DATE: Tuesday, December 28, 2021
TIME: 10:15 p.m. (ET)
LOCATION: Phoenix, Arizona
West Virginia Mountaineers Notes
NOTING THE MOUNTAINEERS
• The 2021 season marks West Virginia’s 129th season of football. The Mountaineers are the 15th winningest program in college football
• The Guaranteed Rate Bowl is WVU’s 39th bowl appearance in school history. The Mountaineers are one of 15 Power 5 teams who have reached a bowl game in 18 of the past 20 years.
• The Mountaineers are 16-22 all-time in bowl games and 1-1 in the Guaranteed Rate/Insight. com/Motel 6 Cactus Bowls
• Senior DL Dante Stills earned a spot on the All-Big 12 Conference First Team and sophomore OL Zach Frazier was on the second team.
• Frazier is WVU’s 110th All-America selection including 47th since 2002. He earned second-team honors (AFCA, Walter Camp)
• Freshman OL Wyatt Milum was named to The Athletic’s Freshman All-America Team and On3’s True Freshman All-America Team, marking the fifth straight year that WVU has had a player named to a freshman All-America team and 12th since 2005
• Redshirt senior safety Sean Mahone was one of 13 student-athletes nationally to be selected as a member of the National Football Foundation’s Scholar-Athlete team
• The Mountaineer defense ranks No. 11 nationally in red zone defense (.733), No. 14 in first-down defense (208), No. 25 in third-down defense (.344), No. 31 in fewest penalties (5.25) and No. 35 in rushing defense (129.3)
• The WVU defense has registered 75 tackles for loss, averaging 6.3 tackles for loss per game. The defense is ranked No. 5 in the Big 12 and No. 32 nationally in the category
• The WVU offense is ranked No. 13 nationally in fourth-down conversions (.692), No. 15 in time of possession (32:08), No. 21 in red zone offense (.898) and No. 44 in passing offense (256.9)
• WVU is ranked No. 13 nationally in kickoff returns (26.04)
• Junior receiver Winston Wright Jr. is ranked No. 17 nationally in kickoff returns, averaging 27.4 yards per return. He scored a touchdown on a 90-yard return vs. LIU (9/11) and had a seasonlong, 98-yard return at Maryland (9/4).
• Redshirt senior quarterback Jarret Doege is ranked No. 24 nationally in completions per game (21.2), No. 33 in passing yards (2,908) and No. 30 in completion percentage (.658)
• Senior defensive lineman Dante Stills is ranked No. 9 in the Big 12 in tackles for loss (1.08) • Senior linebacker Josh Chandler-Semedo is No. 3 in the Big 12 and No. 30 in the nation in tackles (8.7), while redshirt senior safety Sean Mahone is No. 15 (6.4) in the conference. Chandler-Semedo is No. 3 in the Big 12 and No. 17 in the nation in solo tackles (5.3)
• Redshirt junior kicker Casey Legg is ranked No. 1 in the Big 12 and No. 15 nationally in field goals made per game (1.58). He also is No. 24 in field goal percentage (.826). Redshirt senior punter Tyler Sumpter is No. 2 in the Big 12 and No. 36 nationally in punting average (43.6)
• Mahone is expected to extend his school record to 55 games played in his career when he takes the field against Minnesota in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl
• The Mountaineers are 94-14 since 2002 when winning the turnover battle
ON GRASS
• Since 1980, West Virginia is 55-67 in games played on natural grass. The Mountaineers were 20-20 during the 2010 decade and are 41-40 since 2000.
IN BOWLS
• The 2021 Guaranteed Rate Bowl is WVU’s 39th bowl appearance. West Virginia holds a 16-22 all-time record in bowl games, dating back to the 1922 East-West Game.
• West Virginia went to a school-record 11 straight bowl games (2002-12) until the streak was snapped in 2013. A streak of five straight
bowl games was played from 2014-18 before that streak ended in 2019.
• This bowl game marks Neal Brown’s second in \his three-year tenure as the head coach at West Virginia.
30 IS ENOUGH
• Since 1980, West Virginia is 206-22-1 when scoring 30 or more points in a game. During the 1990s, West Virginia was 43-4 when scoring 30 or more points in a contest and were 40-2-1 in the ‘80s when reaching that mark. WVU is 125-18 since 2000 when scoring 30 points or more in a contest.
SCORING 40 OR MORE POINTS
• Since 2000, the Mountaineers are 65-6 when hitting the 40-point plateau, and WVU is 195-6 all-time when scoring at least 40 or more
points in a game.
BROWN’S BOWL HISTORY
• The 2021 Guaranteed Rate Bowl marks the fifth bowl game in which Neal Brown has coached in as a head coach.
• However, it is the 10th bowl game in which he has coached as an assistant or head coach, including the second at West Virginia, three as the head coach at Troy, two as the assistant coach at Texas Tech and three as an assistant at Troy.
HISTORY IN THE DESERT
• The 2021 Guaranteed Rate Bowl marks the fifth time that West Virginia has played a bowl game in the state of Arizona. WVU holds a 2-2 mark in games played in the desert.
• The first appearance took place in 1988 when the Mountaineers played Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl for the national championship (L 34-21).
