2015-16 GMS NCAA Football Bowl Season Series ~ Quick Lane Bowl

The Quick Lane Bowl in Detroit, Michigan, will pit the Central Michigan Chippewas with a 7-5 record against the underachieving Gophers, who finished out their season with a 5-7 record. Central Michigan put together a rather mediocre season that allowed them to creep into this year’s bowl scene. First year coach John Bonamego allowed quarterback Cooper Rush to lead his team here via a passing game that quietly ranked 15th in the nation.

Interim coach Tracy Claeys, who took over after coach Jerry Kills retired due to health issues, hopes his 1-4 record isn’t an indication of the Gophers’ talent. Minnesota’s four losses under Claeys were to bowl-bound Big Ten teams that all won at least nine games.

Bowl: Quick Lane Bowl

Teams: Central Michigan Chippewas vs Minnesota Gophers

Date/Time: December 28, 2015 – 5 PM EST on ESPN2

Location: Ford Field, Detroit, MI

Vegas Line/Total: Minnesota -5 / O/U 49

Written by: Erik the Hun

Central Michigan Chippewas 7 – 5 Record – 9 – 3 Vs Spread Over – Under: 5 – 7 Season Results 11/27/15 Eastern Michigan W 35-28 L -23.5 O 59.5 11/18/15 @ Kent State W 27-14 W -8 O 40.5 11/10/15 Toledo L 23-28 L 3 U 54.5 10/31/15 @ Akron W 14-6 W -3 U 47.5 10/24/15 @ Ball State W 23-21 L -7 U 56 10/17/15 Buffalo W 51-14 W -7 O 55.5 10/10/15 @ Western Michigan L 39-41 W 5 O 51.5 10/03/15 Northern Illinois W 29-19 W 1 U 51 09/26/15 @ Michigan State L 10-30 W 25.5 U 56 09/19/15 @ Syracuse L 27-30 OT W 8 O 46 09/12/15 Monmouth W 31-10 W -20.5 U 56.5 09/03/15 Oklahoma State L 13-24 W 21 U 58

Minnesota Gophers 5 – 7 Record – 6 – 6 Vs Spread Over – Under: 7 – 5 Season Results 11/28/15 Wisconsin L 21-31 L 2 O 44.5 11/21/15 Illinois W 32-23 W -4.5 O 47 11/14/15 @ Iowa L 35-40 W 8.5 O 47 11/07/15 @ Ohio State L 14-28 W 23.5 U 53 10/31/15 Michigan L 26-29 W 10.5 O 39.5 10/17/15 Nebraska L 25-48 L PK O 47 10/10/15 @ Purdue W 41-13 W -3 O 47.5 10/03/15 @ Northwestern L 0-27 L 4.5 U 40.5 09/26/15 Ohio W 27-24 L -7.5 O 47 09/19/15 Kent State W 10-7 L -24 U 47.5 09/12/15 @ Colorado State W 23-20 OT L -4 U 59.5 09/03/15 Texas Christian L 17-23 W 16.5 U 57

C. Michigan Last 5 Bowl Appearances: December 24, 2014 – Bahamas Bowl – C. Michigan 48 – 49 W. Kentucky December 26, 2012 – Little Caesars Bowl – C. Michigan 24 – 21 W. Kentucky January 6, 2010 – GMAC Bowl – C. Michigan 44 – 41 Troy December 26, 2008 – Motor City Bowl – C. Michigan 21 – 24 Florida Atlantic December 26, 2007 – Motor City Bowl – C. Michigan 48 – 51 Purdue

Minnesota Last 5 Bowl Appearances: January 1, 2015 – Citrus Bowl – Minnesota 17 – 33 Missouri December 27, 2013 – Texas Bowl – Minnesota 17 – 21 Syracuse December 28, 2012 – Meineke Bowl – Minnesota 31 – 34 Texas Tech December 31, 2009 – Insight Bowl – Minnesota 13 – 14 Iowa State December 31, 2008 – Insight Bowl – Minnesota 21 – 42 Kansas

Central Michigan Outlook:

The Chippewas will be playing in their fourth straight bowl. With a proficient passing attack and one of the best mid-major defenses in the country, Central Michigan should provide its fans with enough moxie to keep this game close. Their Big Ten opponent Minnesota gave up 26.1 points per game and struggled to stop anybody they faced.

