The West Virginia Mountaineers (6-6) and the Minnesota Golden Gophers (8-4) will square off in the 2021 edition of the Guaranteed Rate Bowl in Phoenix, Arizona on Tuesday night. WVU enters the game looking for their second straight bowl win and winning record under head coach Neal Brown.
What needs to happen for WVU to win? Let's get to our three keys to the game.
Force the Gophers to throw the ball
Throwing the football is not Minnesota's strong suit. Quarterback Tanner Morgan only threw for 1,935 yards, 10 touchdowns, and eight interceptions on the season while completing under 60% of his passes. Do to their struggles in the passing game, they rely heavily on the ground game to produce. Minnesota averages 193.8 rushing yards per game despite having their top two running backs (Mohamed Ibrahim and Bryce Williams) go down with season-ending injuries. If West Virginia can limit the rushing attack, they should be able to keep Minnesota out of the end zone.
Tony Mathis stepping up
With Leddie Brown opting out of the bowl game, West Virginia will need Tony Mathis to step up and give the Mountaineers some level of production in the ground game. I don't expect Mathis to have Leddie Brown-like numbers, but if he can go for about 70-80 yards, it will give WVU a fighter's chance. In three seasons under head coach Neal Brown, the Mountaineers have a perfect record when rushing for 100 or more yards. True freshman Justin Johnson Jr. will also see some touches as well.
Take care of the football
I know it seems cliche, but this may be the difference in the game. Anytime you play a team like Minnesota, your number of possessions are going to be limited due to how much time they run off the clock each time they have the ball. Turning the ball over will handcuff this team to where they absolutely have to score when they may only have three offensive series in the second half. The Mountaineers have been a first half team under Neal Brown. Their second half scoring woes have been glaring, so with that said, a fast start to the game correlates with this key as well. Should WVU find success on offense early in the game, it will put them in a better position to overcome any potential turnovers.
West Virginia and Minnesota will kick off at 10:15 p.m. EST on ESPN.
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