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When the Gophers face Missouri in the Citrus Bowl on New Year's Day, they will certainly have to play their best if they want to pick up their first bowl victory under Jerry Kill. Missouri is a 5½-point favorite and boasts the SEC Coach of the Year in Gary Pinkel and the SEC Defensive Player of the Year in defensive end Shane Ray, who had a school-record 14 sacks this season to lead the conference.
The Tigers had six all-SEC players, including Marcus Murphy, who made the coaches' first team as an all-purpose back and a return specialist.
Speaking at a news conference in Orlando on Thursday, Kill acknowledged how tough the Tigers will be.
"Playing the University of Missouri is a great privilege, and we know how good and well-coached they are," Kill said. "I've known Coach [Pinkel] for a long time. As far as knowing a lot about our opponent, we've been busy competing in the Big Ten, so that's what our staff is back doing now and preparing for practice tomorrow.
"But we know we're getting a team that is very athletic, very well-coached, I know their defensive line is very, very good, and offensively they spread you out and are very explosive. We'll have a big challenge ahead of us and a lot of work to do in preparation over the next two weeks, two-and-a-half weeks. We're going to try to get as much down on our home front as we possibly can in those preparations."
The Tigers finished 10-3 this season, with conference losses to Georgia and Alabama and a nonconference loss to Indiana. Among their victories are wins over South Carolina, Florida, Texas A&M, Tennessee and Arkansas to win the SEC East for the second consecutive season. The big mystery was how they could lose at home to Indiana (4-8), one of only two Big Ten teams (with Purdue) to win only one conference game this season.
Last year, the Tigers lost to Auburn 59-42 in the SEC Championship Game, then went on to defeat Oklahoma State 41-31 in the Cotton Bowl.
Pinkel told the Columbia (Mo.) Daily Tribune that getting to play in the Cotton Bowl last year and the Citrus Bowl this year is a big key in helping to build the program, much in the same way Kill views the game for the Gophers.
"They have a choice of a lot of different schools they could have taken in the SEC [for the Citrus Bowl]," Pinkel said. "And they chose the University of Missouri. That made me feel really good, as a matter of fact."
Kill said reaching the Citrus Bowl already has done wonders for the Gophers, because the university has already sold out its ticket allotment. He was asked if he'll allow his players some time to enjoy being in Orlando in January.
"Sure, I think it's a reward for our players, but at the same time it's important to us that we do a good job in the bowl game and prepare to win," he said. "So there will be an opportunity for them to do some things, but we'll carry on a pretty good workday. … We'll try to keep to our usual routine, but again, they're not in school, so we'll use some of that free time without school, where they'd have to go to tutoring, to have a little fun."
Kill also said that when he was coaching at Southern Illinois from 2001-07, he'd gone to Missouri to visit and learn from Pinkel. Now Kill is the Big Ten Coach of the Year and Pinkel is the SEC Coach of the Year, facing off in the Citrus Bowl.
"It's a great privilege to be here, and it's great for our university, our state and certainly our football program," Kill said.
Jottings
• The Gophers' schedule next year is no bargain, beginning with the home opener against TCU, a team many college football analysts believe should have been picked in the top four for the College Football Playoff. They also play Nov. 7 at Ohio State, one of those top four selections and a team I think will win the title. … The Gophers will lose a number of safeties the next two years, so Kill and his staff are excited about getting a commitment from Charlie Rogers of Iowa Western Community College. Rogers will enroll in school early and be able to take part in spring practice.
• On Sunday, when Teddy Bridgewater starts against the Lions, he will tie Hall of Famer Fran Tarkenton for the most starts as a Vikings rookie quarterback with 10. Bridgewater was asked his reaction and said, "It means a lot." … How did Tarkenton do in his rookie season in 1961? He posted a 2-8 record with 1,997 passing yards, 18 touchdowns and 17 interceptions while also rushing for 308 yards and five scores.
• Alan Williams was the Vikings defensive coordinator for two seasons (2012-13) under former coach Leslie Frazier before being hired by the Lions in January as their secondary coach. Going into Sunday's game with the Vikings in Detroit, the Lions are second in the NFL in interceptions (17) and rank No. 10 in passing defense (233 yards per game).
• Twins President Dave St. Peter has a high regard for Torii Hunter, who recently re-signed with the Twins: "I have been with the Twins for 25 years and there are just a handful of players I would say are as or more popular than Torii Hunter," St. Peter said. "He has a very special connection with our fans. For an entire generation of fans, he is the Minnesota Twins. He was really the guy that a lot of young people identified with back in 2000, 2001 and 2002, and really led a renaissance for this franchise. That generation is now older, they're now ticket buyers. I can tell you they're all fired up to have Torii Hunter back in a Twins uniform. It's a good thing from the brand perspective, from a marketing perspective, but most importantly, I think it's a good thing from a baseball perspective. We think this guy can still play."
• Eleven Timberwolves players played host to 22 kids from the Minnesota Adoption Resource Network earlier this week for an annual shopping event with the kids at Target in downtown Minneapolis. Each of the kids received a $500 gift card. … Corey Brewer, who had 19 points, eight rebounds, five assists and five steals in the Wolves' surprising victory over Portland on Wednesday, was up the next morning at 7:30 to pick up six kids in Monticello and take them to school. That's part of the Wolves' "Take a Kid to School" initiative. Brewer stayed in the classroom for most of the morning, helping with schoolwork and talking about the importance of literacy.
• In part because of injuries to starters Ricky Rubio, Kevin Martin and Nikola Pekovic, the Wolves have had a total of 36 percent of their minutes played by players who were under 21 years old when the season started. That is by far the highest percentage in the NBA.
Sid Hartman can be heard weekdays on 830-AM at 7:40, 8:40 and 9:20 a.m. and on Sundays at 9:30 a.m. shartman@startribune.com
