Minnesota QB Tanner Morgan is questionable for the Gophers’ game at Northwestern, per the AP.
Morgan left the game at Iowa after back-to-back sacks in the fourth quarter. His helmet hit the ground hard on the first sack. He requested to return to the game, but to his credit, coach P.J. Fleck refused to allow it. Fleck told the A.P. on Tuesday that Morgan has made progress, but he wouldn’t commit to a starter for Saturday.
A sophomore, Morgan has thrown for 2,468 yards and 22 touchdowns with just four interceptions this season. It’s his first full season as a starter after he replaced Zack Annexstad during the 2018 season.
Should Morgan be unable to go, either Cole Kramer or Jacob Clark, both true freshmen, would be under center. However, even if the Minnesota QB is a freshman, two things are working in Minnesota’s favor. The first is the opponent. Northwestern’s only wins this season have been over UNLV and UMass. The team’s struggles have been particularly acute on offense, where they’re ranked 124th. Given their rank of 62nd in rushing offense, it’s probably fair to say the Wildcats’ passing game is not strong. Could this be yet another big game for ballhawk safety Antoine Winfield Jr.?
The other thing going for the Gophers is their own run game, ranked 43rd (and probably ranked higher than that before being held to 63 yards by Iowa). Standout Rodney Smith is closing in on the 1,000 yard mark and has eight touchdowns. Sophomore Mohamed Ibrahim missed time mid-season with an injury, but still has six touchdowns.
In short, this is a game where the Gophers can probably afford to be conservative with Morgan. It probably wouldn’t be the worst idea, both in terms of his health and in terms of the team being a full strength a week later against rival Wisconsin.
