By: Jack Satzinger

This is homecoming weekend at the University of Minnesota, but the Gophers won't be celebrating the return of the Floyd of Rosedale. After cruising through a weak nonconference schedule, the Gophers lost to Iowa 23-7.

read more

By: Jack Satzinger

Last week, Minnesota offensive coordinator Matt Limegrover said redshirt freshman quarterback Mitch Leidner likes to call his own number and run.

Leidner brought Limegrover’s words to life Saturday at TCF Bank Stadium as he became the second Gophers quarterback to ever rush for four touchdowns in a single game.

Leidner ran for 151 yards on 24 attempts, leading the Gophers football team past San Jose State 43-24.

He was active from the get-go, rushing for 58 yards on Minnesota’s second drive of the game and capping off with a 10-yard Leidner touchdown run.

read more

By: Nate Gotlieb

University of Minnesota athletics director Norwood Teague reaffirmed the department’s commitment to head football coach Jerry Kill on Monday, two days after Kill had a seizure during the Gophers’ 29-12 win over Western Illinois at TCF Bank Stadium.

In his first public comment since the episode, Teague reiterated his support for Minnesota’s third-year head coach.

“Jerry [Kill] is our coach, and we are 100 percent behind him,” he said.  “I am 100 percent behind him.  Our squad and student athletes who are at the heart of it continue to improve under his leadership both on and off the field."

Kill, who has epilepsy, had the seizure at about 12:15 p.m. Saturday, just before halftime started. Minnesota’s medical staff carted him off the field and he was driven to a local hospital as a precaution, said Chris Werle, associate athletic director for strategic communications.

Werle read a prepared statement, did not take questions about the episode, and Teague did not make himself available for comment.

Teague said Monday he acted for “the betterment of the program” Saturday after the game, explaining that he chose to drive Jerry Kill’s wife, Rebecca Kill, to the hospital and address fans and players instead of speaking to the media.

The Gophers led Western Illinois 7-6 at the time of the incident but scored 22 points in the second half, including 14 in the fourth quarter, to improve to 3-0 on the year.

“Nobody likes to see him go through it, but we all are comfortable with the situation and know it could happen,” defensive coordinator Tracy Claeys said Sunday. “I was very pleased yesterday with the way everyone responded. We’ll continue to move the program forward and so will coach.”

After a brief hospital stay, Kill was at home as of 4:15 p.m. Saturday, according to a team press release.

Plan of action

Saturday’s seizure was Kill’s third in a game in his two-plus seasons as Minnesota head coach. He had another in the locker room following the Gophers loss to Northwestern last October.  

The team has a strategy in place for when Kill has a seizure.  As happened Saturday, Claeys takes over head coaching duties from the press box, while special teams coach Jay Sawvel becomes the acting head coach on the field.  

A number of players said after the game Saturday that they are well prepared in the event Kill goes down.

Teague said Kill’s epilepsy hasn’t affected recruiting, and mentioned that no recruit has ever said anything about the disease being a problem.

Epilepsy affects about 3 million Americans, according to the Epilepsy Foundation of Minnesota, and about 60,000 Minnesotans.  

The Gophers will host an epilepsy awareness game on October 26 against Nebraska.

By: Jack Satzinger

The Gophers trotted into the locker room with a 7-6 lead Saturday afternoon against Western Illinois, but head coach Jerry Kill stayed behind, suffering a seizure on the sideline as halftime started.

And just minutes before the seizure, starting quarterback Philip Nelson left the game with a leg injury.

With Kill and Nelson gone, redshirt freshman quarterback Mitch Leidner and defensive coordinator Tracy Claeys stepped into leadership roles and paced Minnesota to a 29-12 win over WIU.

“What a performance [Leidner] made,” Claeys said after the game. “[We] were struggling and he took over the game and made the plays he had to make.”

Leidner finished with 64 yards rushing and 105 passing yards. He was efficient through the air, converting on seven of eight pass attempts.

