-Photo courtesy of AP Images
This past Sunday, bowl picks were announced. No. 16 Mizzou (10-3) will be playing against the Minnesota Gophers (8-4) in the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl on New Year’s Day. The last time these two teams met was back in 1970, Missouri winning. The Tigers’ all-time record against Minnesota is 4-3-1.
The season for Missouri has been full of determination and true dedication; helping them win the SEC East. The defensive line helped with key wins against Texas A&M, Tennessee, and Arkansas, especially defensive ends Shane Ray and Markus Golden (22 sacks combined).
The key player to be on the lookout for, during the game, is quarterback Maty Maulk. Finishing out the regular season with 30 completions of 20 yards or more, Maulk is looking to be a difference maker in this matchup.
For Minnesota, the comeback victory at Nebraska and running back David Cobb are just a couple of factors that have driven the Gophers through the season. Cobb is currently at 1,548 rushing yards on the season, setting the school’s single-season rushing record.
Besides Cobb, a player to be watching is defensive back Briean Boddy-Calhoun. This season, Boddy-Calhoun has four interceptions and eight broken up passes. During the Nebraska game, his forced fumble fixed the win for the Gophers.
Overall, both teams are going to bring a lot of momentum to the game. This is Minnesota’s third consecutive bowl appearance, but looking for their first win since 2004. No one thought in the past two seasons, Missouri would be a top contender in the SEC East, but they managed to pull it off in great fashion.
This will definitely be a matchup against two teams; each striving to end the season on a high note.
The game kicks off at noon.
