Minnesota Golden Gophers vs Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

The 6-6 Minnesota Golden Gophers are making their sixth bowl appearance in the last seven years as they face off with the 7-5 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Ford Field in the Quick Lane Bowl. Only twice since 1997 has Georgia Tech not appeared in a bowl game and it has won its last two, while Minnesota has also won its last two bowl games. The Yellow Jackets are 5-point favorites in the Quick Lane Bowl with the total Sportsbook at 58 points.

Georgia Tech vs Minnesota Game Center

Golden Gophers have question marks on Offense

A late push with three upset victories was what Minnesota needed to earn a bowl game this season. Minnesota jumped out to a 3-0 start to the year but immediately followed that up with four straight losses, putting its bowl hopes in jeopardy. However, the Gophers dug deep to earn wins over Indiana, Purdue and at Wisconsin over their last five games to finish 6-6. They had a hard time finding consistency on offense, especially in the passing game, as Zack Annexstad started the season under center, going 3-4 SU before getting injured against Nebraska in Week 7.

The freshman threw for 1,277 yards with nine TDs and seven interceptions prior to handing the reins to Tanner Morgan at halftime in the Nebraska game. Morgan, also a freshman, went 3-2 SU as a starter, tossing 1,234 yards with seven TDs and five interceptions. There was a bright spot on offense, though, in freshman running back Mohamed Ibrahim as he rushed for 936 yards on 171 attempts while adding seven touchdowns, all while missing three games.

On the defensive side of the ball, Minnesota was decent, allowing 394 yards per game to rank 64th in the nation and yielding an average of 27.9 points per game, which ranks in a tie for 75th in college football. The Gophers have a strong pass rusher in linebacker Carter Coughlin, who racked up 10 sacks this year for a total of 50 yards lost. The true test will come on the defensive line against the top rushing attack in the nation and the Gophers ranked 76th in the NCAA, giving up 170.7 rushing yards per game.

Yellow Jackets rely completely on their run attack

Georgia Tech stumbled out of the gate to a 1-3 record and needed to flip a switch if it wanted to have a postseason game, and that’s exactly what it did. After dropping three games in a row in Weeks 2 through 4, the Yellow Jackets won four of their next six games, falling only to Duke and at Georgia in their season finale. Following that Georgia defeat, head coach Paul Johnson announced that he would be retiring after the Quick Lane Bowl, ending his 11-year tenure. The Jackets are playing in their ninth bowl game under him.

The game plan for Georgia Tech was a relatively simple one this year: run the ball. The Jackets averaged 334.9 rushing yards per game to lead the nation with 38.6 more rushing yards per game than second-place Army, while they averaged the fourth-fewest passing yards per game at 84.3. Dual-threat QB TaQuon Marshall threw for 824 yards with five touchdowns and four interceptions, but he also rushed for 896 yards with another 11 TDs.

Meanwhile, freshman “QB” Tobias Oliver tossed 166 yards on 13 passes with two TDs, while carrying the ball 143 times for 807 yards and adding 12 rushing TDs. Defensively, Georgia Tech surrenders an average of 28.9 points per game, which is the 51st-most in the nation, but it allows just 368 yards per game, the 46th-fewest in college football. The Jackets grabbed 12 interceptions this year to tie for 34th-most in the NCAA but had only 16 sacks, the 13th-fewest.

Is the OVER the Smart Bet?

Defense isn’t the pride and joy for the two teams competing in the Quick Lane Bowl and Sportsbook has the total Sportsbook at 58 points. Georgia Tech went OVER in seven of its last nine games with an average combined score of 67, with only three games going UNDER 58 points over that span. Meanwhile, Minnesota split its last six games with three going UNDER and three going OVER, with an average combined score of 62.83.

Georgia Tech averages the 21st-most points per game in the nation this season at 35.6, but also surrenders the 51st-most points per game. I don’t see Minnesota stopping Georgia Tech’s run game, while I expect the Gophers to find the end zone a few times as the Jackets allowed an average of 25 ppg down the stretch. I think the OVER will come through.

My take on Georgia Tech vs Minnesota

I like Georgia Tech to cover the 5-point spread. Minnesota was able to dig deep through its final five games of the season to become bowl-eligible but is in tough against Georgia Tech. The Gophers surrendered an average of 170.7 rushing yards per game and now they are facing a team that averaged 334.9 rushing yards per game. The Yellow Jackets also averaged the 21st-most ppg compared to the Gophers’ 68th-ranked offense.

Although Georgia Tech gave up on average one more point per game than Minnesota, it surrendered 26 fewer yards per game. The Golden Gophers struggled mightily to find a consistent pass attack, tossing almost as many interceptions as TDs, and that could be dangerous against the Yellow Jackets, who grabbed 12 picks this year.