Gophers safety Brock Vereen limped off the field in the second quarter of Saturday's 23-7 loss to Iowa with a left knee injury, and slammed his helmet to the ground in frustration.
It wasn't the same knee he had operated on in 2012, forcing him to miss spring practice that year, but the senior knew this game was too important to miss any time.
Vereen returned for the second half and came up with a big play early in the fourth quarter. After the Gophers scored their lone touchdown, trimming Iowa's lead to 20-7, the Hawkeyes marched right back down the field and looked poised to score again.
From the 17-yard line, Iowa quarterback Jake Rudock took a shot at the end zone, seeing an open receiver, but Vereen hustled over for his first interception of the season.
"It was a play that we were kind of ready for," Vereen said. "Coach [Jerry] Kill just made a good call, and we were able to execute."
Vereen, who finished with eight tackles, was still limping after the game but said he'd be ready to play Michigan next week.
"Just talking to the training staff, it's not anything serious," he said. "The fact that I was able to play the rest of the game, whether it was adrenaline or whatever, I'll be out there next week."
Wells banged up, too
Gophers cornerback Derrick Wells appeared to aggravate his right shoulder injury in the first half and was taken for X-rays before returning for the second half. Wells finished with four tackles, but the Hawkeyes weren't shy about challenging him. Wells hurt the shoulder on the first day of preseason camp, when he took a hard fall before the team was in shoulder pads.
