2 min read • October 20, 2022
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The Minnesota Golden Gophers are coming off a 26-14 loss against the University of Illinois. In their road loss, they lost quarterback back Tanner Morgan with an “upper-body injury”. Morgan took a blow to the helmet from Illinois freshman linebacker Gabe Jacas while running for a first down.
Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck said at his Monday press conference, “Tanner is doing very well,” Fleck said. "Woke up on Sunday morning and surprisingly felt really good, which is great. He was evaluated at the medical center right after the game, which I know all of you saw. He was cleared by the medical teams and the medical staff, where he was to be able to fly home with the team.”
Before leaving the game with the upper-body injury, Morgan had a poor game, only completing 4-of-12(33.3%) passes for less than 25 yards and an interception.
Backup quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis is expected to start if Fleck can’t play. Kaliakmanis has thrown for 84 yards, zero touchdowns, and two interceptions on the season.
Fleck is questionable to play against Penn State this weekend.
Superstar running back Mohamed Ibrahim battled an ankle injury against the Purdue Boilermakers that kept him out of the game. The team lost the game without their workhorse running back and averaged 1.8 yards per carry in his absence.
Ibrahim returned last week against the University of Illinois and had a monster 127 yards rushing day. He dominated, averaging 8.5 yards per carry in the team’s two-score loss. So, Ibrahim seems to be healthy heading into the team's big matchup.
Penn State just lost one of their biggest games of the season against their Big-10 rival. The Michigan Wolverines put a 41-17 beat down on the Nittany Lions. And to make matters worse, starting quarterback Sean Clifford exited in the fourth quarter with an injury.
Penn State coach James Franklin does not discuss injuries unless they’re season-ending.
“Nothing has changed with the plan or the model at this stage,” Franklin said.
There is a possibility that Clifford was taken out of the game because he had a poor game, and the contest was essentially over. Clifford was 7-for-19(37%) for 120 yards and added 74 yards on the ground. His backup, Drew Allar, is available if his injury is more severe than Franklin is letting on.
Offensive lineman Landon Tengwall started the first five games of the Nittany Lions season. But he suffered an injury pregame against Michigan.
Penn State coach James Franklin spoke about Tengwall’s absence at his weekly press conference on Tuesday.
“It's Tuesday. We haven't practiced yet. It's not a season-ending injury, so I won't address it unless it's a season-ending injury," Franklin said. We have not practiced yet, and I'm not sure if he will be available or not.”
Last week, Tengwall’s inactive status raised questions about his availability for the team’s critical matchup. Look for Tengwall to participate in pregame warmups to see if he’s ready to go.
Penn State is favored by 3.5 points at home against Minnesota, and the over/under is 44.5, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
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