ORLANDO – The Gophers got the ball at their own 25-yard line with 1 minute, 4 seconds left until halftime and all three timeouts still available.
That's an eternity in college football with that many timeouts, even with a quarterback not known for his passing accuracy. The Gophers trailed 10-7, so even a field goal would have given them positive feelings entering halftime.
The Gophers hadn't been on this stage — a New Year's Day bowl game — in five decades, so why not let 'er fly and take some risks?
Nope.
Jerry Kill went conservative. Ultraconservative. Painfully conservative.
Knowing his team would receive the second-half kickoff, Kill was content to run out the clock. Rather than try to get points, Kill chose to milk the clock out of concern that his quarterback, Mitch Leidner, might throw an interception and possibly create a deeper hole for his team.
That decision sort of crystallized a collective performance by the Gophers that left a sour taste after a week of fun, sun and historical significance.
They didn't give themselves a chance to win.