The game matched the Iowa State Cyclones against the Minnesota Golden Gophers and kicked off at 6:00 p.m.
The game marked the Cyclones' first postseason trip since 2005, and Minnesota's third Insight Bowl appearance in the last four years.
Cyclones first-year coach Paul Rhoads turned around a team that finished 2–10 in 2008 and was winless in eight Big 12 games.
The Gophers were paced by receiver Da'Jon McKnight, who led both teams with seven catches for 124 yards.
With only a few minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Minnesota head coach Tim Brewster replaced starting quarterback Adam Weber with backup MarQueis Gray in order to run a play out of the Wildcat formation, in which the Gophers had used Gray with some success during the regular season.