just its second three-game bowl win streak in its history. The Gophers last won three straight from 2002-04, beating Arkansas in the 2002 Music City Bowl, Oregon in the 2003 Sun Bowl and Alabama in the 2004 Music City Bowl. Fleck is 1-2 in bowl games after guiding Western Michigan to a loss in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (2014 season), a win in the Bahamas Bowl (2015 season) and a loss in the Cotton Bowl Classic (2016 season).
https://www.foxsports.com/north/gallery/minnesota-gophers-georgia-tech-quick-lane-bowl-122118
Go Gophers!!
What's the history of Quick Lane Bowl?
There have only been four games in the history of the Quick Lane Bowl, which officially began in 2014. Bowl games are nothing new to Detroit, however. Ford Field hosted the Motor City Bowl (also known as the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl) from 2002-13, a game that typically featured the eighth-placed Big Ten team against the Mid-American Conference champion. But in 2014, the Big Ten wanted to shake things up and joined up with the Quick Lane Bowl to face an opponent from the ACC. So it began. And under head coach Tracy Claeys, Minnesota beat Central Michigan 21-14 in the 2015 Quick Lane Bowl for the program's first postseason win since 2004. Mitch Leidner was named MVP of the game after throwing for 223 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
Who's on the other sideline?
No matter what happens in this game, it will mark the final time Paul Johnson will coach at Georgia Tech. The 61-year-old head coach announced this fall that he's stepping down after 11 seasons with the Yellow Jackets. Johnson ranks fourth among active FBS coaches with 189 career coaching wins, trailing only Brian Kelly, Nick Saban and Bill Snyder. His best season at Georgia Tech was an 11-win campaign in 2014 that ended in an Orange Bowl win over Mississippi State. Taking over for Johnson next season is Geoff Collins, who went 15-10 over two seasons (2017-18) at Temple and can be compared to P.J. Fleck with his high-energy style of coaching.
Who should the Gophers be worried about?
Georgia Tech will counter with an offense falled the "flexbone," a variation of the triple option that Johnson also ran effectively while coaching Navy from 2002-07. The Yellow Jackets' biggest weapon is quarterback TaQuon Marshall, a second-year starter who can do it all. Marshall rushed for 897 yards and added 824 through the air this season, passing for five touchdowns and rushing for 11. Tobias Oliver, who started a couple of games at quarterback this year when Marshall struggled, racked up 807 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns while playing primarily in the backfield. Those two are really the only two offensive players the Gophers need to key on. The Yellow Jackets have just one receiver with more than seven receptions on the season: Brad Stewart, with 15.
Who's playing? And who's not?
Star linebacker Blake Cashman is skipping the game to prepare for the NFL draft, but beyond that the state of the Gophers' roster is pretty nebulous at this stage. Fleck announced Wednesday that at least one starter -- and possibly others -- will miss the game for disciplinary reasons, confirming reports that began circulating last week. Fleck, however, says the discipline is related to violations of team rules, and not a legal issue. Who those players exactly are … well, I guess we'll find out on gameday.
Other facts
Minnesota snapped a seven-game bowl-game losing streak with that win over Central Michigan in 2015. The Gophers followed that up with a 17-12 win over Washington State in the 2016 Holiday Bowl. A win over Georgia Tech would give Minnesota just its second three-game bowl win streak in its history. The Gophers last won three straight from 2002-04, beating Arkansas in the 2002 Music City Bowl, Oregon in the 2003 Sun Bowl and Alabama in the 2004 Music City Bowl. Fleck is 1-2 in bowl games after guiding Western Michigan to a loss in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (2014 season), a win in the Bahamas Bowl (2015 season) and a loss in the Cotton Bowl Classic (2016 season).
https://www.foxsports.com/north/gallery/minnesota-gophers-georgia-tech-quick-lane-bowl-122118
Go Gophers!!