Minnesota Golden Gophers
Head Coach
Tracy Claeys' first full season has been a successful one coming into the game with eight wins and notably a win over Northwestern. Their four losses were against teams that were in the top 25 at the time, and three of their four losses were by a touchdown or less.
Brief Summary
The Minnesota defense ranks in the top 30 in the nation in both overall defense and points allowed per game, with an especially strong rushing defense. Unfortunately Minnesota ended up suspending ten players from the team this month and they won’t be playing in the Bowl game. There were six players of note that would have had a factor in the game: The starting safety on defense, three cornerbacks on the defensive rotation, the team’s starting punt and kick returner, and lastly the team’s #3 running back. The other four players weren’t on the team’s depth charts.
Key Players on Offense
The Running Back, Rodney Smith has rushed for over 1,000 yards and has fifteen TD's, tied for #17 in the nation. And the Quarterback, Mitch Leidner has been an effective leader winning 8 games this season. With a QB Rating of #80 in the nation.
Key Players on Defense
The Linebacker, Jonathan Celestin has more than 70 tackles along with seven for a loss. The other Linebacker, Jack Lynn has more than 70 tackles
Washington State Cougars
Brief Summary
Washington State has put up some big numbers, primarily due to the QB, Luke Falk and his top WR, Gabe Marks, they've done a great job connecting all season long. Falk has a opportunity to leave college early and he has the potential to be the top four or five QB in the upcoming NFL draft, he's got a big-time arm and can throw the ball with accuracy down the field 71% completion and 37/10 touchdown ratio. Marks has 85 catches this season with thirteen Td's.
Before 2015, it hadn't won more than six games in a season since 2003. Last year they won a total of 9 games. Coach Mike Leach's Air Raid offense has done well, along with lots of improved play on the ground. They've had now made three bowls in the last four years after a nine-year drought. The WSU Cougars beat Oregon for the second year in a row and dominated Stanford this year.
Offense
Offensively, this is a very good team being very effective in the air. They have a very talented quarterback, a very good set of receivers and a good offensive line. To counter that, though, Minnesota has a very strong defense that's able to do well against the pass and the run.
Key Players on Offense
The Offensive Guard, Cody O'Connell, and All-American guard blossomed this year to become an NFL prospect. Also, the Wide Receiver, Gabe Marks, second in the Pac-12 with 85 receptions and thirteen TD's, tied for #14 in the nation. And, the Quarterback Luke Falk, second in the Pac-12 in passing yardage per game with 37 touchdowns and ten interceptions. He’s fourth in the nation in passing yards and fifth in passing Td’s. He’s thrown an average 48.5 passes per game compared against the running backs who have averaged 28 carries per game and he has a QB Rating of #23 in the nation. Their three running backs Jamal Morrow, James Williams, and Gerard Wicks have done well working together on the ground.
Defense
Their defense has been ranked on the lower half of the scale for most statistical measures. They do have good success on preventing the run and preventing yards on first downs.
Key Players on Defense
The Defensive Back, Shalom Luani, 1st team All Pac-12 has four picks and nine passes defended this year. Also, the Defensive Lineman, Hercules Mata'afa made the second team All Pac-12, 12.5 Tackles for Loss. And, the Linebacker, Peyton Pelluer is seventh in the Pac-12 in tackles and was an honorable mention all Pac-12.
Comparisons
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Game Information
Tuesday, December 27th on ESPN (American Time | Date)
4:00 PM PST - 6:00 PM CST - 7:00 PM EST - (December 28th, 12:00 AM UTC)
Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California
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Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota!
M
Minnesota win
Minnesota
minnesota
Minnesota
GG!
Minnesota
Minnesota
win
MINNESOTA WIN
Washington State Cougars
Washington State Cougars wins!
Washington State Cougars
Cougars for the win as much as I would like to see MN win, since I was kissed by a GG cheerleader in Nashville the winter of 2003 lol
cougars
Hell YEAH Cougars!
Washington
washington
WSC!
washington state cougars
Cougs
Yaa........Washington
Courgars
Washington State Cougars
Washington State Cougars
cougars win
Washington State Cougars go!
Washington State Courgars
Cougars
Holiday Bowl Final: Minnesota Upsets Washington State, 17-12
Recap Article from ESPN
Summary of the Game with each score detailed
Video Highlights - created by Pac-12 Networks - length 3 min
Video Highlights - created by RtSportsUploads - length 35 min
This one will be hard fought
Minnesota
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