MINNEAPOLIS -- The 2014 season had plenty of ups and downs for the Minnesota football team, although there were arguably more positives than negatives. The Gophers finished 8-4 overall and will now face Missouri in the Citrus Bowl in Orlando on Jan. 1. Here's a look at what went right and what went wrong in Minnesota's season that led the Gophers to a New Year's Day bowl game.
WHAT WENT RIGHT
1. Filling the trophy case
Minnesota's win against Michigan seemed huge at the time, and in many ways it was. It was the first time the Gophers had beaten the Wolverines since 2005, and it came on the road -- a seemingly impressive victory. Since that game, Michigan turned into a mediocre-at-best Big Ten team, finishing 5-7 in conference as head coach Brady Hoke was eventually fired. Still, that win in Ann Arbor seemed to give the Gophers plenty of confidence heading into the rest of the Big Ten schedule. They reeled off three straight victories to start conference play, something Minnesota hadn't done since 1990. That win against Michigan helped wipe away the bad taste in the mouths of the seniors who lose 58-0 to the Wolverines in 2011. Fans in Minnesota celebrated with the Little Brown Jug upon the team's return to campus, and the Jug is still being paraded around campus.
That wasn't the last trophy the Gophers would win this year. With a dominating 51-14 win over rival Iowa in early November, Minnesota reclaimed the Floyd of Rosedale trophy after the Hawkeyes had won it the last two seasons. That gave the Gophers three of their four rivalry trophies -- the Jug, Floyd, and the Governor's Victory Bell, which they won last year after beating Penn State. It was the first time since 1967 that Minnesota had possession of both the Little Brown Jug and Floyd of Rosedale. And while the Gophers failed to completely pack their trophy case with a loss to Wisconsin that kept Paul Bunyan's Axe in Madison, Minnesota's players seemed to gain momentum with each rivalry win.
2. An opportunistic defense
One of the calling cards for Kill throughout his career has been a tough defense. It took a few years to establish that at Minnesota, but the Gophers have only gotten better on that side of the ball with each season under Kill. Though Minnesota lost a pair of NFL players from last year's team in safety Brock Vereen and defensive tackle Ra'Shede Hageman, the Gophers had plenty of others step up and fill the void on that side of the ball. The end result: the second-best turnover margin of any team in the Big Ten.
Minnesota recovered 15 fumbles this year, which trailed only Ohio State (16). Additionally, the Gophers intercepted 13 passes, which ranked fourth in the Big Ten. The 28 total turnovers gained by Minnesota this year is nine more than the Gophers had last year. This year's defense seemed to have a knack for knocking the ball loose, and players such as Briean Boddy-Calhoun were always near the ball in the secondary. Boddy-Calhoun led Minnesota with four interceptions this year and also had eight pass break-ups. Two of the Gophers' interceptions went for touchdowns -- one by cornerback Jalen Myrick, the other by linebacker De'Vondre Campbell.
3. The steady hand (or feet) of David Cobb
Playing in a running back-centric Big Ten Conference, Cobb's name tended to get lost in the shuffle amid other backs such as Wisconsin's Melvin Gordon, Nebraska's Ameer Abdullah and Indiana's Tevin Coleman. But it was a historic year for Cobb, who set Minnesota's single-season rushing record in the Gophers' final regular-season game. Cobb enters the bowl game with 1,548 rushing yards, which bested Laurence Maroney's mark from 2005 (1,464 yards). That total was good enough for Cobb to finish ninth in the nation in total rushing yards.
As we'll discuss below, Minnesota's passing game was nothing to write home about, so the Gophers' ground attack was key for sparking the offense. Two years ago, Cobb was buried on the depth chart and was behind Donnell Kirkwood and Roderick Williams for carries. After emerging as the starter during the year last year, Cobb hasn't let go of that starting role and has been an every-down back for Minnesota. The Gophers are likely wishing they would have redshirted Cobb -- he had just one carry in 2012 -- in order to have him for one more season, but Minnesota has been able to enjoy what Cobb has done as a senior leader on this offense.
WHAT WENT WRONG
1. A grounded passing game
Statistically speaking, the Gophers had the worst passing offense in the Big Ten in 2013. It didn't get any better in 2013. In fact, it got worse. Minnesota averaged just 131.4 passing yards per game this year, dead last in the conference and below the 148.1 yards per game the Gophers averaged last year through the air. That total this year ranked 124th out of 128 FBS teams, and quarterback Mitch Leidner's completion percentage of 49.0 percent was the fourth-lowest of all FBS quarterbacks.
Not helping the situation was the fact that Minnesota's receivers failed to progress much from a year ago. While Donovahn Jones and Drew Wolitarsky started as true freshmen last year, neither emerged as a potential go-to target. Wolitarsky missed a handful of games with an injury, which left the Gophers even more thin at the receiver position. The only true threat in the passing game was tight end Maxx Williams, who led Minnesota in receptions (29), receiving yards (471) and touchdown catches (7). The rest of the Gophers caught a combined four touchdown passes.
2. Stumbling at Illinois
Things were looking good for Minnesota in the early portion of the Big Ten schedule. After beating Michigan, Purdue and Northwestern to go to 3-0 in conference play, the Gophers traveled to face Illinois on the road -- a game that appeared winnable for Minnesota (they were listed as four-point favorites). However, the Gophers stubbed their toe in Champaign with a 28-24 loss to the Illini.
Leidner actually had his best game against Illinois, throwing for 240 yards and a 52-yard touchdown to help Minnesota erase an early 14-0 deficit. Cobb scored twice to put the Gophers ahead in the third quarter, but his fumble in the fourth quarter turned the tide as Illinois returned it for what proved to be the game-winning touchdown. That loss ultimately didn't matter in the scheme of the Big Ten standings, as the Gophers would have still needed a win against Wisconsin in the final game of the year. But it left a sour taste in Minnesota's mouth.
3. Late-season loss
Minnesota put itself in prime position for its final game of the year. With a win against Nebraska on Nov. 22, the Gophers had a chance to advance to the Big Ten championship game with a win over rival Wisconsin in the regular-season finale. Minnesota talked all season about having the goal of playing in the Big Ten championship, and it came so close. A win against the Badgers -- whom the Gophers had lost to in 10 straight meetings -- and they were in.
Despite jumping out to a 17-3 lead, Minnesota eventually faded in the second half. A Gophers turnover just before halftime seemed to shift the momentum to Wisconsin's favor. The Badgers outscored the Gophers 21-7 in the second half en route to securing the Big Ten West. Minnesota fell one game short of reaching the conference title game in Indianapolis. Still, the Gophers can take pride in the fact that they still ended up in a New Year's Day bowl game for the first time since 1962.
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