• The Mountaineers were edged, 34-31, by Missouri in the 1998 Insight.com Bowl in Tucson. The Insight.com Bowl eventually became the Cactus Bowl and now is the Guaranteed Rate Bowl.
• WVU defeated Oklahoma, 48-28, in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl and Arizona State, 43-42, in the 2016 Motel 6 Cactus Bowl.
OVERTIME GAMES
• The 27-21, double-overtime win over Baylor in 2020 marked the 15th overtime game in West Virginia history. The Mountaineers own a 7-8 record in overtime games.
• West Virginia played its first overtime game against Pitt in 1997, dropping a three-overtime thriller, 41-38.
18 OF THE LAST 20 YEARS
• Dating back to the 2002 Continental Tire Bowl, played in Charlotte, North Carolina, West Virginia has made 18 bowl appearances in the last 20 years, missing only the 2013 and 2019 seasons.
• The Mountaineers are one of 15 Power 5 schools to accomplish that feat: Georgia (20), Oklahoma (20), Wisconsin (20), Clemson (19), Florida (19), LSU (19), Ohio State (19), Oklahoma State (19), Virginia Tech (19), Alabama (18), Auburn (18), Florida State (18), Iowa (18), Oregon (18) and West Virginia (18).
AVERAGE PER DOWN
• Here’s a breakdown of how the 2021 West Virginia offense is operating on first, second, third and fourth down:
• On first down, the Mountaineers have run 337 plays and have gained 1,850 yards for a 5.5 average. On second down, the Mountaineers have run 250 plays for 1,358 yards and a 5.4 average. On third down, the Mountaineers have run 159 plays for 850 yards and a 5.3 average gain. West Virginia has run 23 plays on fourth down for 127 yards and a 5.5 average.
• WVU’s touchdowns have come 13 times on first down (8 rush/5 pass), nine times on second down (4 rush/5 pass), nine times on third down (5 rush/4 pass) and two touchdowns on fourth down (0 rush/2 pass).
OFFENSIVE ANALYSIS
• Breaking down the West Virginia offensive numbers for the 2021 season shows that the Mountaineers have run 769 plays, 375 on the
ground and 394 through the air.
• The rushing game has totaled 1,277 yards, an average of 3.4 yards per carry and 17 touch- downs. The passing attack has totaled 2,908 yards, 16 touchdowns and an average of 11.4 yards per completion.
• Combine the two and the Mountaineers have turned in 4,185 yards of total offense, 33 touch- downs, an average of 5.4 yards per play and an average of 26.2 points per game.
• Deeper analysis shows that the Mountaineer offense has gained 87 first downs by the run and 134 via the pass. On average, West Virginia has totaled 116.1 yards per game on the ground, 264.4 yards per game passing and 380.5 yards per game of total offense.
ON TURF
• Since 1980, West Virginia is 259-121-4 in games played on artificial turf surfaces.
• WVU was 57-29 on turf in the 1990s, 66-21 on turf in the 2000s, 62-40 during the 2010s and 10-8 during the 2020’s on turf
OVER THE LAST SEVEN YEARS
• Over the last seven years, West Virginia’s defense is No. 16 nationally in interceptions (90) among FBS schools and is No. 9 among
Power Five schools.
• In 2015, the Mountaineer defense finished with 23 interceptions, ranking No. 2 nationally. WVU also was No. 5 nationally in turnovers gained (31).
• WVU finished with 11 interceptions in 2016, 14 in 2017, 10 in 2018, eight in 2019, 11 in 2020 and has eight in 2021.
TAKEAWAYS
• Over the last seven years, West Virginia has produced 138 takeaways, tied for No. 40 nationally and tied for No. 22 among Power Five schools.
• Alabama has the most during the six-year period with 171. Clemson is second with 168, while Iowa is third with 166 each.
AGAINST THE BIG 12
• West Virginia is 53-48 all-time against current members of the Big 12 Conference. WVU is 6-4 vs. Baylor; 6-4 against Iowa State; 10-1
against Kansas; 6-6 vs. Kansas State; 2-10 vs. Oklahoma; 4-9 vs. Oklahoma State; 6-5 vs. Texas; 7-4 vs. TCU and 6-5 vs. Texas Tech.
WEST VIRGINIA OFFENSE
• In 2021, WVU’s offensive roster includes eight
true freshmen, 12 redshirt freshmen, one
sophomore, 10 redshirt sophomores, three
juniors, seven redshirt juniors, one senior and
two redshirt seniors
• WVU’s total offensive personnel for 2021
includes four quarterbacks, five tight ends/
fullbacks, six running backs, 11 wide receivers,
and 18 offensive linemen
• WVU had 841 total offensive snaps in 2021.
