Kill says Leidner will practice, No. 2 QB Steveler to prepare as usual
MINNEAPOLIS -- Another Gophers game means another week of quarterback speculation in Dinkytown as Minnesota prepares to face San Jose State this weekend.
Redshirt sophomore Mitch Leidner has started all three of the Gophers' games thus far, but was banged up against Middle Tennessee two weeks ago and was injured again this past Saturday in a 30-7 loss at TCU. In both cases, redshirt freshman Chris Streveler came in to back up Leidner.
At his weekly press conference Tuesday, Minnesota head coach Jerry Kill shot down a report that Leidner broke a bone in his foot. Kill did say Leidner is banged up but added that the Gophers quarterback will participate fully in practice Tuesday.
"As far as I know, like last week, the trainer said that he's banged up and so forth. but said he'd be at full speed today," Kill said. "He did not break his toe. That's all I can say. He was moving around on Sunday. ... He basically got what they call turf toe, but he's swelled up. They expect him to practice today."
Leidner and Minnesota's passing attack have struggled through three games this year. Against TCU, Leidner was 12-for-26 for 151 yards and three interceptions. Streveler threw just three passes Saturday but did have the Gophers' lone touchdown, a 12-yard strike to tight end Maxx Williams.
Even though Streveler has seen action in all three of Minnesota's games this year, and despite the injuries to Leidner, the freshman says he's continuing to prepare the same way he has since fall camp when it was clear he was the No. 2 guy behind Leidner.
"I haven't really seen him all that much, but I know if Mitch can play, he's going to play," Streveler said Tuesday. "I guess as the No. 2, you really don't ever know how much you're going to play, so I just kind of prepare the same way like I'm going to play, like I'm going to start. If I play, I play; I'm going to be ready. If I don't, I'll still be ready and I'll still be there to help Mitch."
During Tuesday's press conference, Kill deflected some of the blame on the passing game to himself, while offensive coordinator Matt Limegrover added that Leidner hasn't been able to get fully comfortable under center due to some struggles by the offensive line. Through three games, though, Minnesota is averaging just 130.7 yards per game through the air -- dead last of the 14 Big Ten teams. And the Gophers' quarterbacks have completed a mere 50 percent of their passes, which also ranks last in the conference.
Yet even as his team's offense falters, Kill pointed the finger at himself.
"Everything that happened on Saturday had nothing to do with the kids. It had everything to do with me. I'm the guy that's accountable," Kill said. "I'm the guy that puts them out there. It's my job to make sure we take care of the quarterbacks. It's my job to make sure we protect better. That's my job as a head coach. I've got to do a better job."
More injuries piling up: Leidner might be the highest-profile Gopher to get dinged up lately, but he's far from the only one.
Kill said running backs Berkley Edwards and Donnell Kirkwood -- who had a combined four carries for five yards at TCU -- both suffered shoulder injuries Saturday but should be back at practice Tuesday. Offensive lineman Zac Epping is dealing with a sprained ankle, and true freshman wide receiver Isaiah Gentry is out for the year with a knee injury.
Gentry had not yet played a game but was one of several talented receivers in this year's freshman class. Minnesota is hoping to keep the redshirts on all of the true freshmen receivers, but Gentry might have been the first one to play if the Gophers had to go that direction.
"The problem is that injury wasn't something that crept up. It had been going on for a while, but it affected him for a while and he had been fighting through it," Limegrover said of Gentry. "We did like quite a bit what we saw. I can't say how close he was to playing, necessarily because that's kind of a gray area question. But I will say this much, we really liked how he was progressing."
Minnesota has suffered several injuries that have forced the Gophers to shuffle both the offensive and defensive lines through the first three games, and now they've seen several skill position players go through injuries.
It's not exactly the spot teams want to be in before conference play even begins, but that's where Kill and the Gophers find themselves heading into Saturday's home game against San Jose State.
"This is part of life and this business. Some days you don't have any turnovers, you have no injuries, just things go your way, and that's great," Kill said. "Then there are other challenges and so forth. Sometimes the teams that are challenged the most end up being pretty darn good. Our kids were challenged a year ago because of me, and ended up being pretty good."
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