Minnesota Runs Wild, Dominates West Virginia 18-6 to Secure Guaranteed Rate Bowl Trophy
Minnesota (9-4) came into this one wanting to dominate the line of scrimmage and the run game which is their bread and butter while West Virginia (6-7) wanted to air it out. Minnesota was able to accomplish their goal, racking up over 200 yards rushing en route to a dominant win over West Virginia to win the Guaranteed Rate Bowl.
Both Minnesota and West Virginia came into this one averaging 26.1 and 26.8 points per game respectively. However, the first quarter started off as a defensive slugfest, with the Minnesota defense swarming West Virginia quarterback Jarret Doege, while the Mountaineer defense forced a missed field goal and a fumble on Minnesota's first two possessions.
The second quarter, however, started off with a bang, as the Golden Gophers opened with a 23 yard rush from running back Mar'Keise Irving, followed up by a big man touchdown for offensive tackle Daniel Faalele to open the scoring in this one. West Virginia answered right back, as Jaret Doege led a 12 play drive, capped off with Doege scrambling for a one yard touchdown run to cut the score to 8-6 halfway through the second quarter.
Minnesota brought in the big man to score 🤯
— ESPN (@espn) December 29, 2021
Daniel Faalele is 6'9 380 lbs! pic.twitter.com/hQsye0FAS4
The only other points in the half would come from Minnesota running back Ky Thomas, who followed up a 50-yard run with a 5-yard touchdown run to put Minnesota up 15-6, a lead they would take into halftime.
Out of haltime, West Virginia was unable to muster much of anything on offense in the third quarter as they failed to put any points on the board. Minnesota on the other hand, while only putting up three points in the third quarter, controlled the ball and continued to gash the Mountaineers on the ground, with running back Ky Thomas cracking 100 yards on the game.
Minnesota would continue to pound it on the ground in the fourth quarter as the West Virginia defense simply could not stop the run to get off the field. Mar'Keise Irving would also crack 100 yards in the final quarter as well, capping off an impressive rushing performance for the Gophers.
Thomas would finish the day with 144 yards on the ground and a touchdown while Irving would rack up 129 yards rushing himself. Minnesota finishes the season with an impressive win over West Virginia to end their season with a 9-4 record.
You can follow us for future coverage by liking us on Facebook & following us on Twitter and Instagram:
Facebook - @SIWildcatsDaily
Twitter - @SIWildcatsDaily and Connor Zimmerlee @ConnorJZ98
Connor Zimmerlee is a writer and reporter for Wildcats Daily. Zimmerlee received his Bachelor's of Journalism from the University of Texas at Austin as part of the class of 2021 and now attends the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern.