Minnesota’s seniors got to go out on top. Not only did the Golden Gophers reach a double-digit win total for the first time since 2003, they ended the season with an upset win over No. 12 Auburn in the Outback Bowl.

On New Year’s Day, the Minnesota offense was slicing up the Auburn defense, making several clutch plays in a 31-24 win. The defense came through in a big way, too, limited the Tigers to just one score in the second half to secure the win. The Gophers ended the year with an 11-2 mark, one of the best seasons in program history.

After the game, star Carter Coughlin was asked for his thoughts about the victory, and got very emotional talking about the win and his time at Minnesota. And his comments have been quite popular in the Twin Cities over the last few hours.

“It’s getting pretty emotional thinking about it. But there’s no better way to go out and couldn’t be more proud of my team, the future of the Gopher football program,” Coughlin said. “This is the best way to go out. This is why I committed here, this is why I came here, same as everybody else that’s on the team.

“This program means everything to me. It’s the last time to wear this just so it means the world. Love my team, love my family that’s been to every single game since I’ve been here, Gopher Nation. This means the world to me.”

Coughlin ended his career making five tackles in the Outback Bowl for the Gophers. For the season, he tallied 49 stops, 9.5 tackles for loss, broke up four passes and forced two fumbles.

Below is the video of Coughlin’s emotional interview after the win.