Quick Hits: What you should know about the University of Minnesota football team
The CMU and Minnesota helmets sit side-by-side Dec. 9 at Quick Lane Bowl Media Day at the Detroit Lions Practice Facility in Allen Park.
The Quick Lane Bowl is less than three weeks away, as Central Michigan and Minnesota will face off in Detroit to end the 2015 season.
Here's what you should know about the Golden Gophers:
Coaching Change
Minnesota Head Coach Jerry Kill, who had been a coach for 32 years, announced his retirement due to serious medical issues midway through the season. Kill is epileptic and suffered multiple seizures during the week of Oct. 29 as the Gophers prepared for the University of Michigan.
Tracy Claeys, the team's previous defensive coordinator, was named the interim coach shortly after Kill's announcement and signed a three-year deal to become the program's coach in early November.
Claeys coached as an assistant for Kill for 21 years, including stops at Saginaw Valley State and Northern Illinois. The team is 1-4 this season since Claeys took over.
Key Playmakers
Junior quarterback Mitch Leidner has led the Minnesota offense this season. Leidner threw 13 touchdowns, but also 10 interceptions during the regular season. His favorite target was wideout KJ Maye, who caught the third-most passes of any receiver in the Big Ten this season.
On defense, sophomore linebacker Cody Poock had a breakout season, recording 67 tackles during seven games. That's the sixth-highest season total of any defensive player in the Big Ten. Poock and the Golden Gopher front seven on defense sacked the opposing quarterback 15 times for 99 yards.
Big Ten Beatdown
The Gophers started the season strong, hanging with ranked Texas Christian during Week 1 and defeating Mid-American Conference schools Kent State and Ohio in back-to-back weeks. But U-M went through a rough stretch as the dog days of the season pressed on.
The Gophers lost five of six Big Ten games, including a 48-25 loss to bowl-ineligible Nebraska on Oct. 17.
Game Control
Minnesota had issues keeping the football in the hands of the team's offense all year long. U-M finished the regular season with the third-worst time of possession in the Big Ten. Only Indiana (6-6) and Purdue (2-10) struggled more in that category.
One reoccurring hinderance keeping the pace of play out of Minnesota's control was the team's 13 turnovers the first eight games of the season.
The Chippewas hold their first official bowl game practice on Thursday, Dec. 17.
