Gophers beat Bowling Green 30-24 in Quick Lane Bowl as Darius Taylor runs for 208 yards

DETROIT – Darius Taylor was back in his hometown of Detroit, the true freshman running back putting on a show for roughly 100 family members and friends for whom he had to secure tickets.

Cole Kramer was making his one and only collegiate start, the former Eden Prairie prep star coming back for one last game before he moves to Arizona, gets married and embarks on his post-football life.

Together, Taylor and Kramer put their stamp on the Gophers' 30-24 victory over Bowling Green in the Quick Lane Bowl on Tuesday afternoon at Ford Field. One player gave a glimpse of what Minnesota has in the future, and the other played the role of the quarterback who saved Christmas for the Gophers.

"Just proud of our football team for the resolve and their stick-to-it-iveness to get us to where we are," Gophers coach P.J. Fleck said. "It was good enough to be 1-0 tonight."

Thanks in large part to Taylor and from a big supporting role from Kramer, the Gophers became the first three-time winner of the Quick Lane Bowl, ran their bowl winning streak to seven games and stayed unbeaten in five bowl games under Fleck.

The Gophers (6-7) were playing in the game because they had the top Academic Progress Rating score of the five-win teams in FBS, and there was one bowl spot to fill.

"Academics got us eligible," Fleck said. "… We're not going to apologize for that."

Taylor, the former Walled Lake (Mich.) Western High School star, had career highs of 35 carries and 208 yards with a touchdown, setting the tone for a Gophers ground game that amassed 255 yards on 44 attempts in front of an announced crowd of 28,521. He was named the game's Most Valuable Player.

"It was a great opportunity to just play with my guys again," said Taylor, who missed the previous five games because of a leg injury. "So, I was willing to do whatever it took to win this game."

While Taylor set the physical tone, Kramer was solid at the right times. Though his passing stats — 8-for-16 for 26 yards — don't scream quantity, he threw two touchdown passes, set up a second-quarter field goal with a 31-yard run and did not make catastrophic mistakes. He also played despite a shin injury.

Kramer originally was done with football on Nov. 25, but when starter Athan Kaliakmanis and third-stringer Drew Viotto entered the transfer portal, the Gophers would have been left with only true freshman walk-on Max Shikenjanski at quarterback.

Soon, Kramer told his fiancée, Katie Miller, that he had one more game to play before their February wedding.

"You talk about being a great husband and a great father," Fleck said. "One day, he's gonna be an exceptional one because he's willing to put his own needs aside for somebody else's, and it happened to be our team."

Bowling Green (7-6) took a 7-0 lead on its first drive as quarterback Connor Bazelak (21-for-36, 221 yards, one TD) found wide-open receiver Odieu Hiliare for a 46-yard TD pass on the game's third play from scrimmage.

The Gophers cut it to 7-6 with 5:56 left in the first quarter on Kramer's 4-yard TD pass to Elijah Spencer. That capped a 13-play, 75-yard drive in which Taylor had 10 touches for 54 yards.

Minnesota attempted a two-point conversion after that TD, with kicker Dragan Kesich rolling to his left and looking for tight end Nick Kallerup in the end zone. Kesich faked the pass and lunged toward the end zone but came up just short.

The Taylor and Kramer Show took over in the third quarter when the Gophers built a 23-10 lead. First, Kramer scored on a 1-yard sneak. Then the QB, after lining up with a "Brotherly Shove" look, ran a play-action pass on third-and-2 from the Bowling Green 7, connecting with tight end Jameson Geers for a TD with 4:18 left in the quarter.

All the while, Taylor racked up 82 yards on 14 carries in the quarter, keeping the chains moving.

"We planned all week to just run the ball and be physical," Taylor said. "I just knew it would happen eventually."

Bowling Green got within 23-17 with 11:10 to play, before Taylor answered with a 17-yard TD run out of the Wildcat formation with 8:03 remaining. The Falcons scored again with 2:33 left, but Corey Crooms Jr. recovered the ensuing onside kick, and after a 10-yard run that put Taylor over 200 yards, Kramer knelt down three times in Victory formation.

"I couldn't be more thankful for this opportunity," Kramer said, "and just be able to go out with a win means everything."