Redshirt freshman tight end Maxx Williams had a team-high 52 receiving yards, including a 33-yard reception. The pass came from Leidner after a play action fake and was capped off by a Williams stiff arm, throwing a WIU defender to the ground.

“We prepared for that play a lot this week,” Leidner said. “We went through the progression there and it was wide open like we thought it would be.”

Leidner said that having two veteran running backs at his side helped take some pressure off of him in his first long stretch of game action.

David Cobb finished with 82 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Rodrick Williams Jr. accounted for 56 yards on the ground and two touchdowns.

Before Leidner took the field, the Gophers offense wasn’t impressive.

The team only tallied one touchdown in the first half, but strong defensive play allowed Minnesota to stay in the game.

“I’m very pleased defensively,” Claeys said. “With the way we were struggling [on offense] it gives us a chance to win.”

Nelson hurt

After sustaining a leg injury while on the run, Nelson was examined by team doctors on a training table on the Gophers’ sideline.

From there, he started pedaling on a bike. As Leidner took to the field for the next offensive series, Nelson jogged up and down the sideline gingerly.

Claeys said that he thought Nelson sustained a hamstring injury.

Kill regrouping

After the game, the Gophers football team tweeted that Kill had returned home and is healthy.

Claeys said it was frustrating to see Kill sustain another seizure during a game, because he’s taken precautions to avoid it.

“I can tell you he’s done everything he’s been asked to do,” Claeys said. “He’s been in great shape physically, so he’s going to be pissed…his recovery time now is so much better than what it’s ever been because of all this [work] he’s done.” 

By: Nate Gotlieb

Junior cornerback Briean Boddy-Calhoun will miss the rest of the season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament and a torn medial collateral ligament, head coach Jerry Kill announced at his press conference Tuesday.

Boddy-Calhoun injured his left knee early in the first quarter Saturday against New Mexico State and did not return to the game.

He made three tackles and returned an interception for a touchdown in the Gophers season-opening win over Nevada-Las Vegas.

“[Boddy-Calhoun] is a critical injury because he probably played at the highest level of any defensive back we had except Brock Vereen,” Kill said. “He’s a great kid, and it’s hard.  It’s hard to see something like that happen.”

The junior from Wilmington, Del., played in every game last season and recorded nine tackles. 

Kill praised the depth of the defensive backs throughout fall camp but that overall depth appears to have taken a hit with the loss of Boddy-Calhoun.

Kill said he should get another year of eligibility, presumably through a medical redshirt, but nothing is finalized yet.

The Gophers take on Western Illinois at 11 a.m. Saturday at TCF Bank Stadium.

By: Jack Satzinger

The Gophers never trailed Saturday night against New Mexico State, winning 44-21 in Las Cruces, N.M., to improve to 2-0 for the second-straight season.

The team pounded the Aggies defense for 342 rushing yards — even without starting running back Donnell Kirkwood.  Kirkwood didn't travel with the team, but back-ups Rodrick Williams and David Cobb led an explosive running game.

Williams finished with 148 rushing yards, including a 54-yard scamper. The sophomore running back has shown improvement from last season and has 161 rushing yards on the year — about 100 yards shy of his 2012 total. Cobb didn't have as many carries as Williams but rushed for 56 yards on nine attempts.

"Rodrick [Williams] and David [Cobb] physically really ran hard," head coach Jerry Kill said after the game. "I was pleased with the way they ran the ball. Philip [Nelson] made some good reads…there were a lot of good things in the game and certainly more improvement."

Minnesota had 21 first downs in the game, 16 of which came on the ground. 

While the running game was key, the team's run defense was just as crucial. With the Aggies trailing by two touchdowns in the third quarter and driving, senior defensive lineman Ra'Shede Hageman stopped NMSU running back Brandon Betancourt on a fourth and one.

Minnesota's front seven looked better Saturday than it did last week against Nevada-Las Vegas. That improvement was on display early, when senior linebacker James Manuel deflected a short pass to force a New Mexico State punt. It showed again midway through the fourth quarter when senior linebacker Aaron Hill recovered a fumble and returned it 60 yards for a touchdown to give the Gophers a 44-14 advantage.