Nine players saw action on 500 or more plays;
seven players were used on 600 or more plays;
four players saw action on 700 or more plays
and three players (Zach Frazier, James Gmiter
and Brandon Yates) were used on 800 or more
snaps
• WVU has produced six 1,000-yard rushers
since joining the Big 12 Conference in 2012,
including Leddie Brown, who posted a 1,010-
yard season in 2020 and has 1,065 yards this
year
• Brown is the first Mountaineer with back-toback 1,000-yard rushing seasons since Justin
Crawford in 2016-17
• West Virginia has scored points on its first
offensive possession in eight of 12 games
• Additionally, WVU is averaging 26.6 points
per game when scoring on its first offensive
possession this year
• The Mountaineers’ passing offense is averaging
256.9 yards per game this season, which ranks
No. 4 in the Big 12 and No. 44 nationally
• WVU has thrown for 250 or more yards in a
game eight times in 2021, including six of the
last eight
• The Mountaineers have thrown for 250 or
more yards in a game 15 times, including 300
or more yards eight times, over the last three
seasons
• Since 2012, the Mountaineers have thrown for
300 or more yards 49 times, 350 or more 29
times, 400 or more 10 times and 500 or more
four times
• West Virginia is 34-15 when passing for 300 or
more yards since 2012 and is averaging 39.5
points per game when reaching the mark
• WVU has completed at least 20 pass attempts
in nine of its 12 games
ROAD, HOME AND TOTAL WINS
Most Total Wins Over The Last 19 Years (2003-21)
Rk. School Wins
1. Ohio State 208
Alabama 208
3. Oklahoma 202
4. Boise State 201
5. Clemson 191
6. Georgia 189
7. LSU 187
8. Wisconsin 178
9. Oregon 173
10. TCU 167
Florida 167
12. Virginia Tech 165
Oklahoma State 165
Utah 165
15. USC 164
16. Auburn 162
Texas 162
18. Florida State 161
19. Notre Dame 159
20. Cincinnati 157
21. Penn State 156
BYU 156
Iowa 156
24. West Virginia 154
25. Michigan 153
Best Winning Percentage Away From Home
(Road or Neutral) Over The Last 19 Years (2003-21)
Rk. School W-L Winning %
1. Ohio State 85-23 .787
2. Alabama 93-30 .756
3. Boise State 94-31 .752
4. Oklahoma 86-30 .741
5. Georgia 89-42 .679
6. LSU 75-39 .658
7. USC 71-38 .651
8. TCU 74-42 .638
9. Clemson 79-45 .637
10. Texas 71-42 .628
11. Utah 72-45 .615
12. Notre Dame 69-45 .605
13. Oklahoma State 70-46 .603
14. Oregon 68-45 .602
15. Florida State 71-49 .592
16. Virginia Tech 69-48 .590
17. Florida 71-50 .587
18. Wisconsin 67-48 .583
19. BYU 69-55 .556
20. Stanford 65-53 .551
21. Iowa 61-51 .545
22. Louisville 64-54 .542
23. Cincinnati 66-56 .541
24. Michigan State 60-52 .536
West Virginia 60-52 .536
25. Navy 73-65 .529
Best Home Winning Percentage Over The Last 18
Years (2003-21)
Rk. School W-L Winning %
1. Boise State 107-12 .899
2. Ohio State 123-14 .898
3. Clemson 112-16 .875
4. Alabama 115-18 .865
5. Oklahoma 116-19 .859
6. LSU 112-19 .855
7. Wisconsin 111-19 .854
8. Georgia 100-18 .847
9. Oregon 106-22 .828
10. USC 93-22 .809
11. Florida 96-26 .787
12. Cincinnati 92-25 .786
13. Utah 93-26 .782
14. Auburn 106-31 .774
15. Michigan 100-30 .769
16. TCU 93-30 .756
17. Oklahoma State 95-31 .754
Penn State 101-33 .754
19. Iowa 95-32 .748
20. West Virginia 94-32 .746
22. BYU 87-30 .744
23. Northern Ill. 77-27 .740
24. Miami (FL) 87-32 .731
25. Houston 84-31 .730
WEST VIRGINIA OFFENSE
WINSTON WRIGHT JR.
BRYCE FORD-WHEATON
• The Mountaineers have completed at least 60%
of their pass attempts in 11 games
• During the Neal Brown era, the Mountaineer
offense has gained 500 or more yards in a
game four times, including once this season
(542 vs. LIU)
• WVU also has tallied at least 400 yards of total
offense six times this season and 13 times
during the Brown era
• West Virginia is 6-0 this season when rushing
for at least 100 yards in a game and is
averaging 191.3 yards on the ground in those
contests
• The Mountaineers are 13-0 in the Brown era
when rushing for at least 100 yards, including
2-0 in 2019 and 5-0 in 2020
• Since 2019, WVU is averaging 197.4 rushing
yards per game when it tallies at least 100
yards on the ground
• Additionally, West Virginia has rushed for
150 or more yards in 11 games since 2019,
including 200 or more four times
• West Virginia’s offense has produced a pair of
100-yard receivers in two games this season,
(Texas Tech: Isaiah Esdale, Winston Wright Jr.;
and Iowa State: Bryce Ford-Wheaton, Wright
Jr.), the most since 2018 when WVU saw two
100-yard receivers in the same game three
times
• Receiver Bryce Ford-Wheaton’s 64 yards after
the catch against TCU (10/23) were the most by
a Mountaineer in a game this season
• WVU’s offense has produced 20 plays of 30
or more yards this season (16 catches, four
rushes), including 10 plays of 40 or more yards
and four plays of 50 or more yards
• In 2021, West Virginia is averaging 21.8 first
downs per game, including 8.4 rushing first
downs, 11.8 passing first downs and 1.7 first
downs that have come following a penalty
• West Virginia has possessed the ball for an
average of 32:08 this season, good for No. 1 in
the Big 12 and No. 17 nationally
• The Mountaineers have held the ball for at
least 33 minutes in six games this season
• WVU has converted at least three red zone
attempts in 18 of its last 22 games, including
nine of 12 games this season
WEST VIRGINIA DEFENSE
• In 2021, WVU’s defensive roster includes
nine freshmen, 11 redshirt freshmen, one
sophomore, six redshirt sophomores, one junior,
seven redshirt juniors, two seniors and seven
redshirt seniors
• WVU’s total defensive personnel for 2021
includes 14 defensive linemen, 10 safeties,
seven linebackers, six cornerbacks, five bandits
and two defensive backs
• WVU had 756 total defensive snaps in 2021.
