Gophers in the Mayo Bowl Friday

(Charlotte, NC) — The University of Minnesota football team arrived in Charlotte yesterday afternoon in preparation for Friday’s Duke’s Mayo Bowl against Virginia Tech. The 7-5 Golden Gophers face the 6-6 Hokies at Bank Of America Stadium, home of the N-F-L’s Carolina Panthers. This is the first-ever meeting between the two programs. Minnesota head coach P-J Fleck says this is a hard game to prepare for because there is no way of knowing who exactly will be playing for Virginia Tech, as they’ve had several players hit the transfer portal, as well as opt out. The Hokies also fired their defensive coordinator at the end of the regular season, so there is some uncertainty as to what to expect from whomever is calling the defensive plays. Fleck admits that the Hokies are also likely struggling figuring out who is and who isn’t playing for the Gophers in the game. The head coach says they will release the roster update two hours before kickoff in the required availability report. Friday’s game kicks off at 6:30 P-M.