Minnesota 17, Washington State 12 December 27, 2016 - Qualcomm Stadium - San Diego, CA

NCAAF   FINAL               1ST  2ND  3RD  4TH     TOTAL
                            ---  ---  ---  ---     -----
        MINNESOTA             0    3    7    7      17
        WASHINGTON STATE      3    3    0    6      12   FINAL

        SCORING SUMMARY
     
        1ST QTR: WSU  - FG, ERIK POWELL 26 YD, 6:23
        2ND QTR: MINN - FG, EMMIT CARPENTER 43 YD, 7:26
                 WSU  - FG, ERIK POWELL 41 YD, :33
        3RD QTR: MINN - TD, SHANNON BROOKS 13 YD PASS FROM MITCH LEIDNER
                        (EMMIT CARPENTER KICK), 3:23
        4TH QTR: MINN - TD, RODNEY SMITH 9 YD RUN (EMMIT CARPENTER KICK), 2:06
                 WSU  - TD, KYLE SWEET 8 YD PASS FROM LUKE FALK (PASS FAILED),
                        :19
                                                                                

Extended Box

NCAAF                 1  2  3  4   F 
                      -  -  -  -  -- 
Minnesota             0  3  7  7  17 
Washington State      3  3  0  6  12  FINAL 

 Washington State-FG Powell 26
 Minnesota-FG Carpenter 43
 Washington State-FG Powell 41
 Minnesota-Brooks 13 pass from Leidner (Carpenter kick)
 Minnesota-Smith 9 run (Carpenter kick)
 Washington State-Sweet 8 pass from Falk (pass failed)

                      Minnesota  Washington State
First downs                  17          16 
Rushed-yards             41-150       23-39 
Passing yards               129         264
Sacked-yards lost          2-10        3-28
Return yards                 15           8 
Passes                  11-20-0     30-51-1 
Punts                    7-43.9      8-40.5 
Fumbles-lost                1-1         0-0
Penalties-yards           10-65        7-56
Time of possession        28:54       31:06 

Individual Statistics 
RUSHING: Minnesota-R Smith 17-74, Brooks 13-51, Leidner 10-26. Washington
State-Wicks 5-26, Morrow 5-13, J Williams 4-12, Falk 9-(-12).

PASSING: Minnesota-Leidner 11-20-0-129. Washington State-Falk 30-51-1-264.

RECEIVING: Minnesota-Wolitarsky 5-73, Still 2-38, Brooks 2-10, Wozniak 1-7,
R Smith 1-1. Washington State-R Lewis 6-86, Sweet 4-33, Dimry 3-33,
J Williams 1-29, Marks 4-27, Morrow 4-20, T Martin 3-20, J Thompson 2-10,
Wicks 1-4, Johnson-Mack 2-2.

Att: 48,704
                                                                        

Game Story

SAN DIEGO -- After a few days of turmoil and perhaps more to come,
the Minnesota Golden Gophers played lights-out in shutting down Luke
Falk and the Washington State Cougars to win the Holiday Bowl.

Shannon Brooks caught a tipped pass from Mitch Leidner for a 13-yard,
go-ahead touchdown in the third quarter and Minnesota, mired in controversy
after 10 players were suspended after a sexual assault investigation,
won 17-12 on Tuesday night.

The Gophers (9-4) were looking to regroup after backing down from a
threat to skip this game if their teammates suspended after the
investigation weren't reinstated. Their boycott lasted less than 36
hours, with university leadership never blinking. The players backed
down amid pressure from many who read details of the allegations.

"I don't think it's a matter of anybody not wanting to be here. It's just
a matter of wishing our brothers could be here with us as well," Leidner
said. "I love this team, these coaches. You couldn't ask for a better way
to go out. I'm just really proud of these guys."

Brooks' TD catch was one of the few exciting plays in an otherwise
pedestrian edition of what traditionally has been one of the country's
most exciting bowl games.

WSU cornerback Marcellus Pippins reached up with his right hand and
deflected Leidner's pass in the end zone but it went right to Brooks for
the TD and a 10-6 lead. That capped an 84-yard, 10-play drive on
Minnesota's first possession of the second half.

The Gophers had to face Falk and WSU's normally high-powered Air Raid
offense without starting defensive backs KiAnte Hardin and Antoine
Winfield Jr., and key backup Antonio Shenault, who were among the
suspended players.

Their replacements stepped up.

"You've got to go off practice, and those kids practiced awfully well,"
coach Tracy Claeys said. "They did a tremendous job. All of them played
their tails off. When you get in those situations and you're missing
people, it all goes back to that the next person's got to step up and you
ask them to do things, they're going to do it. Nobody's going to be
successful if you ask them to do things you're not very good at."

WSU (8-5) ended on a three-game losing streak and was held to its lowest
point total of the season. The Cougars had scored more than 50 points four
times this season, a school record.

The Golden Gophers frustrated Falk most of the game, holding him to 264
yards — 86 below his average — on 30-of-51 passing. Falk didn't crack 200
yards until the final minutes, when he led a drive capped by an 8-yard TD
pass to Kyle Sweet. After three tries due to Minnesota penalties, the
conversion attempt failed. Minnesota then recovered an onside kick.

Falk came in having completed 71 percent of his passes in throwing for
4,204 yards and 37 touchdowns. The Cougars were ranked second in the
nation in passing.

Falk was intercepted by Adekunle Ayinde on fourth down with 3:05 left.
That set up Rodney Smith's 9-yard TD run with 2:06 left for a 17-6 lead.

"I don't think we played well offensively at all," coach Mike Leach said.
"We never got any rhythm. We were frantic. You can say we were rusty and
had some time off, whatever it is. We tried to make things happen and then
when it didn't happen, we got frantic. We unraveled. We were pouting on
the sidelines."

WSU lead 6-3 after a lackluster first half that included just three field
goals.

The Cougars crossed the 50 just twice, getting field goals of 26 and 41
yards by Erik Powell.

Powell's second field goal was set up when Nnamdi Oguayo hit Leidner and
forced a fumble that Isaac Dotson recovered at the Golden Gophers' 38.

Minnesota got a 43-yard field goal by Emmit Carpenter in the second quarter.