MarQueis Gray practices Tuesday, status for Saturday still unknown

The Gophers' all-purpose offensive threat took to the practice field on Tuesday, but the team still does not know if he will play on Saturday.

MarQueis Gray needed 'badly,' Gophers coach says

A day after his offense was unable to put up any first-half points in a 31-13 loss to Iowa, Minnesota Golden Gophers coach Jerry Kill let the Star Tribune's Phil Miller know exactly how frustrating it is to be without injured quarterback MarQueis Gray.

"We need MarQueis -- badly," Kill said Sunday before expressing concern about the health of his backup quarterback Max Shortell in the short-term. "If Max goes down, what are you going to do then?," Kill said. "We've certainly laid awake at night hoping we're doing the right things."

Gray injured his knee and ankle in a win over Western Michigan two weeks ago, an injury that has forced the offense to rely on an unproven sophomore in Shortell in the meantime. While Kill does not sound entirely confident with his comment that Gray's progress has "leveled off", there's no denying just how vital the senior quarterback is to Minnesota's offensive gameplan regardless of when he can return to action.

Heading into a much-needed bye week should help Kill and the Gophers sort out their growing list of injured players including Gray, but it's still unclear if he'll be able to suit up on Oct. 13 for a key game against Northwestern. Shortell's three-interception performance on Saturday certainly didn't win him a ton of support in the locker room, and hopefully for the offense's sake Gray will be able to make tangible progress over the next seven days.

Marqueis Gray Injury: Minnesota QB out against Iowa

Two weeks after suffering a high ankle sprain, Minnesota Gophers senior quarterback MarQueis Gray did not travel with the team for its Big Ten opener at Iowa.

MarQueis Gray Injury: Gophers Quarterback Likely Out Next Week

According to The Star Tribune, it's unlikely that Minnesota Golden Gophers quarterback MarQueis Gray will be active on Saturday against Iowa. Gray suffered a high ankle sprain against Western Michigan, and was inactive for this past Saturday's game against Syracuse. Max Shortell made the start for Gray, and helped lead the Gophers to a 17-10 victory with 231 yards and no interceptions.

Coach Jerry Kill said that it would take a "minor miracle" for Gray to be in action on Saturday against Iowa. He said the earliest indication of Gray's status for next week came when he jogged out of the tunnel on Saturday, and at 51 years old, he was able to keep himself ahead of Gray, who couldn't keep up. That indicates the injury is serious and really does show that Gray would have to have something pretty spectacular happen to him to be active on Saturday.

Minnesota is currently 4-0, wrapping up their non-conference slate with the win over Syracuse. They get things started in the Big Ten against Iowa, and have a bye week following that game, so if Shortell manages a strong outing, Gray will have another week to rest. Whether or not there is any quarterback controversy when Gray is ready to come back is another matter entirely, however.

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MarQueis Gray Injury Causes Conundrum For Freshman Quarterback

Minnesota Golden Gophers quarterback MarQueis Gray suffered a high ankle sprain Saturday against Western Michigan and he could miss up to a month of action, so now the Gophers have a problem in how they manage freshman QB Philip Nelson's situation. The redshirt QB has been moved up to the No. 2 spot on the depth chart after the injury to Gray, as noted by Marcus Fuller of the Pioneer Press, which means he's just one play away from entering the game and disrupting the plan to preserve his four years of eligibility.

Sophomore Max Shortell played well when forced to fill in for Gray, and he will be the starter on Saturday night against Syracuse, but the potential for Nelson to be forced into action will be looming until Gray makes his return. The Gophers host the Syracuse Orange at 7:00 p.m. CT on Saturday.

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MarQueis Gray Injury Shouldn't Change Gophers' Offensive Strategy

The Minnesota Golden Gophers will start quarterback Max Shortell this week in place of the injured MarQueis Gray, and though the quarterbacks have different playing styles, the Golden Gophers won't change their offensive philosophy much.

Gray leans much more toward the "dual threat" archetype while Shortell is a pocket passer, but Minnesota offensive coordinator Matt Limegrover said the underlying offensive philosophy won't change even if plays are called a bit differently with one guy in or another.

From Marcus R. Fuller of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Limegrover likened it to how the Baylor Bears catered to Robert Griffin III's strengths as a quarterback. From Fuller's story:

"We're going to block the same way," he said. "We're going to run the same routes. There are certain parts of it now we can move into that game plan because Max is there that we maybe stayed away from because it wasn't MarQueis' strength. One part goes in, one part goes out. But for the overall continuity, with the whole group, it's not a seismic shift in what our philosophy is."

Gray could miss up to a month with a high ankle sprain. Shortell entered the second quarter of last week's win over the Western Michigan Broncos and threw for 188 yards and three touchdowns.

The Golden Gophers kick off against the Syracuse Orange at 7 p.m. CT Saturday.

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Max Shortell Confident He'll Do Better As Gophers Starter

Minnesota Golden Gophers quarterback Max Shortell will start against the Syracuse Orange on Saturday night, and the team is hoping that he won't dwell on the results of his last start, a 58-0 loss to the Michigan Wolverines in 2011. The good news for Minnesota is that Shortell is a year older and Syracuse, of course, is not nearly as good as the 2011 Wolverines team that won the Sugar Bowl. Offensive coordinator Matt Limegrover says that the difference in Shortell's demeanor is obvious.

