Ground game lifts Gophers to victory
Ky Thomas ran for 144 yards and a touchdown, Mar’kiese Irving added 129 yards rushing and Minnesota shut down West Virginia on defense to win the Guaranteed Rate Bowl 18-6 on Tuesday night in Phoenix.
Thomas and Irving became the Gophers’ 1-2 punch after Mohamed Ibrahim and Trey Potts sustained season-ending injuries earlier this season. The two running backs carried most of the load offensively against West Virginia (6-7), accounting for 273 of Minnesota’s 358 total yards.
The Gophers (9-4) overwhelmed the Mountaineers defensively, holding them to 206 total yards to win their fifth straight bowl game, third under coach P.J. Fleck.it wasn’t much of a surprise. Minnesota finished fourth nationally in total defense, allowing 284.8 yards per game, and was ninth against the pass and run.
Bennett to start for Georgia: If there was any doubt left about who will be starting at quarterback for No. 3 Georgia against No. 2 Michigan in the College Football Playoff, Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart put an end to it Wednesday. “Stetson (Bennett) is our starting QB,” Smart said. Smart added that whether backup JT Daniels plays Friday in the Orange Bowl will be determined by the game situation and Daniels’ health.
Daniels began the season as the starter but an injury opened the door for Bennett.
As for his current health, Daniels didn’t travel with the team to Miami and arrived a day later.
Smart said the Bulldogs dealt with some COVID-19 issues, but gave no specifics.assistants back with ’Bama: Alabama offensive coordinator Bill O’brien rejoined the team Tuesday after isolating for a period of time following a positive COVID-19 test.
Offensive line coach Doug Marrone also was back with the team after having tested positive. Both coaches had attended every staff meeting virtually. “Coach (Nick) Saban made everything normal,” said O’brien, the former Penn State and Texans head coach. O’brien and Marrone took advantage of the SEC’S recently adjusted COVID-19 protocols, which fell in line with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention announcement Monday of reduced isolation times from 10 days to five days.