2023 Quick Lane Bowl – Minnesota vs Bowling Green
posted December 20
The Game
This isn’t the depths of hell. This is Detroit. If you can handle rivers of human sewage and dozens of stray bullets flying by your head then this is the place for you! And as an added bonus, you can check out the Quick Lane Bowl as Minnesota battles Bowling Green. The Golden Gophers finished the season at 5-7 but made it to a bowl game thanks to academics. Bowling Green rolls into paradise with a mark of 7-5 and they’re on a bit of a HEEETER having won five of their last six games.
The Details
Minnesota -3.5 Bowling Green (39.5)
MEGALOCKS LINE – Minnesota -5
“Vegas” Implied Projected Score: Minnesota 21 Bowling Green 17.5
Minnesota offense vs Bowling Green defense
The Gophers struggle to do much when they have the ball (#122 FBS total offense) but at least they’ve got a somewhat functional ground game (#78) that’ll have a good chance of doing work on the Bowling Green run defense. The Falcons rank #42 in the nation vs the run but they’ve played a weak schedule and allowed Ball St, Western Michigan, and Toledo to have a decent amount of success in the final month of the regular season. The Gophers will be going with a backup QB in Cole Kramer (14 career attempts since 2019) but he seems to be a well-liked dood that’s been with the program a long time. We don’t have high hopes for the Minnesota THROW GAME but at least it helps that the Falcons will be without star CB Jalen Huskey.
Bowling Green offense vs Minnesota defense
The Falcons aren’t known for their offense either and they’ve put up some mediocre stats despite playing the #104 schedule (#102 total offense, #86 rush, #106 pass). Bowling Green uses a two-man QB rotation and neither guy is very good. Connor Bazelak and Camden Orth have combined for a 16-12 TD to INT mark and averaged a mere 7 yards per attempt. The Falcons’ leading rusher Terion Stewart is unlikely to play (but who knows?) due to injury and their #2 RB Ta’Ron Keith (also #1 on the team in receptions) has hit the transfer portal. Minnesota has been a yuuuge disappointment on defense this season (#10 Big Ten total defense) and will be without their DC for this game. Thankfully, the Bowling Green offense should be something they can handle.
Trends, Intangibles and More!
Minnesota HC PJ Fleck is 4-0 (!) in bowl games with the Gophers and he’s covered the spread on three occasions…Bowling Green is 5-9 SU all-time in bowl games and they lost in last year’s edition of the Quick Lane Bowl vs New Mexico St….If REVENGE is indeed a dish that is BEST SERVED COLD then consider that Bowling Green upset Minnesota as 30+ point underdogs just a few years ago in Minneapolis….There are several players on the Gophers roster that were part of that humiliation and they don’t wanna be known for all eternity as the doods that lost to Bowling Green twice in the three years…..Minnesota doesn’t take many penalties (#3 fewest penalty yards per game) whilst the Falcons rate #116 in that category.
Summary
It won’t be pretty but we trust that the Gophers will be motivated (see above) and able to play their brand of boring yet effective football vs a MAC squad missing some key players.
Conclusion
Lean – Minnesota -3.5
‘Official play’ implies this pick is one of our favorites of the week (perceived value, match-up, coaching, trends, etc.). We’re currently playing these picks for the same amount as the leans but it’s up to you how you want to manage your bankroll. Please see the Week in Review posts for more detail.
‘Lean’ implies we are placing a wager on the game.
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