What you need to know about Minnesota ahead of Outback Bowl matchup with Auburn
It’s War Eagle vs. Row the Boat.
The Auburn-Minnesota Outback Bowl may not have the lore of a Rose Bowl, the stakes of this year’s Peach Bowl or the national attention that the College Football Playoff draws, but it’s a game both teams will surely take seriously. For Auburn, a win will see the Tigers hit ten wins and continue the positive momentum it started by beating Alabama in the Iron Bowl.
For Minnesota, it’s a chance to beat an SEC team — and prove that head coach P.J. Fleck’s new contract extension is worth every penny.
The Gophers aren’t a bad team, by any stretch. They’re 10-2, beat Penn State at home and their two losses came to Iowa and Wisconsin. They’re ranked 16th in the nation and finished second in the Big Ten West behind the Badgers.
So, as both teams start pre-bowl game practices, here’s a primer on Auburn’s final opponent of the 2019 football season.
The season
The Gophers cruised to an 8-0 start before upsetting Penn State at home on Nov. 9. Their first eight wins came against far less talented teams, and included two early-season close calls against Fresno State and Georgia Southern.
Against Penn State, Gophers quarterback Tanner Morgan threw for 339 yards and three touchdowns, but the game was not over until late. On third-and-24 at the Minnesota 25-yard line, Nittany Lions quarterback Sean Clifford threw an interception in the end zone to Gophers defensive back Jordan Howden.
Fans stormed the field, Fleck crowd surfed and Minnesota had its signature win.
The Gophers lost the following week at Iowa, then two weeks later at Wisconsin. A win over Auburn will give Minnesota its first 11-win season since 1904, according to Sports Reference, when the Gophers went 13-0 under coach Henry Williams.
The coach
Fleck has been a head coach for seven years. He took Western Michigan from 1-11 in 2013 to 13-1 by the time he left for the Minnesota after the 2016 season. In three seasons with the Gophers, he’s taken the program from 5-7 to now one win away from an 11-win season.
Fleck’s “Row the Boat” culture focuses on producing good players as well as good people, and he was a highly sought after commodity following Minnesota’s 2019 success.
Fleck was given a one-year extension by Minnesota in 2017 and 2018, then landed a monster seven-year extension following the Penn State win, amid rumors of interest from USC and Florida State.
The offensive coordinator
He’s gone — shipped, packaged and wrapped as a late Christmas gift for, ironically, Penn State.
Gophers offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca took the same position at Penn State, did not travel to the Outback Bowl and, according to the Star Tribune, is already in Dallas for the Cotton Bowl with the Nittany Lions.
Receivers coach Matt Simon will be the interim offensive playcaller in the Outback Bowl. Offensive quality control assistant coach Greg Harbaugh will oversee the quarterbacks, according to the Star Tribune.
The quarterback
Speaking of quarterbacks: Tanner Morgan, a sophomore, has thrown for nearly 3,000 yards and 28 touchdowns in 2019.
That’s nearly double the yardage output (he threw for 1,401 yards his freshman season) and more than triple the amount of touchdowns (nine) than he threw for in 2018. Against the AP Top 25, Morgan has thrown for 1,003 yards and six touchdowns.
He’s not the best quarterback the Tigers have faced this year — Auburn faced Joe Burrow in Baton Rouge — but the Union, Ky., native can play at a high level.
The national rankings
All rankings as of Dec. 26, according to the NCAA.
Total defense:
- Minnesota: No. 14
- Auburn: No. 19
Scoring offense:
- Minnesota: tied-No. 22
- Auburn: tied-No. 27
Turnover margin:
- Minnesota: tied-No. 37
- Auburn: tied-No. 27
Time of possession:
- Minnesota: No. 6
- Auburn: No. 63