Eight players saw action on 500 or more plays;
Four players were used on 600 or more plays;
Three players (Josh Chandler-Semedo, Sean
Mahone, Alonzo Addae) saw action on 700 or
more snaps
• In 12 games this season, the Mountaineer
defense has produced nine 10-plus tacklers,
including multiple in the same game twice
• In total, the Mountaineer defense has produced
12 10-plus tacklers over the last 13 games
• At least one Mountaineer has finished with 10
or more tackles in 23 of the last 39 games
• West Virginia has three players in the top 25 in
the Big 12 in tackles this season: Josh ChandlerSemedo (No. 3 – 8.67), Sean Mahone (No. 15
– 6.42) and Alonzo Addae (No. 22 – 5.75)
• WVU is one of five teams in the league with
three or more players in the top 25 in tackles in
the Big 12 this season
• Chandler-Semedo is one of three players in the
Big 12 with 100 or more tackles in 2021
• The Mountaineer defense has tallied at least
six tackles for loss in seven of its 12 games this
season, including 10 or more three times
• Additionally, West Virginia has notched multiple
sacks in seven games this season, including
four or more twice
• Eleven Mountaineer defenders have tallied at
least one TFL in two games, including seven
who have at least one tackle for loss in three
games
• West Virginia has totaled 79 sacks over the last
three seasons and is averaging 2.32 sacks per
game during that stretch
• WVU has had a pair of players register multiple
TFLs in the same game three times this year
• Over the last three seasons, the Mountaineers
have held their opponents to fewer than 300
yards of total offense 11 times
• Additionally, WVU has held four of its last five
opponents to fewer than 200 yards through
the air
• During that stretch, the opposition is averaging
181.2 passing yards per game and four
interceptions
• Over the last three seasons, WVU has held
opposing teams to fewer than 250 yards
passing 25 times, fewer than 200 yards 15
times and fewer than 150 yards eight times
• West Virginia also has held its opponents to
fewer than 300 yards passing in 31 of its last
35 games, including 23 of its last 25, while also
holding its opponents to fewer than 300 yards
passing in 62 of the last 79 games
• WVU’s defense has tallied six interceptions this
season and has registered at least one pick in
22 of the last 38 games, including six of its last
nine
• West Virginia also has intercepted multiple
passes in a game seven times over the last
three seasons, including two times this season
• With two interceptions at Kansas, Chandler-Semedo is the first Mountaineer to haul in two
picks in a game since Kenny Robinson at Texas
Tech on Sept. 30, 2018
• Over the second half of the season, West
Virginia’s defense has intercepted its opponents
six times and is averaging one per game
• The Mountaineers have totaled 39 takeaways
over the last three seasons and have forced at
least one turnover in 73 of the last 95 games
• Since 2015, West Virginia has produced 138
takeaways and is averaging 1.6 turnovers per
game, good for No. 2 in the Big 12 and tied for
No. 20 nationally among Power Five schools
• The Mountaineer defense has posted at least
13 takeaways every year since 2015
• West Virginia has scored a defensive
touchdown in 10 consecutive seasons,
including an interception returned for a
touchdown in eight consecutive seasons
• The Mountaineers are holding their opponents
to 73.3% (33-of-45) in the red zone this
season, ranking No. 1 in the Big 12 and No. 11
nationally
WEST VIRGINIA SPECIAL TEAMS
• In total, WVU’s kickers have made 68-of-90
career field goal attempts, good for an average
of 75.6%
• Redshirt junior kicker Casey Legg made 13
consecutive field goals to begin the season, two
shy of the program record set by Paul Woodside
from 1981-82 (15)
• The Mountaineers rank No. 4 in the Big 12 and
No. 13 nationally in kickoff returns, with an
average of 26.04 yards on 25 returns
• Junior wide receiver Winston Wright Jr.’s 90-yard
kickoff return for a touchdown vs. LIU marked
the first time the Mountaineers returned the
opening kickoff for a score since Tavon Austin
(98 yards) on Oct. 24, 2009, against Connecticut
• The score also marked the second kickoff return
for a touchdown in Wright Jr.’s career; he is tied
for No. 4 in program history in kickoff return
touchdowns
• Wright Jr.’s 98-yard kickoff return against
Maryland is the longest non-scoring kickoff
return in program history and is tied for the
11th-longest return in program history
• He has registered a kickoff return of at least 90
yards in two games this season
• Wright Jr.’s career-high 217 kickoff-return yards
against Maryland set a single-game program
record for kickoff-return yardage in a game
• The record was previously held by Tavon Austin,
with 199 yards against Kansas State on Oct. 20,
2012
• Over the last three seasons, WVU has punted
the ball 161 times, with its opponents only
returning 44 of them (27.3%)
• This season, WVU has punted the ball 46 times,
with 12 of those being placed inside the 20-
yard line
• Tyler Sumpter’s career-long punt of 72 yards at
Baylor was the longest punt by a Mountaineer
since Pat McAfee against Rutgers on Dec. 2,
2006 (75 yards)
• It also is tied for the 10th-longest punt in
program history
• WVU currently ranks No. 5 in the Big 12 and No.
