receivers make the adjustments and get on the people theyre supposed to block. Its really hard to do, and coach Drevno has done a tremendous job.Nebraska is

MINNEAPOLIS -- Last year, Minnesota took a losing record and winter clothes to the postseason. Tyler Johnson Jersey .The Gophers will bring a better vibe to their bowl game this time, making sure to pack the flip-flops, too.After qualifying for the 2015 Quick Lane Bowl in Detroit at 5-7 on the strength of their graduation rate because there initially werent enough eligible NCAA FBS teams to fill all the slots, the Gophers (8-4) were picked for the Holiday Bowl in San Diego. The game is Dec. 27.Beautiful spot, wide receiver Drew Wolitarsky said. I think the guys will be pretty amped to go and be able to kind of free roam and hit the beach and enjoy ourselves. I think that the energy will be up and a lot more positive, for sure.When they lost the last game on their schedule last year to Wisconsin, the Gophers figured they were done. They had to rally to beat a non-power-conference opponent, Central Michigan, in an indoor stadium in a northern city.A lot of guys had checked out, having such a disappointing season, but our ability to come back and win that was big, Wolitarsky said. I think that can lead us to have some momentum to win this one too.The venue shift from drab to sunny sure helps, a selling point not lost on the university in the form of a Gophers helmet planted in the sand on the front page graphic on the athletic department website.Facing a daunting Pac-12 foe, Washington State, adds meaning. So does the opportunity to reach nine victories for the first time in 13 years and only the second time since 1905.We wanted it to be Pasadena, Wolitarsky said, referencing the Rose Bowl, but it didnt go as we planned, obviously. But were very fortunate to be here and get those nine wins.This will be the programs 14th appearance in a bowl game in the last 18 seasons, a stretch during which the lineup of postseason games has swelled considerably. Gophers fans have been presented with opportunities to visit Nashville, Tennessee, and Tempe, Arizona, three times each and El Paso, Texas, and Houston twice. Thats a glaring example of why the Big Ten recently shuffled the allocation process, and Minnesota this year will benefit. The Citrus Bowl two seasons ago on New Years Day is the only other bid in the last 15 years that Gophers fans were fired up for.For Wolitarsky, the senior from Santa Clarita, California, hell get to play in his home state in front of more than 100 family members and friends instead of the usual 10 or so at a regular-season game.So Ive got find some tickets, Wolitarsky said.For coach Tracy Claeys, the game is confirmation from athletic director Mark Coyle that hes staying on the job for the foreseeable future.Whenever you have a new boss you dont know how they feel and some of them, they want to bring in their own person, Claeys said. So I trust him and respect him an awful lot. He chose to come back here, and that was important to a lot of us. Wed like to have somebody in place whos not looking for the next job.---For more college football coverage: http://www.collegefootball.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-Top25 Charles Barkley Jersey . Dukurs winning time was 1 minute, 45.76 seconds, a quarter-second better than Russias Alexander Tretiakov. Lativas Tomass Dukurs was third, 1.41 seconds off the pace. Jon Montgomery of Eckville, Alta. Grant Hill Jersey . -- If this was Aaron Gordons final home game at Arizona, and it almost certainly was, then he went out in style. https://www.cheapsunsonline.com/599z-lea...ersey-suns.html . It is a cliché dragged out by fans and pundits regularly when discussions take place around which teams are better than others. The Big Ten appears to be returning to its running roots.A year after posting its lowest rushing average in six seasons, the Big Ten is nearing the halfway point of the season as the No. 3 running conference in the Bowl Subdivision.Mike Weber of Ohio State and Justin Jackson of Northwestern are the only Big Ten rushers among the top 25 nationally, yet five teams are running for more than 200 yards a game.The Big Ten average is 192 yards. Last year, the Big Ten was eighth out of 10 FBS conferences at 170 a game, the lowest mark since it averaged 152 in 2009.Leading the way is Ohio State, which is third nationally at 324 yards a game. Other than last weeks win over Indiana , when J.T. Barrett struggled with his passing, the Buckeyes have held big leads in the second halves of games and havent been forced to throw. Theyve run on 65 percent of their plays and have had no fewer than 48 rushing attempts in a game.The multi-faceted attack of Weber, Barrett and H-back Curtis Samuel has combined for a 6.5-yard per-carry average, and theyve done it behind an offensive line that has three new starters. Samuel also is the teams leading receiver.Curtis Samuel, I dont want to say hes a surprise, but hes assumed a critical role in this offense, Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer said. Im pleased with where were at. Im not surprised because I think we have very good players who believe in what were doing.Maryland is running for 274 yards a game to rank ninth, with Lorenzo Harrison III and Ty Johnson combining for 142 yards a game and quarterback Perry Hills picking up 8.8 yards a carry.Michigan has one of the most improved ground games, averaging 255 yards to rank 14th in the natioon. Custom Phoenix Suns Jerseys. . Last year the Wolverines were 83rd, at 158 a game.The Wolverines are doing it with a running back committee , with DeVeon Smith the starter and Ty Isaac, Karan Higdon and Chris Evans also getting significant carries.Coach Jim Harbaugh gave much of the credit to Tim Drevno, who doubles as offensive coordinator and offensive line coach.The adjustments are made, the scheme is good, the players have been coached, Harbaugh said. Its multiple (defensive) fronts, and multiple adjustments could be made, and our backs make the adjustments. Our wide receivers make the adjustments and get on the people theyre supposed to block. Its really hard to do, and coach Drevno has done a tremendous job.Nebraska is running for 234 yards a game and Minnesota for 203. The Cornhuskers Terrell Newby is having his best season as a senior, and quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr. has become more of a factor in coach Mike Rileys second season. Newby, averaging 65 yards a game, has been splitting time with Devine Ozigbo. But with Ozigbo slowed by an ankle injury, Newbys workload has increased. Armstrong is up to 12 carries a game and is averaging 59 yards.We felt like if we were going to be a factor in the league and be relevant that we had to run the ball more consistently and better, Riley said. It was a big emphasis for us. We want to continue that trend. Were just about halfway through the season, and that part of it has improved and we have to keep that as part of who we are.---Online:AP college football website: http://collegefootball.ap.org ' ' '