Bowl Info:
- Game will be held at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan
- Game will start at 5:15 PM ET on 12/26
- Minnesota is 7-12 in their bowl games
- Georgia Tech is 25-19 in their bowl games
- This serves as the first meeting between the two teams
Offensive Players to Watch:
Minnesota: Mohamed Ibrahim runs out of the backfield for the Golden Gophers most of the time. And also with a weaker Georgia Tech rushing defense, we will see Minnesota try to push more on this front than their usual passing. Ibrahim has built a stat line of 936 rushing yards and 7 rushing touchdowns, which looks impressive with the offense Minnesota has ran this season. Watch out for Ibrahim to do the most on the Golden Gophers offensive side and run them to a bowl win.
Georgia Tech: Andrew Marshall plays right tackle for the Yellow Jackets and is the first lineman to be featured in a game preview. His ability to give great outside blocks for the Georgia Tech backfield proves to be one of the most valuable assets they have. With the Triple Option being the offense of choice to run, Georgia Tech likes to have great tackles that can block low and effectively. Marshall sits at 6″4 and weighs 282 pounds in a lineman that is a dream for any college scout. It is important for Andrew Marshall to make important blocks on the outside to boost the Yellow Jacket run.
Defensive Players to Watch:
Minnesota: Watch out for Carter Coughlin who runs the defensive end spot for the Golden Gophers. This beast of an end is dangerous to all defenses with his speed at getting to the quarterback. Coughlin has racked up 46 total tackles, 15.0 tackles-for-loss, and 9.5 sacks for the Golden Gophers this season. I think we will see, again, much of the same out of Coughlin come Wednesday night. Make sure you keep a close eye on how Georgia Tech decides to pull in help against Coughlin on the outside.
Georgia Tech: The Yellow Jackets had more so of a younger defense this season. This means that many of the younger players had to step up and make their presence felt on the team. This will come into play once again with the stage growing bigger, especially with Charlie Thomas. Thomas has ran the rover-type spot for the Yellow Jackets this season and has responded well so far. His stat line has been steady at 48 total tackles, 3.0 tackles-for-loss, and 1.0 sacks, which is normal for a freshman starter. Depending on how he responds to a bigger stage will be an interesting spot to watch for.
The Basics
The Triple Option is difficult for anyone to stop, especially for someone who has never played against it at this level. Georgia Tech has mastered the art of chewing clock and running dominantly on their opponents. Also, it is their head coach’s last game in a legend with Paul Johnson. Georgia Tech holds a better offense and a arguable better defense. With this all known, I think it is one-sided with the Yellow Jackets running the table.
Score Prediction
31-9 Georgia Tech
Photo Credits: https://twitter.com/quicklanebowl