49 nationally in punt return defense (6.45)
• During the Neal Brown era, West Virginia has
ranked in the top 50 nationally in punt return
defense each year
• The Mountaineers’ kickoff defense unit ranks
No. 6 in the Big 12 this season (21.88)
• West Virginia has topped the Big 12 in kickoff
return defense during Neal Brown’s first two
seasons and also has finished the season in the
top 40 nationally in the category
• West Virginia has blocked a field goal in four of
five seasons from 2017-2020, including three in
a row (2018-20)
Minnesota Golden Gophers Notes
FIVE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
1 – RV/RV Minnesota (8-4, 6-3 B1G) makes its 22nd all-time bowl appearance on Tuesday, Dec. 28, when it faces West Virginia (6-6, 4-5 Big 12) in the 2021 Guaranteed Rate Bowl. The game will be held at Chase Field in Phoenix, Ariz., at 9:15 p.m. on ESPN.
2 – The Golden Gophers are 9-12 in their history in bowl games, but they have won four straight bowl contests, including both appearances under head coach P.J. Fleck (2020 Outback, 2018 Quick Lane). The four-game bowl winning streak is tied for the third longest active streak in the country. Only Alabama (excluding national championship game appearances) and Appalachian State have longer streaks with six straight wins each.
3 – The Golden Gophers have one of the strongest rush defenses in the country, ranking ninth nationally and second in the Big Ten by allowing 100.2 rushing yards per game this year. That’s on pace to be the best opponent rush total for the Gophers since a program-record 52.2 yards allowed per game in 1962. The national average for rushing yards per game through Dec. 4 is 162.9 yards per game; only two Gopher opponents have gone above 144 yards rushing this year and six have been held to less than 80 rushing yards. In fact, Minnesota had a two-game stretch of just 3 rush yards allowed (-19 at Colorado, 22 vs. Bowling Green). The -19 rushing yards allowed at Colorado on Sept. 18 are the second fewest in any game in the country this year and the fewest by any Power 5 team against another Power 5 opponent. Minnesota is second in the country in fewest opponent rush attempts (349), 10th in opponent rush yards (1202), 14th in opponent rushing touchdowns (10) and 18th in opponent yards per carry (3.44).
4 – Minnesota ended the regular season with an 8-4 record overall and a 6-3 mark in the Big Ten. The Gophers have reached eight wins for the second time in the last three years under P.J. Fleck’s guidance. Multiple eight-win seasons in a three-year span have happened only three other times since 1960-61. In addition, Minnesota produced a .500 or better record in Big Ten play for just the ninth time in the past 50 years. Coupled with a 7-2 league record in 2019, Fleck is the first Gophers coach since Murray Warmath (1960, 1961 and 1967; six wins each) to win at least six conference games more than once.
5 – Minnesota’s win against Wisconsin in the regular season finale improved P.J. Fleck’s record with the Golden Gophers to 34-23. Closing out his fifth season with Minnesota, Fleck is already sixth in program history in overall wins and Big Ten wins (21), and eighth in games coached (57). Fleck’s .596 win percentage is third best among the 11 Minnesota coaches with at least 45 games under their helm behind only Henry L. Williams (.786, 1900-21) and Bernie Bierman (.716, 1932-41, ‘45-50). In his ninth season overall as a college head coach, Fleck is 64-45 (.587).
FACING WEST VIRGINIA
Minnesota and West Virginia meet for the first time ever at the Guaranteed Rate Bowl. The Golden Gophers have played 85 different teams currently in the FBS, and they are 62-21-2 when playing an FBS foe for the first time, including a 6-5 mark when it occurs in a bowl game.
Neither team has a player on its roster from the opposing team’s state. The game is taking place in Phoenix, and Minnesota does have one Arizonan on its roster in freshman DB Steven Ortiz, Jr. He attended Desert Edge High School in Goodyear, which is about 20 miles
west of Chase Field.
On Dec. 6, Minnesota announced the hiring of Kirk Ciarroca as its new offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Ciarrocca was on staff this season at West Virginia as an offensive analyst. After conversations between Minnesota head coach P.J. Fleck and West Virginia head coach Neal Brown, it has been determined that Ciarrocca will not be coaching in the bowl game.
