Gopher Football: Nelson named starting quarterback

Oct 27, 2012; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers quarterback Philip Nelson (9) calls a play during the first quarter against the Purdue Boilermakers at TCF Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

Sophomore Philip Nelson will be the starting quarterback for the Minnesota Golden Gophers to begin 2013. The Mankato native will lead the Minnesota offense against the University of Nevada-Las Vegas next Thursday at TCF Bank Stadium.

The news was announced Tuesday after the Gophers practice on campus. As a freshman last season, Nelson started the final seven games for head coach Jerry Kill’s team, including the Meineke Car Care Bowl. As a starter, he passed for 873 yards and eight touchdowns to go with eight interceptions.

Nelson also ran the ball for 252 yards, good enough for fourth place on the team last year.

The second-year player has looked sharp at times during the preseason and should continue an upward development as the season progresses.

Behind Nelson on the depth chart is redshirt freshman Mitch Leidner (Lakeville, Minn.). The third quarterback in line is true freshmen Chris Streveler. All three can run the ball effectively and all could see action in the non-conference portion of the schedule to help the offense advance the ball.

Though if Nelson and Leidner are getting the job done, the team may try and keep the redshirt as an option for Streveler in his first season if he does not see the field.

In Other News…

• The start time for the UNLV game on Sept. 29 has been set for 6:06 p.m. CT. The game will air live on the Big Ten Network for television. The game will be broadcast on 107.9-FM “Kool 108” over the radio. Which is different from its normal spot on the dial, FM 100.3 KFAN — which has a conflict that evening with the final Minnesota Vikings preseason game at Mall of America Field across town.
• Opposite of Nelson and the Gophers offense, the Minnesota defense is especially looking to turn heads this fall. Nate Sandell of 1500ESPN.com wrote Tues. how cornerback Briean Boddy-Calhoun is capitalizing on a key opportunity in the Maroon and Gold secondary.

Tweet of the Day

Johnson is a teammate of 2014 recruit Reid Travis at DeLaSalle in Minneapolis. Just another day in the life of Richard Pitino and the basketball coaching staff. Getting visit after visit from some of the top players in the country.

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