Justin Gaard
jg@kfan.com
A few quick thoughts on a 30-27 Gopher win over UNLV…
In the interview below you hear me talk to Keanon Cooper about his decision to wear Gary Tinsley’s #51 on Thursday night. That was pretty cool.
Other Tinsley tributes in the notebook that we didn’t get to last night:
-Just like they begin each practice, the Gophers will do a moment of silence before starting pregame warmups.
-The “GT 51” patch will be on all the jerseys.
-The shirt they wear under their pads says “underdog” on the back.
-Troy Stoudermire has custom-made Nike arm sleeves that say “GT 51”
-The team breaks their huddles yelling “GT”
- MarQueis Gray’s multiple misfires were concerning. His inability to connect on a deep pass for most of the night cost the Gophers a couple of touchdowns. However, the Gophers don’t win this game without him. He played well in overtime, tossing two touchdowns. He also turned a few potential sacks into positive yards on two field goal drives. Yes, he was inconsistent. Yes, he will have to get better. But there is plenty of good stuff to take from the first game.
- There was nothing official announced on Thursday, but all signs point to a serious right knee injury for freshman receiver Jamel Harbison. His pads came off pretty quickly after team doctor Pat Smith looked at the knee. Trainers and teammates alike came over to console Harbison, who was obviously dejected after being told he wasn’t going back in. You hope for the best in this situation, but it appears to be pretty serious.
- Nice to see 3 interceptions and a couple sacks by the defense...
- Not nice to see an interception and drive-killing penalties from the offense.
- Nice to see Donnell Kirkwood back running again...and running well.
- Not nice to see Troy Stoudermire muff a punt return.
- Nice to see "In-and-Out Burger" was the food for the plane ride home.
- Not nice to see it was about 4 am Central time by the time we took off.
Jerry Kill postgame
Keanon Cooper postgame
Derrick Wells postgame
