MINNEAPOLIS -- As a high schooler in Homestead, Fla., Gophers defensive end Theiren Cockran never played games too close to Orlando.
Homestead is located in the southeastern part of Florida, about an hour south of Miami and nearly four hours from Orlando. But after committing to play for the University of Minnesota, that 270-mile trek sure seems a lot shorter than the distance Cockran had to travel to get to Orlando for this year's Citrus Bowl.
For Cockran and many others on the Gophers roster, they'll have their first opportunity to play a college game back in their home state when Minnesota plays in the Citrus Bowl in Orlando on Jan. 1. The Gophers spent their last two bowl games in Houston, which was nice for Texas natives such as running back David Cobb or brothers Scott and Hank Ekpe.
The dozen Floridians on Minnesota's roster are thrilled to finally be back home in the Sunshine State.
"Playing here in the Midwest, you don't get many opportunities to play back at home in Florida," Cockran said. "Me and a couple other teammates, I know we're very happy to get back home."
Minnesota's matchup against Missouri in this year's Citrus Bowl is the Gophers' first New Year's Day bowl game since the 1962 Rose Bowl. It hasn't been quite that long since Minnesota has played a bowl game in Florida, but the drought spans more than a decade. Not since 2000 -- the MicronPC.com Bowl in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. -- have the Gophers played in a Florida bowl game. Minnesota more recently played at Florida Atlantic in 2007 in a nonconference game, but the Gophers' presence in Florida hasn't been as frequent as other teams in the Big Ten.
Gophers senior running back Donnell Kirkwood, who grew up in Delray Beach, Fla., knows Minnesota's game in Orlando could certainly go a long way in recruiting kids from Florida. Though the Gophers have already drawn several recruits from there in recent years, having both the national and local exposure in Florida can only help.
"I remember when I was in high school. You don't think about what can college do for you as a player. You think about the name," said Kirkwood, who has just 92 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns as a backup to Cobb this year. "Hopefully this kind of wakes some of those high school kids up, like, you need to look past those powerhouse names just because they are powerhouses and go where's best for you. . . .
"Just to see those guys thinking, 'I might not be able to go there, but I can go help this team because they're also a good team,' I think that's good for high school guys."
The Gophers have already arrived in Florida and have a full schedule ahead of them before the actual game on Jan. 1. There are plenty of practices and other media appearances, but the teams also have some time for fun in the sun.
With several popular theme parks in Orlando, you can bet the Gophers players are looking forward to that.
"I want to go to Harry Potter World (in Universal Studios)," said Minnesota safety and California native Cedric Thompson. "It was funny because I was talking to my girlfriend a couple months ago, saying I always wanted to go there. Now I've got an opportunity to do it."
For the Floridians, though, Disney World and Universal Studios are likely old hat by now. Though they might not be as geared up for the amusement parks as their other teammates, the allure of playing back home -- even if just for one game -- is strong.
And of course they'll probably have some good cheering sections, too.
"I'm trying to get some tickets for all of my family members," Cockran said. "It's been a little chaos."
The overarching theme among all the Gophers players -- even those from Florida -- has been that the bowl game trip won't be a success unless they win. Minnesota has lost its bowl games in each of the last two years and hasn't won a bowl game since the Music City Bowl in 2004. History might not be on the Gophers' side, either: the only time they've played a bowl game in Florida was a 38-30 loss to Philip Rivers and N.C. State in the MicronPC.Com Bowl.
Gophers offensive coordinator Matt Limegrover recently tweeted out a picture of a Citrus Bowl tie he received as a graduate assistant at Northwestern when the Wildcats faced the Peyton Manning-led Tennessee Volunteers in the 1997 Citrus Bowl. Manning threw for 408 yards in a Tennessee victory, but Limegrover still plans to wear the tie on his way to the stadium on game day. He hopes this time it'll bring some better luck for Minnesota.
And Kirkwood would love nothing more than to cap his Gophers career with not only a win, but also a victory in his home state.
"It's good. It's kind of a bittersweet moment, though," Kirkwood said. "I get to play there for my last game, but it's my last game with some of these guys. I've been trying to kind of savor the moment with my brothers. I'm not coming back after the game even. I'm going to be staying in Florida, so it's the last time I'll be in the locker room.
"Coming up, coaches always talk about, 'You're never going to remember the score. You're never going to remember your stats.' That's the truth. I can't tell you what happened two years ago, but I can tell you how many memories I have in the locker room. I think that's going to be the hardest thing to let go."
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