The Minnesota Gophers Football team faces off against the Virginia Tech Hokies for the very first time today at the 23rd annual Duke’s Mayo Bowl in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Gophers head coach, P.J. Fleck, and his Big Ten conference team have a 7-5 season record and are coming off an impressive road win against Wisconsin in their final regular season game. Fleck’s teams have won five straight bowl games, and Gophers’ teams have won their last seven. This is the longest active streak in the country, excluding national championship game appearances.
They will face Brent Pry and his Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Hokies, who were 6-6 on the year. The Hokies come in on a high note after defeating Virginia 37-17 in their last home game of the year. This halted a three-game losing skid.
Gophers Offense vs. Hokies Defense
Quarterback Max Brosmer is the onfield leader of this Gophers squad. Plucked from the transfer portal last year after a successful career at New Hampshire, he lifted this team with his inspired play and instinctual leadership abilities. For the season, Brosmer was 250-374 with 2,617 passing yards and 17 touchdown passes against just five interceptions.
However, he will be missing his number one receiver as senior Daniel Jackson (75 catches) has opted to skip the game to start the preparation for the NFL combine. Receivers Elijah Spencer, Le’Meke Brockington, tight end Jameson Greers, and second-leading receiver running back Darius Taylor (50) catch will pick up the slack. The talented Taylor will have to shoulder the bulk of the carries as his running mate, Marcus Major, has also opted out of the game.
The Gophers offensive, which started to jell during the home stretch of the season, will be without three of their starters. The most notable absence will be Second-Team All-American left tackle Aireontae Ersery, who is projected to be a first-round pick in the upcoming NFL draft. It will be up to current starters Quinn Carroll and Greg Johnson to hold together a line with many new faces.
On defense, the Hokies will be missing all ACC defensive linemen, Antwaun Powell-Ryland and Aeneas Peebles, who are also preparing for the combine. Senior tackles Josh Fuga and Wilfried Pene will play in the game. And, defensive end Cole Nelson and linebacker Caleb Woodson and a deep bench will try to breathe life into the pass rush.
At linebacker, the Hokies have lost Keli Lawson to transfer, while Sam Brumfield has entered the transfer portal. And Keonta Jenkins will not play as he prepares for the combine. The pressure is on Woodson and an inexperienced backup group to shut down Taylor.
And the news does not get any better for Virginia Tech with their secondary. Cornerbacks Dorian Strong (declared for the draft) and Mansoor Delane (transfer) will not play in the bowl game. The inexperienced Dante Lovett and Thomas Williams will attempt to fill the void. At safety, the Hokies will be without Mose Phillips (transfer) and potentially Jaylen Jones (injury). If that occurs, backup safety Devin Alvez will be put in a pressure cooker position. Look for Brosmer to try to exploit this unit early and often.
Hokies Offense vs. Gophers Defense
With starting quarterback Kyron Drones out with injuries. Redshirt freshman William “Pop” Watson will get the start at quarterback for the Hokies. The confident Watson has a strong arm, and his speed could cause containment issues for the Gophers defensive front. As with the rest of the Virginia Tech team, it’s who is not playing tomorrow that is the big story. Wide receivers Jaylin Lane and Da’Quan Felton have both declared for the NFL Draft. Their absence is huge, as they combined for 70 receptions this season. Wide receivers Stephen Gosnell (27) and Ayden Greene (13 receptions) and Stephen’s tight end brother Benji (31 receptions) still give Watson some viable receiving options.
At running back, it is the same old song. All-ACC running back Bhayshul Tuten has declared for the NFL draft. Next up is Jeremiah Coney, who combines power with deceptive speed and good field vision. It will be up to him and the offensive line to take some pressure off of Watson. And just like everywhere else on the Hokies squad, the offensive line is missing some key components for the game.
Left tackle Xavier Chaplin is headed to Auburn, while center Braelin Moore transferred to LSU through the portal. And his older brother, right guard Kaden Moore, is preparing for the NFL. Holdovers Parker Clements and Bob Schick will try to set the tone for protecting Watson and opening up running lanes for Coney.
But the Gophers are also missing some defensive stalwarts. Defensive ends Danny Striggow and Jah Joyner are both skipping the game to prepare for the NFL draft. Promising sophomore Anthony Smith must step up, and defensive tackles Jalen Logan-Redding and Deven Eastern must accelerate their play and create additional pressure in the middle while also shutting down the run. And Minnesota will be without All-Big 10 inside linebacker Cody Lindenberg, who is preparing for the combine. Second-leading tackler linebacker Maverick Baranwoski (59 tackles) and monster back Jack Henderson (41 tackles) will have to play larger roles in shutting down the run and covering the short passing zones.
The good news in the Gophers secondary is that super freshman Koi Perich will return to Minnesota for his sophomore season. The Sporting News named the true freshman as a Second Team All-American. In addition, he collected First Team Big Ten honors. He thus became the first Gophers freshman ever to receive such an honor. He and his running mate Kerry Brown should be a formidable duo for years to come. The bad news is that Second-Team All-Big Ten selection cornerback Justin Walley will skip the game as he prepares for the NFL draft. Bucknell transfer Ethan Robinson, who had an outstanding season for Minnesota, and the youngster Za’Quan Bryan will hold down the outside cornerback positions.
Game Tidbits
Gophers kicker Dragan Kesich, after a rough start, made 10-11 field goal attempts to end the regular season. The Hokies punter, Peter Moore, was named Third-Team All-ACC. He averaged 45.13 yards per punt in 2024. And finally, the winning coach of the Duke’s Mayo Bowl is awarded with five gallons of mayonnaise poured on his head after the game. I will leave it to you, dear readers, to assign your own comments regarding this ritual.
The Gophers play the Hokies in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. The game is scheduled for a 6:30 pm CST start time.
