Citrus Bowl 2015: Top Performers and Highlights from Missouri vs. Minnesota
The bowl games haven't been kind to the SEC lately, with Auburn losing to Wisconsin in overtime on New Year's Day and both Ole Miss and Mississippi State getting worked over by TCU and Georgia Tech, respectively, on Dec. 31.
However, the Missouri Tigers were able to redeem the conference somewhat with a 33-17 win over the Minnesota Golden Gophers on Thursday in the 2015 Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida.
The game started off rather sloppily, with three turnovers before the 11-minute mark of the first quarter. Tigers quarterback Maty Mauk overcame a rough start to play calm, collected football and free up a potent rushing attack with his legs.
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After falling behind 14-13 midway through the third quarter, the Tigers powered to a win behind rushing touchdowns from Mauk and running back Russell Hansbrough, along with a fourth-quarter touchdown reception from senior wideout Bud Sasser, his second score of the day. Mizzou finished with a staggering 337 rushing yards, not far off the pace from Minnesota's total offensive output (373).
This edition of the Citrus Bowl featured long stretches of field-position jockeying, punctuated by the occasional highlight-worthy play. Let's take a look at a few of the top performers from the contest, followed by a quick look at the game's replay-ready efforts.
Top Performers
Markus Golden, DE, Missouri
Mizzou defensive end Shane Ray might've gotten the tiger's share of attention this season, but it was his pass-rushing counterpart Markus Golden who went about wrecking the Minnesota offense on this day, as Ray appeared to still be nursing an ankle injury and was seen limping throughout the game.
Golden, a senior playing his final game as a Tiger, was seemingly everywhere on Friday, harassing quarterback Mitch Leidner, chasing down ball-carriers and pummeling the Golden Gophers offensive line. Golden made his mark on this game early, picking up a spectacular sack-forced fumble just under a minute into the contest, which teammate Harold Brantley did well to recover.
Mizzou Football provided a look at his unbelievable first-half stats:
The St. Louis native wasn't quite as prolific in the second half, a byproduct of his own team's improved performance on offense. He did take time out from punishing ball-carriers to remind Minnesota who exactly they were dealing with, per CSN Chicago's JJ Stankevitz:
Golden was named the Citrus Bowl MVP for his efforts, per the game's official Twitter account:
It was a fine way to end a spectacular season. Golden's ridiculous motor should make him a highly coveted prospect in the 2015 NFL draft, and this performance is certainly going on his audition tape.
Maxx Williams, TE, Minnesota
Something tells me Maxx Williams is going to get a call from Minnesota's track-and-field coach fairly soon. Williams racked up seven catches for 98 yards and one touchdown in the Citrus Bowl, but it was the scoring play that had him looking like an eventual 110-meter hurdles champion.
Early in the third quarter, Williams took a wobbly pass from Leidner down the left sideline and vaulted not one, but two Tigers defenders en route to a 54-yard score. ESPN CollegeFootball provided a look at Williams' best Liu Xiang impression:
CBS Sports' Dane Brugler felt that play encapsulated the redshirt sophomore's draftability:
That play will definitely be one of the lasting images from the game. Williams didn't have too much else to do on the afternoon, as Minnesota struggled to keep up, but he proved to be a dependable outlet for Leidner, who had a solid performance himself, completing 21 of 31 passes for 258 yards and one touchdown.
Marcus Murphy, RB, Missouri
The Tigers didn't need to feed Marcus Murphy the ball too often in this contest, but the speedy senior running back made every touch count in this one, racking up 157 yards on 12 carries and adding another 16 yards through the air on two receptions.
Murphy touched the ball just eight times in the first half and just six more times in the second half. His best effort of the game was a 69-yard scamper that set up a seven-yard touchdown pass from Mauk to Sasser.
Dave Matter of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch thought the Minnesota defense was looking a bit bloated on that play:
Murphy was also very unlucky to have a long touchdown run erased by a Mizzou penalty. Still, the Kansas City Star's Tod Palmer noted Murphy's pro-caliber rushing ability after the play:
Missouri had plenty of success running the ball against the Golden Gophers, and the constant threat of a big play from Murphy had much to do with that on Thursday afternoon.
Highlights
Briean Boddy-Calhoun's first-quarter interception off Mauk likely had some Tigers fans reaching for the remote early on, perhaps wary of another dour passing display from Mauk. ESPN College Football provided a look at the play:
Minnesota's Rodrick Williams Jr. had but one carry to give in this contest, but he certainly made it count. Williams sprang for a 20-yard rushing touchdown for the first score of the game, via ESPN College Football:
Mauk eventually smoothed things out in the passing game, although he was far from prolific through the air. He did, however, show off his toughness with an 18-yard scoring run that gave Mizzou a 19-14 lead it would never relinquish, via ESPN College Football:
Murphy wasn't the only Mizzou back to top the century mark in the Citrus Bowl. Hansbrough finished with 114 rushing yards of his own, 78 of which came on this epic run to daylight early in the fourth quarter that did much to shatter Minnesota's confidence in this contest. Via SEC Football:
The game turned out to be an excellent send-off for many of Missouri's top stars, but the program could struggle to reload at key positions next season. Ray, Golden and possibly Murphy could all very well be playing on Sundays this time next year.
It's a disappointing end to the season for the Golden Gophers, who spent much of the year lurking in the back end of the various top-25 polls. They will have to find a greater spark on offense if they are to compete with Big Ten heavyweights such as Ohio State and Wisconsin in 2015.
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