DETROIT, Michigan -- Mitch Leidner ran for 13 yards into the end zone with 4:26 remaining to push the Minnesota Golden Gophers to a 21-14 victory over the Central Michigan Chippewas. Leidner was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2015 Quick Lane Bowl at Ford Field. 

The Gophers were just 5-7 entering the game but made a bowl game because not enough teams with six wins could fill all the bowl games. Minnesota exited the event 6-7 and ended the season on the very positive note. Besides Minnesota, the Nebraska Cornhuskers and the San Jose State Spartans made a bowl game with a 5-7 regular season record. 

"We played by the rules," Tracy Claeys, the head coach of the Gophers, said. "If they don't want 5-7 teams in the bowl, then change the rule, but right now that's the rule. I'm not going to apologize for any of it. We felt like based on the rules, we played by the rules and deserved to be here and had a great time."

Minnesota scored first and last in the game starting with a 22-yard field goal off the leg of Ryan Santoso just under five minutes into the first quarter. 

Cooper Rush, the quarterback for the Chippewas (0-0) responded with a one-yard quarterback keeper into the end zone with 14:55 to play in the second quarter to give Central Michigan a 7-3 lead. The play was on third-and-one after Minnesota stopped the offense on two straight downs with just a yard until the end zone. 

Rush finished the game with five carries for a loss of three yards, but he did score an important first touchdown for the Chippewas. Through the air, he went 15-for-29 with 145 yards, but the student-athlete with a 3.91 GPA tossed an interception. It was not the best showing for the quarterback. Corey Willis led the team with four receptions for 51 yards, while Ben McCord chipped in 42 reception yards from the hand of Rush. 

It was a back-and-forth battle between the two teams on offense and defense. The Gophers scored their first touchdown on an 11-yard connection between Leidner and receiver KJ Maye to take a three point lead with 12:43 to play in the first half. 

Both sides were dead on offense until the 8:30 left in the third quarter. That was when Santoso completed a field goal from 42 yards to give the Gophers a 13-7 lead over the Chippewas. 

Romello Ross wrote his name on the scorers sheet with a 13-yard touchdown with 11:08 to play in the game. Brian Eavey made the extra point and Central Michigan took a one point edge. Ross played one of the best game of his career, but it was too bad tha the Chippewas fell short in the end. 

The running back carried the ball for a game-high 100 yards on 19 carries and a touchdown. He had a long of 17 yards during the event. Ross was the shining star in the loss for Central Michigan. The 5-foot-10 halfback from Detroit, Michigan was ranked No. 16 on the Detroit Free Press Fab 50 coming into the season. Ross was named to the All-Detroit Public School League four times in high school. With his performance in the Quick Lane Bowl, Ross proved that he was worth the addition and has a very bring future as a Chippewa. 

As mentioned earlier, Leidner put away the hopes of Central Michigan with a touchdown carry on a quarterback sneak for 13 yards. The quarterback found Maye for the two-point conversion and Minnesota went up by seven.

"We were confident when we come out onto that field," Leidner said. "Defense, we knew was playing great all night. We knew that if we could get another touchdown up on the board, they would get another stop for us."

The quarterback earned the Most Valuable Player of the Quick Lane Bowl by completing 24-of-30 passes for 223 yards with one touchdown and one interception. The 6-foot-4, 236 pound team leader carried the ball nine times for 19 yards and a touchdown, which proved to be the difference. The junior will enter his senior season on a high note because of the bowl win. Leidner finished the season with 2,701 yards, 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. 

Maye, who has his major in sociology, put up eight catches for 67 yards and a touchdown. Drew Wolitarsky posted 52 yards on three receptions, while Brandon Lingen brought in 33 yards of receiving. 

As for the running attack, Rodney Smith and Shannon Brooks both had 15 carries. Smith totaled 74 yards, while Brooks managed 65 in the victorious effort.

The lead stuck after great defense from the Gophers to secure the vicotry in the 2015 Quick Lane Bowl. Despite the winter storm, the attendance was 34,217 at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan. Last year, the game between the North Carolina Tar Heels and the Rutgers Scarlet Knights drew just 23,876 people to the same stadium in the same city. 

"I'll always remember our seniors and how they bought in from day one and worked," Chippewas head coach John Bonamego said after his team took the loss. "Coaching changes and transitions are tough on programs."