Ciarrocca was the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at Delaware from 2002-07, while Brown was the Blue Hens’ wide receiver coach in 2005.
Brown said in a media conference call that Minnesota quarterback Tanner Morgan attended youth football camps while Brown was the offensive coordinator at Kentucky.
Minnesota defensive line coach Chad Wilt held the same position at Army from 2016-18. West Virginia co-defensive Coordinator/defensive backs coach ShaDon Brown was the Army cornerbacks coach in 2016.
West Virginia went 6-6 during the regular season and tied for fifth in the Big 12 with a 4-5 conference record. The Mountaineers went 2-1 in the non-conference, but lost five of their first seven games once league play started. However, West Virginia finished the year with back-to-back wins over Texas and Kansas to become bowl eligible.
Minnesota and West Virginia had one common opponent during the regular season in Maryland. The Gophers defeated the Terrapins, 34-16, on Oct. 23 in Minneapolis, while the Mountaineers opened the season with a 30-24 road loss to the Terps.
Jarret Doege has completed 254-of-386 passes (65.8 completion percentage) for 2,908 yards with 19 touchdowns and 11 interceptions for a QB rating of 139.6. He finished the regular season second in the Big 12 in touchdown passes, passing yards, passing yards per game (242.3) and completions per game (21.17).
Winston Wright has been Doege’s top target with team highs in receptions (60), receiving yards (672) and receiving yards per game (56.0), and he’s tied with Sam James for the lead in touchdown catches (5). Wright has also been one of the top kick returners in the country this year with an average of 27.4 yards per return that ranks 17th nationally.
Leddie Brown is West Virginia’s leading rusher at 88.8 yards per game. He’s rushed 223 times for 1,065 yards, and his 13 rushing touchdowns rank third in the Big 12 and 24th nationally.
Defensively, Josh Chandler-Semedo leads the team with 104 tackles total and 8.7 stops per game, which is third in the Big 12. He’s also tied for the team lead in interceptions (2) and forced fumbles (2). Dante Stills has a team-best 13.0 tackles for loss and 6.0 sacks, while Taijh Alston also has double-digit TFLs with 10.0 to go with 5.0 sacks.
Casey Legg leads the Big 12 and is 14th nationally with 1.58 fi eld goals made per game.
BOWL HISTORY
As mentioned on Page 1 of the notes, Minnesota is 9-12 all-time in bowl games.
This year will mark the fourth time Minnesota has played in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl, previously appearing in 2006, 2008 and 2009 when it was called the Insight Bowl. The four appearances tie Kansas State for the most in the bowl’s history.
The Golden Gophers are 0-3 all-time in the bowl and are looking to be the first Big Ten team to win it since Michigan State in 2012.
TAKING ON THE BIG 12
Minnesota and West Virginia are meeting for the first time, but it will not be the the Golden Gophers’ first matchup against a Big 12 opponent. They are 31-15-1 all-time against teams currently in the league.
Of the 47 games against Big 12 teams in Minnesota’s history, 26 of them have come against Iowa State. The Gophers own a 22-3-1 record against the Cyclones, leaving them 9-12 against the rest of the conference.
In bowl games, Minnesota is 0-4 against the Big 12, falling to Texas Tech in the 2006 Insight Bowl and 2012 Meineke Car Care Bowl, to Kansas in the 2008 Insight Bowl and Iowa State in the 2009 Insight Bowl.
Minnesota last faced a Big 12 team when it opened the season the 2015 season at home against TCU. The Gophers have lost six straight against teams from the league and are looking for their first win versus a Big 12 opponent since a 34-9 win at Baylor in 2000.
LAST BOWL: 2020 OUTBACK
With assistance from the AP: Tyler Johnson had 12 receptions for 204 yards and two touchdowns to become Minnesota’s career receiving leader and propel the 16th-ranked Gophers to a 31-24 victory over No. 9 Auburn in the 2020 Outback Bowl.
Johnson broke Eric Decker’s school record for receiving yards on his second catch of the day and became Minnesota’s all-time leader for scoring receptions on a one-handed, 2-yard TD catch that put the Gophers up 24-17 at halftime. His 73-yard catch-and-run put Minnesota ahead for good early in the fourth quarter.
Minnesota finished with more than 10 wins for the first time since 1904.
Tanner Morgan completed 19 of 29 passes for 278 yards, one interception and both of the TDs to Johnson, who finished with 3,305 receiving yards and 33 TD catches in his career. Receiver Seth Green tossed a 1-yard touchdown pass to Bryce Witham on fourth-and-inches midway through the second quarter.
The Gophers dominated on the ground, too, outrushing Auburn 215 yards to 56. Mohamed Ibrahim ran for 140 yards on 20 carries, and Rodney Smith finished with 69 on 16 attempts.
Noah Igbinoghene returned a kickoff 96 yards for Auburn’s first touchdown. Bo Nix threw a 37-yard TD pass to Sal Cannella and JaTarvious Whitlow scored 3-yard run that made it 24-24 heading into the fourth quarter. Nix was 17 of 26 for 176 yards, one TD and no interceptions.