"I thought the coaches prepared us very well for their tempo and we were able to adjust on the spot,” Hill said. “I think that's something that's going to help us be successful as a defense this year."

As Hill and the front seven appeared more comfortable, so did sophomore quarterback Philip Nelson and the Gophers offense.  Nelson ran for 122 yards and passed for 127 more, including a 48-yard play-action pass to Derrick Engel in the first half.

The Gophers also scored a special teams touchdown for the second-straight week when junior Marcus Jones returned a punt 65 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter.

Williams had his first career 100-yard rushing game Saturday, highlighted by a 54-yard run early in the third quarter. Williams' previous career-high was 60 yards against Texas Tech in the Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas last year.

Kill attributed some of the running game's improvement to the ramped up intensity they've experienced in practice.

"They practiced well and got rewarded," Kill said. "You earn [it] when you work hard and I thought they did."

Nate Gotlieb contributed to this report.

By: Jake Stark

The annual tournament that will feature all five of Minnesota’s Division I men’s hockey teams will be officially named the North Star College Cup, the University of Minnesota announced in a press release Thursday.

The Xcel Energy Center will host the two-day tournament Jan. 24 and 25 this winter. The tournament is slated to be played annually for at least the next four years.

The Gophers will serve as the permanent host of the tournament, while the three of the other four schools will rotate participation for the first four years.

Minnesota State-Mankato, St. Cloud State and the Minnesota-Duluth will join the Gophers for the first tournament. Bemidji State will rotate in for 2015.

The Gophers will play St. Cloud State on the first day of the tournament, while UMD will play Mankato in the other game.

Both the consolation and championship games will be played the following afternoon. 

By: Jack Satzinger

This season’s motto for the Gophers football team is “brick by brick.”

And for the first time in history, the team will open a season at the brick-laden TCF Bank Stadium on Thursday against Nevada-Las Vegas.

“There’s a high percentage of winning football games when you play at home,” head coach Jerry Kill said at a press conference Aug. 24. “If I had my choice we’d play eight home games every year.”

Kill has had moderate success playing at home in his tenure with the Gophers. In his two seasons with Minnesota he has a 7-7 home record compared to 2-8 record on the road.

Kill and the Gophers are also attempting to build a raucous home atmosphere that has been lacking at times since TCF Bank Stadium opened.

“You’ve got people packed in there — the cheerleaders, the band — I mean everybody is a part of it,” Kill said. “They’re a part of it when you win and it also tears them up when you lose.

“Our job is to make them feel good…so we’ll try to do our job.”

That job culminates Thursday when Minnesota kicks off the season against UNLV. The pair played in Las Vegas last season and the Gophers won 30-27 in triple overtime.

Both programs have endured their fair shares of change since then.

Minnesota graduated former quarterback MarQueis Gray — now an NFL hopeful at tight end — and wide receiver AJ Barker quit the team in the middle of last season.

This year, true sophomore quarterback Philip Nelson and junior running back Donnell Kirkwood look to lead a physical attack behind a veteran offensive line and unproven, but talented receiving corps.

UNLV, on the other hand, hired a new offensive coordinator this offseason and buzz behind the coaching change is that the Rebels could employ an up-tempo no huddle offense Thursday. That pace, combined with a 91-degree forecast at kickoff, could wear down the Minnesota defense.

This potential up-tempo style offense that UNLV runs is different from the typical Big Ten offense. Still, it provides an early test as Big Ten teams like Northwestern and Indiana run similar high-pace offenses.

The Gophers defense looked strong at times during training camp and though it graduated a handful of players from last season, it appears to be laced with depth this year.

“We’re going to play four or five teams that snap the ball 100 times a game, maybe 90,” Kill said. “And one guy isn’t going to play no 100 snaps or 90 in this day and age, so you’ve got to be two deep.”

