Washington State gives Minnesota a touchdown in Holiday Bowl (Video)
By John Buhler
This tipped pass touchdown from Mitch Leidner off a Washington State Cougars defensive back to Shannon Brooks best explains how the Holiday Bowl is going.
To say the 2016 National Funding Holiday Bowl was a defensive struggle would be a gross understatement. Mike Leach’s Air Raid offense of the Washington State Cougars couldn’t find pay dirt in the first three quarters.
Washington State had a 6-3 lead on the Minnesota Golden Gophers late in the third quarter when this odd touchdown happened. Minnesota quarterback Mitch Leidner heaves a terrible pass near the front left pylon of the Washington State end zone.
It was a certain interception, only to be tipped off a Cougar defensive back right into Minnesota running back Shannon Brooks’ outstretched hands. A made PAT that really didn’t want to go through the uprights made it 10-6 Golden Gophers.
This was a game that Minnesota initially protested playing in. After 10 players on the Golden Gophers football team were suspended by the university for an ongoing sexual assault scandal, the Minnesota football team said they would boycott the Holiday Bowl until their teammates were reinstated.
Well, that boycott lasted about 24 hours and here we are. Neither the Golden Gophers or even Luke Falk in the Leach Air Raid of Washington State can get anything going on offense. It looked like a certain field goal contest, as both signal callers would routinely get sacked in the red zone to force three-point tries.
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It was pretty, but at the fans that made it out to Qualcomm Stadium got to see a cool touchdown in the Holiday Bowl. In Leidner’s final start as a collegiate, he was rewarded on a certain red zone interception with a passing touchdown. Does this mean he ends up being Holiday Bowl MVP? You better believe it! Holiday, celebrate, unless Washington State dreams to big and differ.