Morgan broke the tie with his second TD throw to Johnson, who posted the 16th 100-yard game of his career and caught at least one TD pass for the seventh straight game, tying a another school record.
STRONG AWAY FROM HOME
Minnesota finished the regular season 4-1 on the road, shutting out Colorado, 30-0, in Boulder on Sept. 18, winning at Purdue, 20-13, on Oct. 2 and beating Northwestern in Evanston, 41-14, on Oct. 30. The Gophers lost at Iowa, 27-22, on Nov. 13, but bounced back with a 35-14 victory at Indiana on Nov. 20.
The four road wins are tied for the most in school single-season history, also notching four wins in 2019, 2003, 1999 and 1961.
The Golden Gophers are 13-4 (.765) in their last 17 games away from home, including bowl games, beginning with a 37-15 win at Wisconsin on Nov. 24, 2018. During that span, only Ohio State (16-3; .842) has a better mark away from home among Big Ten teams
BROWN-STEPHENS: PLAYMAKER
Redshirt sophomore wide receiver Mike Brown-Stephens has 22 catches on the year and has turned them into 387 receiving yards, the second-highest total on the team. His 17.6 yards per catch average is second on the team and, among players with at least 20 catches this year, ranks fifth in the Big Ten and 37th in the nation.
At Purdue on Oct. 2, Brown-Stephens caught two passes for 105 yards, tallying catches of 54 and 51 yards, the second and third longest receptions by a Gopher this year, respectively. Since 2000, the only Minnesota player with more receiving yards on two or fewer receptions was Duane Bennett, with 121 yards on two catches vs. Michigan State on Oct. 31, 2009.
The last time a Gopher had multiple catches of 50+ yards in one game was Rashod Bateman, who had TD catches of both 86 and 61 yards at Illinois on Nov. 3, 2018.
Brown-Stephens followed that performance at Purdue with three receptions for 58 yards on Oct. 16 against Nebraska, a 35-yard grab vs. Maryland on Oct. 23 and a career-high four receptions for 63 yards at Northwestern on Oct. 30. At Iowa, he matched his career high with four catches for 52 yards.
GOPHERS BOAST TOP-5 DEFENSE
Minnesota enters the bowl season with the No. 4 total defense in the country, allowing just 284.8 yards per game. That’s on pace to be the best mark the program has had since 1974 when it allowed just 135.4 yards per game.
The Golden Gophers have held each of their last six opponents under 300 yards of total offense, the longest active streak in the nation. On the season they’ve held seven teams below that number, tying with Alabama and Georgia for the second most in the FBS behind only Wisconsin (10).
In addition to the rush defense notes on page 1, the most dominant performance came at Colorado, which entered the Sept. 18 contest with 226.0 rush yards per game. The Gophers held CU to -19 yards rushing, meaning the Buffaloes were held 245 yards below their average.
Against Nebraska on Oct. 16, Minnesota limited Nebraska QB Adrian Martinez, a 2,000-yard rusher in his career with seven games over 100 yards, to -17 rushing yards on eight carries. The -17 rushing yards were his fewest in 36 career games to that point.
Teams haven’t had much success through the air either as Minnesota ranks 10th in the country and second in the Big Ten with 184.7 yards allowed per game. Four times this year Minnesota has held a team below 100 yards passing, tied with Arizona for the third most in the country behind Washington and Georgia, who have each done it five times.
The Gophers are holding opponents to 18.2 points per game. The unit is looking to post a scoring defense below 20 points per game for the season for the first time since 1999 (16.3). The last time before that was 1977 (15.5). The Gophers have held eight opponents to 16 points or fewer this year, tied with Wisconsin for second most in the nation behind only Georgia (11).
Prior to giving up 27 points at Iowa on Nov. 20, Minnesota had held its previous seven opponents to 23 points or fewer, the team’s longest such streak since a seven-game stretch from the 2002 Music City Bowl through the first six games of 2003. The last seven-game streak to occur in one season was the first seven games of 1999.
LINEBACKER DUO PACING THE ‘D’
On a defense with its top nine tacklers back from last season, the linebacking duo of Jack Gibbens and Mariano Sori-Marin has paced the unit in 2021.
Gibbens leads the team with 86 tackles, and he’s tied for third in pass breakups (3, all coming at Purdue). He also has 3.0 tackles for loss and one forced fumble. Gibbens has at least six tackles in 10 of the last 1a contests, including eight games with eight stops. He had a season-high 10 tackles against Maryland on Oct. 23 and matched it against Wisconsin on Nov. 30.
Gibbens spent the past four seasons at the FCS level with Abilene Christian where he totaled 258 tackles, 22.5 tackles for loss, seven sacks and five interceptions. He was the team’s leading tackler last season and was second in both 2019 and 2018.
Sori-Marin, who has started all 12 games but was limited to less than one quarter of play at Purdue, is right behind Gibbens with 83 tackles, including 40 over the last five games. After 11 at Northwestern, he had 12 against Illinois, which is the most by a Gopher this year. Sori-Marin also has 4.5 tackles for loss this year, three pass breakups, two forced fumbles and an interception.
