Outback Bowl is about 'celebrating a historic season' for Fleck, Gophers

P.J. Fleck couldn’t resist in taking the slightest of cheap shots at Minnesota weather on Thursday.

He had just landed in Tampa, Fla., to take part in kickoff festivities for the Jan. 1 Outback Bowl against No. 12-ranked Auburn. Fleck and Gus Malzahn met to take an honorary picture with the bowl trophy, both held individual media sessions and signed a contract to make the game official.

Minnesota holder Casey O'Brien, a four-time cancer survivor, made the trip to accept the Disney Award.

Fleck also got his first look at Raymond James Stadium. Well, first since he served as a wide receivers coach for Mike Williams and Vincent Jackson with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

In any case, the high Thursday was in the mid-70s. Back in the Twin Cities, it was in the low 20s with just enough snow to make driving a headache.

“The biggest thing young people are excited about is when they step foot off the plane from -10 to here. I think the smiles are going to be huge on their face,” Fleck said.

Jokes aside, it’s the start of a three-week stretch of both preparing for the biggest bowl game for the Gophers since the 1962 Rose Bowl, and celebrating it. It was a season of firsts for Minnesota: The first 10-win season in 115 years, the first time the Gophers have ever won seven Big Ten games and Fleck’s first Jan. 1 bowl game with Minnesota. In total, Fleck noted 67 “firsts” or “nevers” for the program this year.

He also alluded to the fact that the theme for this season was restoration for a program that’s won seven national championships and 18 Big Ten titles. There were nearly 60 ways the Gophers did that this year.

“We talk about this restoration. They’re extraordinary people academically, athletically, socially and spiritually. They’re incredible human beings and when you have the right people together, all rowing the boat in the same direction, same speed and efficiency and their life matters in all areas of their life, you can accomplish extraordinary things,” Fleck said.

It's also the first time Minnesota has had a pair of 1,000-yard receivers, Rashod Bateman and Tyler Johnson, and a 1,000-yard rusher in Rodney Smith. Bateman was named the Big Ten Receiver of the Year, both Bateman and Johnson were selected First Team All-Big Ten and defensive star safety Antoine Winfield Jr. was named an All-American on Thursday.

The Gophers got to 9-0 after beating then No. 5-ranked Penn State on a historic Saturday at TCF Bank Stadium. They finished 10-2 after losing 23-19 at Iowa, and losing the home finale to Wisconsin 38-17 with the Big Ten West title and likely a spot in the Rose Bowl at stake.

But what mattered to Fleck Thursday was starting to celebrate the opportunity to play Auburn in the Outback Bowl.

“To celebrate a historic season for us, there’s no better place to go than down here in the Outback Bowl in Tampa. This is what we were hoping for, so we’re really excited to be here,” Fleck said.

Their reward is facing a Tigers’ program that finished 9-3 this season with losses at then No. 10-ranked Florida, at LSU, the No. 1-ranked team in the College Football Playoff and at home against Georgia, then ranked No. 4 in the country.

Auburn finished its season with a 48-45 win over Alabama, knocking the Crimson Tide out of the College Football Playoff. The Tigers also beat Oregon, who will face Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl, in the first game of the season.

“You have a tremendous opponent in Auburn in one of the most historic bowl games, one of the best bowl games you can go to, to again find out where you are. Measure yourself up against the best football teams in the country,” Fleck said. “A true football powerhouse, and they’re playing really good football right now. Their only three losses are to top 10-teams and when you put on the film, you can see why.”