Gophers lineman Quinn Carroll switches sides, changes spots and ‘we just roll’

MADISON, WIS. – Quinn Carroll is a right guard by preference. For most of his Gophers career, he’s been a right tackle out of necessity. On Friday at Camp Randall Stadium, he became a left tackle because of emergency.

Aireontae Ersery, the Gophers junior left tackle and possible first-round NFL draft pick, left the game against Wisconsin in the first quarter because of an ankle injury. He had the ankle retaped and returned to the game but was injured again, tended to in the sideline tent and taken by cart for further evaluation. He returned to the sideline but did not re-enter the game.

That forced offensive line coach Brian Callahan to do some juggling, and Carroll moved to left tackle and Ashton Beers into Carroll’s right guard spot during the Gophers’ 24-7 victory.

Turns out, Carroll never had played left tackle in his career. Not even at Edina High School. “Never,” he said.

“I didn’t really know who was going to go,” Carroll added. “I didn’t know how it was going to shake out, but Coach Callahan came up to me. He was like, ‘Yo, I need you,’ and we just roll. I’m ready to play whatever position the team needs me to play.”

Funny thing is, Gophers coach P.J. Fleck approached Carroll recently about playing left tackle in the bowl game. Ersery, who already has committed to play in the Senior Bowl, is expected to opt out of the Gophers’ expected bowl game, as many players with high-round grades do to avoid injury. Carroll said this week that he’d play in the bowl game.

“We had a talk about it two weeks ago, and it’s kind of crazy that it came before, a little quicker than I wanted it, but I thought he did an outstanding job,” Fleck said. “And I thought that the ‘O’ line meshed together. … He hasn’t played left tackle in practice, hasn’t done all of it, and for him to go over there says a lot about him and his commitment to this team.”

Carroll, who transferred to Minnesota after spending three seasons at Notre Dame, was just happy to be able to celebrate winning Paul Bunyan’s Axe.

“Growing up watching the Gophers, you see the seniors chop down the goal posts whenever they win,” he said. “And that’s obviously a dream as a young kid from Minnesota.”

Carroll was joined on the field by two of his brothers — ever so briefly.

“They stormed the field, and then they got escorted out,” he said, laughing. “But that was very emotional. … Our dad [Jay Carroll] played for the Gophers. So, a very surreal moment, and I’m just blessed to be here.”

Friday’s game marked the first time the Gophers have played on Black Friday, and the Minnesota-Wisconsin matchup, brought on by CBS’ contract with the Big Ten, could be more than a one-time Black Friday thing.

“With CBS coming in, they picked this game for Friday — and of course, Iowa and Nebraska always play on that Friday,” Gophers athletic director Mark Coyle said on the KFXN-FM pregame show. “It could change every year, and as soon as I say, ‘Yes, I think it will be on Friday next year,’ it could change. I don’t know for sure, but I do think Friday is always going to be an option for this game.”

Fleck, who coached in several weeknight games during his four years at Western Michigan of the Mid-American Conference, was fine with the game being played Friday instead of Saturday.

“I don’t have a preference whether it’s Friday or Saturday. I just love playing it,” he said. “There’s things that are way above my pay grade of why things are done and the schedules are made and the TV deals.”

With his six receptions for 61 yards Friday, Gophers senior wide receiver Daniel Jackson moved up to fourth in Minnesota’s career receiving yards list. He has 2,685 yards, which passed Tutu Atwell’s total of 2,640. “It’s a huge honor,’’ Jackson said.