"There's a definite air of confidence now. He knows he can go out and beat anybody. He's a quarterback. He's got that air about him. Didn't have that last year."

(via Minnesota Star-Tribune)

Shortell is filling in for MarQueis Gray, who injured himself in Minnesota's win over the Western Michigan Broncos. In that game, Shortell completed 10-of-17 passes for 188 yards and three touchdowns in relief.

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MarQueis Gray Injury: Goal Is For Gophers QB To Be Backup Saturday

Despite injuring both his ankle and knee in Saturday's win over Western Michigan, Minnesota Gophers quarterback MarQueis Gray could still be in line for backup duties under center this Saturday according to the Pioneer Press.

The senior quarterback tweaked his knee and also suffered a high-ankle sprain on an awkward play against the Broncos, and remains on the mend heading into Week 4 according to head coach Jerry Kill. "He's going to be sore for a couple days," Kill said Tuesday.

"I talked to him yesterday, and I said, 'Your goal is, try to be the backup on Saturday and be prepared to play.' Now that's a pretty drastic goal. We'll see how it works out."

Barring a miraculous upturn in Gray's condition, the Gophers are expected to once again turn to sophomore Max Shortell this weekend against Syracuse. The 6'6, 235-pound Shortell looked impressive while completing 10 of his 17 passes for 188 yards and three touchdowns after Gray went down, but still does not present nearly the same type of rushing threat as his predecessor.

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MarQueis Gray Injury Could Lead To Gophers' Quarterback Controversy

Minnesota Golden Gophers quarterback MarQueis Gray suffered a high ankle sprain Saturday against Western Michigan, and he's expected to miss a month or so. In that time, could backup Max Shortell give reason for the coaching staff to question who deserves the snaps when Gray is healthy?

Or, as Star Tribune columnist Chip Scoggins is arguing, could Shortell force the question of who deserves more snaps.

Scoggins:

The Gophers have two quarterbacks with two different skill sets. They have different strengths, different weaknesses, different personalities.

Gray is a better runner and athlete, Max Shortell is a better passer. The offense relies on both facets, and the coaching staff trusts them in different situations.

So why not use both to maximize that position? It's worth considering to see if a tag-team approach provides some benefits.

Scoggins is basing his argument on one game, one which Shortell entered in the second quarter, against a defense not prepared for his style of play. But still, the point has its merits. Gray has only thrown for 398 yards in nine full quarters of play, and Shortell seems to be much more comfortable in the passing game.

Whatever the split is — and Scoggins explicitly stated he's not calling for a 50-50 split — it's an idea. And it's one Minnesota will be forced to confront in one way or another as Shortell handles the job on his own until Gray's ankle heals.

The Golden Gophers host the Syracuse Orange at 7 p.m. CT Saturday.

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Max Shortell Ready To Start For Gophers If Injured MarQueis Gray Out

Minnesota Golden Gophers backup quarterback Max Shortell is ready to play for however long starter MarQueis Gray is out with a high ankle sprain.

Shortell played sparingly as an injury replacement for Gray in 2011, so did have some game experience before he entered the game last Saturday. However, no one expected him to play as well as he did. Shortell completed 10-of-17 passes for 188 yards and only one interception in Minnesota's win over Western Michigan. Head coach Jerry Kill was very impressed with Shortell's performance, according to Phil Miller of the Star Tribune.

"Most people that go to their second-team quarterback in situations like that don't go boom-boom and score," Kill said. "We don't (win) that game [without him]. It's very gratifying to see what Max did when he came in."

High ankle sprains typically sideline athletes for a month, however, Gray has a history of recovering from injuries quickly. Last season, Gray recovered from Turf Toe in only two weeks.

Shortell will look to continue his success next week when Minnesota faces Syracuse.

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MarQueis Gray Injury: Ankle Could Cause Gophers QB To Miss A Month

Minnesota Golden Gophers quarterback MarQueis Gray suffered a high ankle sprain on Saturday's win over the Western Michigan Broncos, an injury which will likely cost him at least two weeks. The good news, if any, is that the injury could've been much worse, as Gray didn't suffer any structural damage or broken bones.

But he will be out nonetheless, and in his place will be sophomore Max Shortell. Shortell relieved Gray in Saturday's game and completed 58% of his passes, throwing for 188 yards and three touchdowns. He was also impressive in garbage time vs. the New Hampshire Wildcats, completing five of six passes for 72 yards and a touchdown.

The Gophers will take on the Syracuse Orange next week, and then the Iowa Hawkeyes the week after that. They have a bye in the first week of October before hosting the Northwestern Wildcats.

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MarQueis Gray Leaves Game With Left Ankle Injury

Minnesota Golden Gophers quarterback MarQueis Gray left Saturday's game against Western Michigan on a cart after suffering an injury to his left ankle and his return is doubtful. Gray was brought down on the first carry of a second quarter drive in which he lost four yards on the play.

MarQueis Gray being taken to locker room in cart. Doesn't look good. Left leg extended. #Gophers

— Rittenberg/Bennett (@ESPN_BigTen) September 15, 2012

Minnesota was trailing 10-7 when Gray left the game. Max Shortell came in as Gray's replacement and was successful from the start. Shortell went into halftime having completed five of his six pass attempts for 125 yards and two touchdown tosses in just over four minutes of action.

Before Gray went out with his injury, he'd completed just three of his six passes for 29 yards, one of which was a 10-yard toss to A.J. Barker, who grabbed three touchdown passes in the first half.

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