This game against UNLV will provide an early test, but the defense has talent in the form of stud senior defensive linemen Ra’Shede Hageman, to go along with a strong secondary led by senior Brock Vereen and junior Derrick Wells. 

Kill has preached the importance of opening the season at home in the past, and this is the first step for the team as they build toward its first winning season under Kill. 

“I think it’s important to play at home,” Kill said. “I think it’s important for your fans, I think it’s important for your players and we’re to trying to make, you know, we’re trying to build our program so having a home opener is a great thing for [us].” 

By: Jack Satzinger

This season’s motto for the Gophers football team is “brick by brick.”

And for the first time in history, the team will open a season at the brick-laden TCF Bank Stadium on Thursday against Nevada-Las Vegas.

“There’s a high percentage of winning football games when you play at home,” head coach Jerry Kill said at a press conference Aug. 24. “If I had my choice we’d play eight home games every year.”

Kill has had moderate success playing at home in his tenure with the Gophers. In his two seasons with Minnesota he has a 7-7 home record compared to 2-8 record on the road.

Kill and the Gophers are also attempting to build a raucous home atmosphere that has been lacking at times since TCF Bank Stadium opened.

“You’ve got people packed in there — the cheerleaders, the band — I mean everybody is a part of it,” Kill said. “They’re a part of it when you win and it also tears them up when you lose.

“Our job is to make them feel good…so we’ll try to do our job.”

That job culminates Thursday when Minnesota kicks off the season against UNLV. The pair played in Las Vegas last season and the Gophers won 30-27 in triple overtime.

Both programs have endured their fair shares of change since then.

Minnesota graduated former quarterback MarQueis Gray — now an NFL hopeful at tight end — and wide receiver AJ Barker quit the team in the middle of last season.

This year, true sophomore quarterback Philip Nelson and junior running back Donnell Kirkwood look to lead a physical attack behind a veteran offensive line and unproven, but talented receiving corps.

UNLV, on the other hand, hired a new offensive coordinator this offseason and buzz behind the coaching change is that the Rebels could employ an up-tempo no huddle offense Thursday. That pace, combined with a 91-degree forecast at kickoff, could wear down the Minnesota defense.

This potential up-tempo style offense that UNLV runs is different from the typical Big Ten offense. Still, it provides an early test as Big Ten teams like Northwestern and Indiana run similar high-pace offenses.

The Gophers defense looked strong at times during training camp and though it graduated a handful of players from last season, it appears to be laced with depth this year.

“We’re going to play four or five teams that snap the ball 100 times a game, maybe 90,” Kill said. “And one guy isn’t going to play no 100 snaps or 90 in this day and age, so you’ve got to be two deep.”

This game against UNLV will provide an early test, but the defense has talent in the form of stud senior defensive linemen Ra’Shede Hageman, to go along with a strong secondary led by senior Brock Vereen and junior Derrick Wells. 

Kill has preached the importance of opening the season at home in the past, and this is the first step for the team as they build toward its first winning season under Kill. 

“I think it’s important to play at home,” Kill said. “I think it’s important for your fans, I think it’s important for your players and we’re to trying to make, you know, we’re trying to build our program so having a home opener is a great thing for [us].” 

By: Jace Frederick

Gophers sophomore high jumper Wally Ellenson hopes to jump in the Olympics one day. He took a step in the right direction toward that goal Sunday.

Ellenson won gold in the high jump at the Pan American Junior Championships in Medellin, Colombia. He cleared 2.16 meters, just over seven feet, on his first attempt to win the event. 

“Blessed to be the best Under-19 in the western world! Gold at Pan-Am,” Ellenson tweeted from his Twitter account Sunday.

Ellenson, who’s also a guard on the Gophers basketball team, finished eighth at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, where he cleared 2.20 meters.

The Rice Lake, Wis. native has previously said he hopes to qualify for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in the high jump.

The Pan American Junior Championships consist of athletes between the ages of 16-19 from North America and South America.