MINNEAPOLIS -- The nerves didn't appear to be there for Mitch Leidner on Saturday like they were in last Thursday's series opener, but the redshirt sophomore quarterback still struggled for the Gophers in their win over Middle Tennessee.
Leidner finished just 5 for 11 for 67 yards passing on the day. While he did complete a 27-yard touchdown pass to tight end Maxx Williams, Leidner also missed a handful of open receivers throughout the game.
Those numbers were irrelevant, though, after Saturday's 35-24 win. What worried head coach Jerry Kill was the knee injury that Leidner suffered early in the fourth quarter of the game that kept him on the sideline the rest of the day. Kill didn't have an update afterward about the severity of the injury, but did admit that he's worried about his quarterback.
"I am concerned, and I don't know anything (about the injury)," Kill said. "They're taking him to get an MRI, and that's all I know."
Leidner was looked at by team trainers after he hobbled to the sideline following the hit on a third-down incompletion that knocked him out of the game. He later was wearing a sleeve on his left knee and stood on the sideline as backup quarterback Chris Streveler warmed up before taking over for him on the Gophers' next possession.
Streveler, a redshirt freshman who made his college debut last week against Eastern Illinois, didn't attempt a pass in Saturday's win. He did complete his only attempt last Thursday and also carried the ball five times for 21 yards in that game. Streveler had just one run for two yards Saturday but was otherwise relegated to handing the ball off as the Gophers sat on their late lead.
It remains to be seen whether Leidner will be available to play next Saturday at TCU, and all the focus this week in Dinkytown will likely be on Leidner's left knee. But if the Lakeville native can't go, it'll be up to Streveler to fill in under center for his first career start.
"He's got to step up if that's the situation," Kill said. "I don't know if that's going to be the situation, but certainly when we went in today, we were just trying to get out of the game (healthy). We'll approach it and see what the situation is next week. Whoever it may be, we'll set the game plan and go. It's one of those deals, you put the next one in if that's what we need to do."
Leidner was shaky in the season opener but eventually calmed his nerves and wound up throwing for 144 yards on 9-of-17 passing against Eastern Illinois. Saturday's performance left plenty to be desired as Leidner threw for a mere 67 yards. Granted, Minnesota didn't have much of a need to pass the ball considering running back David Cobb ran for 220 yards. But the Gophers will need to establish at least some semblance of a passing game before the Big Ten season starts. The hope was that this year's passing attack would be improved from last year's passing offense that ranked dead last in the conference in yards per game.
The best throw Leidner made all day -- one of his five completions -- was a 27-yard scoring strike to Williams after the big tight end got behind two Middle Tennessee defenders. Aside from that, Leidner overthrew a number of receivers and was also intercepted once in the end zone.
Streveler, a former two-star recruit from Illinois, remains a bit of a question mark. It was clear at the start of camp that Leidner would be Minnesota's No. 1 quarterback, and Streveler didn't do enough to even put his name in consideration for a quarterback competition. But Streveler does have two games under his belt -- albeit with just one pass attempt -- if he does have to take over next week for Leidner.
"We've got faith in Mitch. We have faith in Strev," Williams said. "It doesn't matter. We know all our quarterbacks, and we're good with that."
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