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I want to be clear, I'm not trying to make light of the seriousness of the injuries facing Minnesota. But at the same time, watching this happen as fans is...well...unbelievable. Thus the dark humor of this post's image.
Where to start? Well, let's start by running through the tweets which are making my Sunday...
#Gophers' "injury list is a mile long," coach Jerry Kill said.
— Andy Greder (@andygreder) September 27, 2015
Ugh. Details?
#Gophers S Antonio Johnson and WR Drew Wolitarsky (concussions); LB Cody Poock (rib); CB KiAnte Hardin (ankle); LT Jonah Pirsig (shoulder).
— Andy Greder (@andygreder) September 27, 2015
That's not all.
Jerry Kill said he's concerned about CB Briean Boddy-Calhoun who will have an MRI on his knee, per @andygreder. Tore his ACL back in 2013.
— Marcus R. Fuller (@GophersNow) September 27, 2015
Wonderful. What's that look like in the big picture for the secondary?
The Gophers' starting secondary of Eric Murray, Briean Boddy-Calhoun, Antonio Johnson and Damarius Travis was down to just Murray in the second half of the 27-24 win Saturday over Ohio.
Travis (hamstring) missed his third consecutive game, as expected, but Johnson left after a big hit to break up an Ohio touchdown pass in the second quarter. Boddy-Calhoun also got hurt and took a seat in the third quarter.
Safety Ace Rogers came back after missing two games with a knee injury.
...
KiAnte Hardin also exited with an injury.
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Kill said the injuries limited the number of players they had to play coverages with a fifth and sixth D-back.
Who is stepping in? Jalen Myrick, Craig James and Antonio Shenault.
In summary? The strength of the defense, the unit we were most excited for coming into the season, is now a shell of its former self in terms of depth. And if the starters remain injured, it terms of experienced talent too. The linebacking corp may be without it's biggest force., the offensive line depth is being tested (again) after it's best performance of the season, and the wide receivers may be without their most experienced option. All before Minnesota opens the Big Ten season against a resurgent Northwestern team.
Happy Sunday.