SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. – When West Virginia takes the field for Tuesday night's Guaranteed Rate Bowl against the Gophers, Minnesota fans might recognize the name of the man under center for the Mountaineers. Or at least the last name.
Gophers will see a familiar name at quarterback for West Virginia
Mountaineers signal-caller Jarret Doege will battle Minnesota in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl. His older brother, Seth, led Texas Tech to a bowl win over the Gophers in 2012.
December 28, 2021 at 4:51AM
Jarret Doege will quarterback the West Virginia offense against the Gophers, nine years after his brother, Seth, led Texas Tech to a 34-31 victory over Minnesota in the 2012 Meineke Car Care Bowl in Houston.
Doege — pronounced "DAY-ghee" — and the Mountaineers (6-6) bring a balanced offense into Tuesday's game at Chase Field in Phoenix. West Virginia is averaging 31.3 rushes and 32.8 passes per game, and Doege, a redshirt senior with eligibility for 2022, leads a group that won four of its final six games to secure bowl eligibility.
A Lubbock, Texas, native, Doege has completed 65.8% of his passes for 2,908 yards and 19 touchdowns with 11 interceptions this season. He ranks 24th nationally with 21.2 completions per game.
In preparation for Tuesday's game, Doege was impressed with the efficiency of the Gophes defense.
"They don't do a whole lot on defense. They just do what they do and they're really good at it," Doege said. "We played a team similar to them this year, Baylor. … It's a testament to a good defense. If they're doing a whole lot of different things, maybe they're trying to hide something. Minnesota's not really trying to hide anything. They're just good at what they do."
Doege transferred to West Virginia after spending his first two collegiate seasons at Bowling Green. He did notice that the Falcons upset the Gophers this fall but downplayed the result.
"I watched the game and saw the result," he said. "It was kind of deceiving for this Minnesota group."
Doege has been good at what he does late in the season, passing for 11 touchdowns over the past five games. He finished with a flourish, throwing three TD passes and competing 76.2% of his throws in a 34-28 victory over Kansas to secure bowl eligibility.
On Tuesday, he will try to uphold conference pride in the only Big 12-Big Ten matchup of bowl season.
"After all the bowl games are said and done," he said, "you look back and see which conference was the best."
Projected Gophers starting center Frank Mitchell will miss Wednesday night's opener against Oral Roberts because of a shoulder injury and will be reevaluated next week.
