West Virginia at a glance
Gophers bowl opponent: West Virginia
A look at the Mountaineers, Minnesota's foe in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl on Dec. 28 in Phoenix.
December 5, 2021 at 9:03PM
Location: Morgantown, W.Va.
Nickname: Mountaineers.
Record: 6-6, 4-5 Big 12, tied for fifth.
Coach: Neal Brown, third year, 17-17; seventh year overall, 52-33.
Key wins: defeated Virginia Tech 27-21, defeated Iowa State 38-31.
Key losses: lost to Oklahoma 16-13, lost to Baylor 45-20.
Series history: The Gophers and Mountaineers never have played each other.
Common opponent: West Virginia lost 30-24 at Maryland in season opener. Gophers defeated Maryland 34-16 on Oct. 23.
Key players: QB Jarret Doege, 2,908 yards, 19 TDs, 11 INTs; RB Leddie Brown, 1,065 yards, 13 TDs, 4.8 yards per carry; WR Winston Wright Jr., 60 catches, 672 yards, five TDs; LB Josh Chandler-Semedo 104 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, two INTs; DL Dante Stills, six sacks; S Sean Mahone, two INTs.
National statistical rankings: Scoring offense, 26.8 points per game (78th), total offense, 385.3 yards per game (78th), rushing offense, 128.4 (97th), passing offense, 256.9 (44th), scoring defense, 24.3 (tie 47th), total defense, 349.7 (41st), rushing defense, 129.6 (38th), passing defense, 220.1 (54th).
Minnesota connection: Kirk Ciarrocca, who's expected to return to Minnesota as offensive coordinator, has spent this season as a senior offensive analyst for the Mountaineers.
A constant on a team beset by change, Dawson Garcia scored 30 points, going six shots into the season before he even missed.
