Gophers: Cole Kramer, Katie Miller embraced the Quick Lane Bowl spotlight
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The University of Minnesota football season ended Tuesday with a 30-24 win over Bowling Green in the Quick Lane Bowl at Ford Field in Detroit.
Anyone who watched the game got a good look at Cole Kramer’s future away from football. His fiancée, Katie Miller, was shown on the ESPN broadcast at every available opportunity. Their engagement was mentioned just as much, and Miller probably now knows what it feels like to be Taylor Swift on a certain level when she watches her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs’ star Travis Kelce.
Kramer was ready to be done with football altogether after the Gophers lost to Wisconsin in the regular season finale. He and Miller are set to move to Arizona, and get married in February. Then Minnesota got to a bowl game because of their APR score, and Athan Kaliakmanis and Drew Viotto hit the transfer portal. Freshman walk-on Max Shikenjanski was the only quarterback on the roster.
"I knew this has been a dream of mine ever since I was little," Kramer said after the win.
Kramer’s first career college start came in his final game. The stats won’t jump off the page, he was just 8-of-16 for 26 yards, but accounted for three touchdowns. He hit Elijah Spencer and Jameson Geers on short touchdown throws, and ran one in from 1-yard out.
"I just told him thanks for coming back, now get ready for your wedding. We thanked Katie for allowing him to come back, and Katie made it very clear ‘I was the one who told him to come back right away.’ So she made it clear, we know who wears the pants in that family," Gophers coach P.J. Fleck joked. "What an ending to his career. We’re just really thankful for him, he gets to leave a champion."
Kramer said during bowl preparation he had her support in making the decision to play in the bowl game. She was all smiles after the win in talking to Fox 9 Sports Director Jim Rich.
"Absolutely, I knew it would be worth it from the beginning. I feel like I was the one who was a little more spontaneous in telling him absolutely you should go do it," Miller said. "I had every bit of faith that he would get the job done, so I’d say it was worth it."
The two still plan to move to Arizona, and they’re getting married in February. Kramer will enter the real world and pursue a career in sales.