The Gophers on Saturday celebrated Senior Day, with 15 players participating in the pregame ceremony with their families at Huntington Bank Stadium. Fourteen for sure will not return or will exhaust their collegiate eligibility this season, capping their home careers with a 13-10 loss to Iowa.
Gophers' Senior Day includes 15 players, some of them NFL prospects
Among those honored in a ceremony was safety Tyler Nubin, who has eligibility remaining but could turn pro.
November 20, 2022 at 3:21AM
The one player who has eligibility left but participated in the ceremony is safety Tyler Nubin, the team's leader in interceptions and a player who'll have a decision to make about the NFL. Nubin has been a regular in the lineup since 2019 and is considered one of the top defensive backs in the Big Ten. Coach P.J. Fleck has acknowledged that Nubin could leave for the NFL draft, but added, "We'll leave a light on for him.''
Another player with a year of eligibility remaining who could draw NFL interest is tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford, who did not participate in the ceremony. When asked if he was considering returning for the 2023 season, Spann-Ford on Wednesday said: "We'll see. That's all I really got to say.''
Others who participated in the ceremony were linebacker Josh Aune, guard Chuck Filiaga, wide receiver Clay Geary, safety Jordan Howden, running back Mohamed Ibrahim, running back Preston Jelen, quarterback Tanner Morgan, tight end Samuel Pickerign, guard Axel Ruschmeyer, defensive end Thomas Rush, center John Michael Schmitz, cornerback Terell Smith, linebacker Mariano Sori-Marin, long snapper Austin Sullivan and kicker Matthew Trickett.
It was an emotional postgame for this group of Gophers, who didn't beat Iowa in their careers.
"That's one we wanted to get, but obviously you don't like the result we got,'' Rush said. "You look at the guys in the [locker] room and you just can be proud about the way we played. … You just have to think about the guys around here and how much you've grown close to them.''
Fleck, who has raved all season about how connected this team is, saluted the seniors for what they've meant to the program.
"I couldn't be more proud of our seniors, couldn't be more proud of their courage, their heart their fight,'' he said.
Kaliakmanis starts
Redshirt freshman quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis made his third start of the season. Morgan, who missed last week's game against Northwestern because of an upper body injury, did not dress in pads for the game. On Oct. 15 at Illinois, Morgan suffered a concussion. He returned to start the Oct. 29 win over Rutgers but left the Nov. 5 game at Nebraska after taking a hard hit late in the second quarter.
Kaliakmanis had to leave Saturday's game for a couple of plays in the second quarter to be checked after the independent medical spotter saw him take a hit to the head. He returned to connect with Daniel Jackson for a 29-yard gain and Le'Meke Brockington for 12 yards, setting up the Gophers' lone touchdown. Cole Kramer entered the game when Kaliakmanis was getting checked.
Etc.
- The kickoff temperature for Saturday's game was 17 degrees, which made it the second-coldest Gophers game in the stadium. The coldest was in 2014 against Ohio State, when the kickoff temperature was 15.
- Wisconsin linebacker Nick Herbig, who leads the Big Ten with 11 sacks, received a targeting penalty and was ejected from the Badgers' game at Nebraska in the second half. He will miss the first half next week against the Gophers because of the penalty.
Big Ten football picks: No. 2 Ohio State and No. 5 Indiana to play one for playoff position
Unless it’s a blowout, Cinderella (aka the Hoosiers) stands a chance to make the College Football Playoff field even with a loss.
