Analysis: Gophers get plenty of help from youngsters in bowl game, setting up team for future

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – As Friday night merged into Saturday morning in the bowels of Bank of America Stadium, one by one Gophers players filed out of their locker room and took a hard left down a hallway toward the team bus. They had just dispatched Virginia Tech 24-10 in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl, and the finality of it all for the group of Gophers seniors was conveyed by those like quarterback Max Brosmer and defensive back Jack Henderson, who had media interview duties.

Those seniors capped their collegiate careers by helping the Gophers extend their bowl winning streak to eight games, including six under coach P.J. Fleck. Yet, they also were mindful to leave a legacy by helping prepare the team’s youngsters for bigger roles in the future.

Because of injuries, opt-outs for the NFL draft and one transfer, the Gophers were without seven players who likely would have started the bowl game. In the secondary, for example, senior Justin Walley didn’t play, which meant redshirt freshman Za’Quan Bryan got the start. He responded by making two tackles, including one for loss, and intercepting a fourth-quarter pass near the Minnesota end zone, ending the Hokies’ last desperate chance.

“I’ll say this: the best for Gopher football is yet to come because the path that we’ve had,” said the hard-hitting Henderson, who spent two years in Minnesota after transferring from Southeastern Louisiana. “The amount of young guys who have seen the process and what we go through, that [redshirt freshman] class specifically has taken it really well. Their game plays are transforming.”

Safety Kerry Brown, also a redshirt freshman, had a big impact in derailing a Virginia Tech threat earlier in the fourth quarter. The Hokies, trailing by 14 points, reached the Gophers 17-yard line and faced fourth-and-7. Quarterback Collin Schlee fired a pass intended for Stephen Gosnell. Brown swooped in and knocked the ball away, getting a turnover on downs.

Of course, that secondary also returns Koi Perich, who as a true freshman this year led the Big Ten and tied for third nationally with five interceptions on his way to earning second-team All-America honors from The Sporting News.

The promising youngsters aren’t only on defense. With top receiver Daniel Jackson out because of injuries that were recently addressed, fellow senior Elijah Spencer had his big moment, earning bowl MVP honors by catching six passes for 81 yards and two touchdowns. Fleck, though, was just as excited about the play of redshirt freshman Donielle Hayes, who saw extended action and caught two passes for 22 yards.

“That was probably one that we really needed to come along,” Fleck said. “And this was huge for his 2025 season. We’re going to need ‘Nuke’ Hayes, and it’s taken him a few years to develop. … Not everybody is ready to play the moment they get here.”

With three starting offensive linemen opting out, injured or having transferred, the Gophers relied on senior Quinn Carroll at left tackle to show the way for Tony Nelson, Ashton Beers and Martes Lewis — a trio that could fill key roles next season. The line helped the Gophers amass 403 yards of total offense, averaging 6.0 yards per play, and kept Brosmer relatively clean, giving up only one sack.

Brosmer, the quarterback who transformed the Gophers offense in his only season in Dinkytown, put an added twist on preparation for the bowl game. He wanted offensive coordinator Greg Harbaugh Jr. to include some plays for true freshman backup QB Drake Lindsey to run. Brosmer used a bit of friendly extortion to pull it off.

“I told Coach Harbaugh, ‘Hey, I’m not playing unless I get a package with Drake,’ ” Brosmer said. “He made a five-play package, and we got three or four of them in.”

Lindsey saw the field on the Gophers’ second possession in the game, completing a 15-yard pass to tight end Jameson Geers and handing off to Darius Taylor. Brosmer lined up as a decoy, going in motion.

“You’ve got to soak it all in,” Brosmer said, shortly before exiting on a cool North Carolina night.