2025 Duke's Mayo Bowl Preview
This is fun.
To be completely honest, I don't feel like Virginia Tech deserves to be in this game. If anything, our brand actually carried us for a change and put us in a bowl game that we frankly didn't earn. It feels good for a change. I was expecting a trip up to Boston or New York for a football game in a baseball stadium that absolutely nobody asked for.
The Virginia Tech Hokies and the Minnesota Golden Gophers have never shared the field in a game of football. This Friday will be history in Charlotte.
The Golden Gophers are a stout football team. Through the 2024 season, they have only given the ball away 10 times. 5 fumbles, which ranks 7th best in the conference, and 5 interceptions which ranks first in the Big 10. To put it plainly, they make you earn it.
And they've done that in the Big 10 all year. In their last 4 regular season games, they beat 20th-ranked Illinois, lost to Rutgers by 7, lost to Penn State by 1, and beat Wisconsin 24-7. Wisconsin has had a hell season. Luke Fickell was the hottest name in college football only 2 years ago when he took the job. Going into the Minnesota game, Wisconsin was on a 4 game skid, and with only 5 wins, they needed that game. In front of 76,059 fans, they got manhandled by this Minnesota team.
So who are these Golden Gophers? They're led by transfer Quarterback Max Brosmer. Max spent his first five seasons at New Hampshire before transferring to Minnesota and landing the starting gig. He's thrown 17 touchdowns this season and posted a 64 QBR. His average pass goes for 7 yards. Nothing that'll knock your socks off, but he takes care of the football and allows his team to make plays.
Their star offensive player is Darius Taylor. The true sophomore already has over 1700 rushing yards in his college career. He is a dynamic playmaker that they will rely on with top receiver Daniel Jackson sitting out for the NFL draft.
Defensively for the Gophers, cornerback Justin Walley, linebacker Cody Lindenberg, and defensive end Jah Joyner, will all be out as they prepare for the NFL. This group accounted for 168 tackles, 6.5 sacks, 3 INTs, and 2 FFs. Cody Lindenberg led the team in tackles with 94. Linebacker Maverick Baranowski was 2nd with 59.
This is big for the Hokies. There has been a bit floating around that VT is decimated with transfers, and while we certainly are, the Gophers aren't far behind with players sitting out for the NFL. Additionally, they will be down their LT, LG, and RT.
On our side of things, we are missing a plethora of players including Bhayshul Tuten, Kyron Drones, Jaylin Lane, DaQuan Felton, Brealin Moore, and Xavier Chaplin, (sigh).... Mansoor Delane, and Mose Philips, among several others.
BUT with all of that said, I am picking the Virginia Tech Hokies to win outright due to one singular player: Pop Watson.
His time has come. We have already seen flashes of what he can do while preparing as a starter against UVA. We have now entered Pop Watson season. Tomorrow, Pop Watson will likely be the most dynamic and explosive player on the football field, and he'll have to be for Virginia Tech to get a win. Minnesota will be physical, and sound, but without their top players on defense, I see Pop Watson delivering a cinematic performance on a random night in January.
Am I drunk on the Kool-Aid? Honestly? Maybe a little bit.
I think this game will be the start of a very controversial 9 months. Kyron Drones is coming back to Blacksburg next year, but the QB1 job might be a bigger battle for him than it is for Pop. Pop is a natural QB. In the pocket, on the run, with pressure in his face, he is calm and delivers the ball where it needs to go. It's no question why he was the Gatorade Player of the Year in Massachusetts. He makes football look easy.
My final prediction is a boat race, with VT winning 42-39.