Pregame: Lauer retiring from football, will be honored as part of Senior Day

Ben Lauer, who has started 14 games at offensive tackle for the Gophers, is retiring from football with one year of college eligibility remaining. And senior center Brian Bobek, who had applied for a medical redshirt for the 2013 season, is also retiring today.

Bobek and Lauer, a fourth-year junior, will be among the players honored as part of Senior Day before the Gophers and Wisconsin kickoff today at 2:30 p.m. Lauer will graduate with a mechanical engineering degree next spring and plans to put it to use immediately.

Lauer, a 6-7, 310-pound Wayzata grad, has dealt with ankle injuries during his career and suffered a concussion this season. He made the last start of his career Oct. 31 against Michigan.

Isaac Hayes is another fourth-year junior offensive lineman who is calling it a career. Like Lauer, he will graduate with his mechanical engineering degree next spring. The St. Thomas Academy grad has also been out with an injuryof late.

The other seniors who will be honored today: Peter Westerhaus, Rodrick Williams, Miles Thomas, KJ Maye, Jon Christenson, Joe Bjorklund, Foster Bush, De'Vondre Campbell, Briean Boddy-Calhoun, Eric Murray, Antonio Johnson, Theiren Cockran, Alex Keith, Robert Ndondo-Lay, Peter Mortell and Josh Campion.

The other juniors who will be honored today: Cedric Dicke, Louis Tuszynski, John McKelvey, EJ Sardinha and Jacob Kirsch.

In today's paper, I wrote about how a bowl bid would be nice, but the Gophers want the Axe. Chip Scoggins wrote that winning the Axe would salvage something of a screwball season. Here is The Call, with a look at the matchups and my prediction.

Be sure to check out the Star Tribune Live Blog, with sights and sounds from inside and outside TCF Bank Stadium.

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