Gophers quarterback situation could get interesting

Minnesota Golden Gophers senior quarterback MarQueis Gray was not able to play in Saturday's game against Iowa because of lingering injuries. His replacement, sophomore Max Shortell, didn't play particularly well in the 31-13 defeat, but the Star-Tribune's Phil Miller is wondering if it might be time for the Gophers to play for the future:

Considering everyone knows what a long-term project rebuilding the Gophers is -- hence all the underclassman crowding the roster -- it's difficult for Gopher fans not to get impatient. Who could blame anyone for thinking, 'let's hurry up and get to the future' ? And while Max Shortell was only so-so on Saturday, I'm starting to hear a lot of people wonder if the Gophers are better off turning over the offense to him.

The Gophers have a tough rebuilding job ahead, and getting Shortell experience now could help speed the program's recovery. Both Gray and Shortell have completed more than 59% of their passes in 2012, though Shortell has been a bit more shaky with the football -- he has thrown four interceptions in 86 attempts, compared to one in 44 for Gray.