Tanner Morgan has started 45 consecutive games for the Gophers, a streak that dates to the eighth game of the 2018 season and one that's lengthy for a position that takes a lot of punishment. Whether Morgan's streak reaches 46 will play out this week.
Morgan took a hit to the head during the fourth quarter of the Gophers' 26-14 loss at Illinois and left the game after being tended to on the field. Coach P.J. Fleck said after the game that Morgan was taken to a local hospital for evaluation but did not know more specifics on the injury, saying it was upper body.
A team spokesman said Morgan flew back to Minnesota with the team after being cleared by personnel at the hospital.
"He's in really good care. He's alert,'' Fleck said, adding that Morgan's wife Sarah, mother Pat and Gophers athletic director Mark Coyle accompanied Morgan to the hospital. "… They took him in there to get reassurance and to look at all of the injury. … We just don't know the extent of it yet.''
The injury happened with the Gophers trailing Illinois 23-14 early in the fourth quarter. Facing third-and-7 from the Illinois 44, Morgan was flushed from the pocket and turned upfield. He dived in attempt to gain the first down, and Illini linebacker Gabe Jacas, converging on the play, struck Morgan's helmet with his right fist. No penalty was called on the play.
Trainers tended to Morgan on the field before he walked to the sideline and went into the medical tent. Later, he was taken by cart to the locker room, sitting upright with a towel over his head.
"Tanner's a tough kid,'' Fleck said. "… When you kind of get your hands pinned down and you're driven into the turf, it's hard.'' Fleck added that he didn't notice Morgan having any issues earlier in the game.
Before the injury, Morgan endured tough afternoon, completing only four of 12 passes for 21 yards — his fewest as a starter. He threw a first-quarter interception and was sacked once. He also had a 9-yard touchdown run in the second quarter among his six carries for 23 yards.
