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.
"All P.J. Fleck does is win bowl games for the Gophers, right? Not the greatest of bowls. It was a good outcome and as much as we can joke or complain and be frustrated at the type of season the Gophers had, you'll take a bowl victory," said WCCO's Henry Lake.
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. Taylor ran 35 times for 208 yards and a touchdown, basically making the Minnesota ground game unstoppable all day.
Taylor’s return was crucial for Minnesota, which had senior Cole Kramer making his first career start at quarterback after Athan Kaliakmanis entered the transfer portal. 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.
Kramer, who is getting married in January and didn't plan to be with the team for the bowl game, got the call after Kaliakmanis announced his transfer and he was really the only option for Fleck and the Gophers. The ESPN TV crew spent significant time on the stands where Kramer's fiancée Katie Miller was watching the game and cheering on her future husband in his first - and last - start in Maroon and Gold.
The Gophers were without a few key pieces who sat out preparing for the NFL Draft including All-American safety Tyler Nubin and tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford. Seventh year senior Chris Autman-Bell was also out after dealing with significant injuries the last two seasons.
Conor Bazelak threw for two scores and ran for one for Bowling Green (7-6), which lost the Quick Lane Bowl for the second year in a row.