|
Minnesota falls in Music City Bowl game by a last-minute Virginia field goal
Dec. 30, 2005
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Connor Hughes kicked a 39-yard field goal with 1:08 left, and quarterback Marques Hagans helped Virginia overcome a 14-point deficit to beat Minnesota 34-31 Friday in the Music City Bowl. Minnesota (7-5) had every opportunity to blow the Cavaliers out and win this bowl for the third time in four years, but the nation's fifth-best offense bogged down after taking a 31-24 lead early in the fourth quarter. The Gophers had one last chance to pull out their fourth straight bowl victory, but Marcus Hamilton intercepted Bryan Cupito's ill-advised pass into double coverage in the end zone with 36 seconds remaining to seal the game for Virginia. It was the Cavaliers' first bowl win since the 2003 Continental Tire Bowl over Pittsburgh. Virginia (7-5) already had forced the Gophers to punt twice, and Hagans overcame an interception in the fourth quarter to rally the Cavaliers with 10 straight points to end the game. He finished with a career-high 358 yards passing. The Gophers might have been distracted in what could be coach Glen Mason's final game at Minnesota. He has a year left, but school officials want to make a decision by Saturday night when they must either terminate his assistants' contracts or see them roll over to 2006. The Cavs outgained Minnesota 468-461 in total offense with its best performance of the season. Hagans moved the Cavaliers on drives of 77 and 75 yards in the fourth, with the first capped by Wali Lundy's second TD run of the game - a 2-yarder that tied the score at 31 with 8:48 left. But the senior quarterback, who turned 23 on Thursday, was at his best on the Cavs' final drive. Nearly tackled in the end zone for a safety on the opening play from the Cavaliers 3, he escaped back to the line of scrimmage. Then he connected with Deyon Williams on a 19-yarder for a little room, and he later scrambled around before finding Emmanuel Byers for 19 yards on third-and-7 to the Minnesota 25.
Four plays later, Hughes kicked his second field goal to clinch the victory. Minnesota led 21-7 and had a chance to pad its lead before turning the ball over on downs when Cupito overthrew Logan Payne on fourth-and-6 at the end of the first half. Hagans used the final 50 seconds to set up Hughes' 32-yarder as time expired to pull within 21-10. That was the first of four straight scoring possessions for the Cavaliers, helping them to tie the game at 31. Cupito threw a career-high four TD passes for the Gophers, who jumped out to a 14-0 lead. But the nation's second-best rushing game that had been averaging 279.91 yards per game was held to 198 yards, including only 74 in the second half. Gophers running back Laurence Maroney finished with 26 carries for 109 yards, giving him a school-record 1,464 for the season. |
|