Sori-Marin was the team’s top tackler from a year ago, registering 54 stops in seven games in 2020. He also made 1.5 tackles for loss, broke up three passes and forced a fumble. His top performance last year came at Nebraska when he recorded a career-high 18 tackles and forced a fumble en route to being named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week.
SACK TOTALS GOING UP
Minnesota did not have a sack through its first two games, but the Gophers have since tallied 20 sacks over the last 10 games.
Boye Mafe and Thomas Rush recorded 2.0 sacks a piece at Colorado on Sept. 18. It was the first time Minnesota had two players with 2.0 sacks in a game since Blake Cashman and Steven Richardson each had 2.0 against Northwestern on Nov. 19, 2016.
Mafe added 2.0 more against Bowling Green on Sept. 25, while Trill Carter and Rush each had a solo sack. At Purdue, Mafe and Jaqwondis Burns had 1.0 sack a piece, with Rush, Coney Durr, Micah Dew-Treadway and Nyles Pinckney each picking up half a sack.
Pinckney and Esezi Otomewo both had 1.0 sacks against Nebraska, as did Rush and Coney Durr versus Maryland. At Northwestern, Mafe had another sack, while MJ Anderson recorded the first of his career. Rush added another sack against Illinois, as did Pinckney at Indiana.
The 12 sacks (four in each game) against Colorado, Bowling Green and Purdue were the most for Minnesota in a three-game span since recording 14 against Purdue (6), Nebraska (1) and Northwestern (7) from Nov. 5-19, 2016.
The Gophers had not had a streak of three straight games with at least four sacks since Oct. 4-25, 2008, when they did so versus Indiana (4), Illinois (5) and Purdue (5).
Mafe’s 6.0 sacks this year are the most by a Gopher since Carter Coughlin had 9.5 in 2018. Mafe also leads the team with 8.0 tackles for loss this year.
With Rush at 5.5 sacks this year, he and Mafe are the first Gopher duo with at least 5.5 sacks in the same season since Cashman (7.5) and Richardson (7.0) in 2016.
TURNING TO’S INTO POINTS
Minnesota’s defense has forced 15 turnovers this year and has capitalized on nearly all of them. The Gophers have scored on the ensuing drive on 10 of the 15 turnovers and added a fumble return for a touchdown, turning them into 61 points.
4TH-DOWN SUCCESS
Minnesota has been one of the more successful teams this season on fourth downs on both sides of the ball. The defense is 10th in the country by holding opponents to just a 35.3 percent conversion rate (6-17), while the offense is 33rd by converting 61.5 percent of its
attempts (8-13).
The Gophers have stopped opponents on nine of their past 12 fourth-down attempts. After Purdue started 2-2 on Oct. 2, Minnesota stopped the Boilermakers on 4th-and-5 at the MN43. The Gophers then held Nebraska to 0-2 on its tries on Oct. 16, and Maryland was 0-1 the following week.
At Northwestern, the Wildcats picked up a 4th-and-1 at the NU49 in the third quarter, but on the same drive a 4th-and-3 at the MN28 was incomplete. In the fourth quarter, a pass on 4th-and-8 at the NU43 also was incomplete. Iowa was 1-1, gaining one yard on a 4th-and-1, while Indiana was 0-1 last week, throwing an incompletion on a 4th-and-6.
Wisconsin was 1-3 on Nov. 30. After converting their first 4th-down try in the fourth quarter, the Gophers forced an incompletion on a 4th-and-4 and a stop on a 4th-and-1.
Offensively, Minnesota started the year 3-4 in 4th-down attempts, before going 1-3 vs. Illinois on Nov. 6. At Iowa they bounced back by going 3-4, their most fourth-down conversions in one game since going 3-3 at Wisconsin in 2018.
Mohamed Ibrahim turned a 4th-and-1 at the MN29 against Ohio State into a 56-yard run that set up a touchdown pass. At Colorado, Trey Potts gained 5 yards on a 4th-and-1 at the CU8 and scored on the next play. After getting stopped on a 4th-and-1 at the MN29 versus Bowling Green, the Gophers came back against Nebraska and passed for a touchdown on 4th-and-1 at the NEB5.
Against the Hawkeyes, the Gophers turned a 4th-and-2 into a 37-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter. Later in the fourth, Ky Thomas had a three-yard run on 4th-and-1, and after an incompletion on a 4th-and-17, the Gophers converted a 4th-and-10. At
Indiana, the Gophers were stopped on a 4th-and-1 in the first quarter, but in the second quarter they picked up five yards on another 4th-and-1.
CONTROLLING THE CLOCK
Minnesota has had an average time of possession of 35:10 this year, which leads the Big Ten and ranks fourth nationally behind only Army (36:46), Air Force (36:41) and Western Michigan (35:30).
Four times in the P.J. Fleck era Minnesota has held the ball for more than 40 minutes in a game. Most recently, the Gophers held the ball for 40:02 at Iowa on Nov. 13, while they had it for 40:09 at Northwestern on Oct. 30 and at Colorado on Sept. 18, Minnesota had it for 40:13. The only larger time of possession came against Maryland in 2019 (42:53).
In 57 games under Fleck, Minnesota has led in time of possession 43 times and gone 28-15 in those contests.