The Chippewas’ quarterback Cooper Rush was outstanding this season, completing over 67 percent of his passes, throwing for 3700 yards and 25 touchdowns. Cooper Rush’s work may be cut out for him as a Big Ten defensive line will be trying to pressure him throughout the game.

When the Chippewas turned to the ground game this year, it was somewhat of a challenge. Only two running backs had any significant amount of carries and neither could manage over 3.5 per rush. The two junior running backs, Martez Walker and Jahray Hayes, combined for 690 yards on the ground and only six touchdowns.

Obviously with a team’s offense focused on the passing game, the wide receiver spot had a little bit better numbers than that of the backfield. Rush spread the ball around efficiently to his core of receivers, providing five wide-outs with over 30 catches and over 500 yards. Jessie Kroll caught 59 balls for 856 yards and four end zone appearances and Anthony Rice nabbed 56 catches for 584 and four more touchdowns.

The defensive unit put up a solid effort all year long and their numbers prove that. Central Michigan was 16th in the country in yards allowed at 330, 23rd against the pass, giving up only 189.7 yards a game. Allowing only 140 yards a game on the ground was good for 32nd in the nation. With only 22.1 points allowed a contest, the Chippewas should be just fine competing against an anemic offense from Minnesota.

Minnesota Outlook:

Only 77 teams in the NCAA Division I season reached the .500 mark. The Gophers, with their bloated schedule and academic achievements, managed to receive a bid to the Quick Lane Bowl. Claey’s team struggled to move the football with any consistency this year, scoring over 30 just three times.

The one bright spot on this team was a pair of likely future NFL draft picks at corner. Seniors Eric Murray and Briean Boddy-Calhoun, helped the Gophers rank 15th against the pass. Luckily for Minnesota, that might be just what the doctor ordered against a team that throws the ball around consistently.

Starting signal caller Mitch Leidner was as average a quarterback as there was in the Big Ten. Leidner completed 218 passes for 2648 yards and had only 13 touchdowns to 10 interceptions. His 6.6 yards per pass didn’t strike fear in many defenses he faced. Leidner did manage to contribute to the running game, rushing 98 times for 251 yards and five scores.

With two starting freshmen in the backfield, a learning curve is understandable. Shannon Brooks and Rodney Smith contributed by totaling 246 carries for 1240 yards and 9 scores. With Leidner contributing on the ground, Minnesota did manage to have 14 touchdowns between the three of them.

KJ Maye led the Golden Gopher receivers with 65 snatch-and-grabs for 706 yards and 4 touchdowns. Three other receivers tallied over 20 catches that totaled 85 for 1112 yards and seven scores.

Minnesota’s defense kept up with its offense. Besides the production in the secondary, this unit was average at best. The Gophers struggled to stop the opposing teams’ ground attacks. Minnesota yielded 171.6 yards a game, good for 71st in the FBS.   The Gophers allowed 26.1 points a game, ranking them 60th in the country. The one bright spot that Minnesota can lean on is they do match-up well with the Chippewas’ passing game.

Matchup Analysis & Prediction

Analysis:

The Quick Lane Bowl got back to its more traditional Big Ten-MAC duel. Minnesota, qualifying strictly because of academics, will have a chance to show that an under .500 Big Ten team can win against a mid-major MAC conference opponent.

Central Michigan will rely on its passing game and a solid defense to gain a little respect. Vegas set the the line with the Gophers being nearly a touchdown favorite. Points could be at a premium in this game, as the one strength the Gophers possess is what the Chippewas do best, throw the ball. Central Michigan has leaned on a consistent defense all year, and will try to hold an average offense down and allow the passing game to create enough plays to lead them to victory.

Prediction:

To get further analysis from Ej the Rainmaker and Erik the Hun, check out our audio preview of the Bowl using the audio file below…