Gophers Win on Late Kick

With the Sun Bowl on the line, Minnesota needed someone who was cool under pressure. Who better than Winston Churchill?

Englishman Rhys Lloyd kicked a 42-yard field goal with 23 seconds left to give Minnesota a 31-30 victory over Oregon in the Sun Bowl on Wednesday.

Oregon took a 30-28 lead on a 47-yard field goal by Jared Siegel with 4:16 left before the Golden Gophers (10-3) drove 55 yards to set up the winner by Lloyd, nicknamed “Winston Churchill.”

“I didn’t know if it was going to go through. We all just stood there and went crazy when the ref signaled it was good,” said Minnesota receiver Aaron Hosack, who caught six passes for 107 yards. “Oregon’s defense is one of the toughest we faced all year.”

The Ducks (8-5) had one last chance to score, but Kellen Clemens, who completed 32 of 43 passes for 363 yards and three touchdowns, had a pass intercepted by Justin Isom with 10 seconds left.

“We came down the field and Lloyd, a.k.a. Winston Churchill, is a cool customer,” Minnesota Coach Glen Mason said. “He has done this before against Wisconsin, so I had every confidence in him.”

Lloyd, who is from Dover, England, knew he might be called on for a pressure kick in the final minutes.

“I think it got tipped, but it still went through and that’s all that counts,” Lloyd said. “I never get nervous for some reason. I’m kind of a laid-back person. I just clear my mind and kick the ball.”

The Oregon player who tipped it was defensive tackle Junior Siavaii.

“I tipped that field goal with my forearm,” Siavaii said. “I almost blocked it. I feel like I let my team down.”

Laurence Maroney carried 15 times for 135 yards and a touchdown for Minnesota, which was beaten, 24-20, by Oregon in the 1999 Sun Bowl. Thomas Tapeh rushed for three touchdowns for the Golden Gophers.

Minnesota had the nation’s third-best running offense, averaging 293.2 yards a game. The Gophers outrushed the Ducks, 241-77.

Oregon’s Samie Parker, selected the game’s most valuable player, led all receivers with 16 catches for 200 yards -- both Sun Bowl records -- and two touchdowns.

“That was a whale of a football game and I figured it would go down to the team that had the ball last,” Oregon Coach Mike Bellotti said. “I’m very proud of Clemens. He played very well today.... He is the kind of young man that can make a difference on a team.”

The game was scoreless after the first quarter, but the teams combined for 31 points in the second period. It was the most points scored in a quarter in Sun Bowl history.