When Minnesota lost 31-21 to Wisconsin on Thanksgiving weekend to wrap up a 5-7 season, senior wide receiver K.J. Maye figured that was curtains for his career. He started thinking about what he was going to do next.
Golden Gophers quarterback Mitch Leidner also assumed that the next football game he'd play would be in September. But in the interview session after the loss, he was taken aback when reporters asked him about the possibility of still going to a bowl game.
"I was really unsure of what they were talking about," Leidner said.