Randy chimes in:
Here are some highlights of Thursday practice:
* Running backs Mohamed Ibrahim and Trey Potts continued to look sharp in their return from season-ending injuries. They ran hard and got the tough yards inside while taking the bulk of the carries with the first team.
* Notre Dame transfer Quinn Carroll got a longer look at right tackle, but Fleck indicated that position might be a job share among Carroll, Martes Lewis and JJ Guedet during the season.
* There's an intriguing competition at quarterback behind starter Tanner Morgan. Redshirt junior Cole Kramer is showing he's more than just a Wildcat formation QB, while redshirt freshman Athan Kaliakmanis is progressing well.
"Cole Kramer is getting a lot better. He looks so much more natural, so much more fluid,'' Fleck said. "… Athan's taking huge strides, and everybody has seen that. He's got incredible intangibles, but it's the small things – the snap count, the volume, the leadership, the attention to detail, the play clock – other than arm talent that go into winning football games.''
* Defensive back Terell Smith continued his productive training camp with a handful of pass breakups. "He has poured it on in training camp, and he's been so impressive,'' Fleck said. "His confidence is through the roof. And he's making huge plays.''
* Michael Dixon's size and versatility has stood out. "He is a good-looking football player,'' Fleck said of the 6-2, 210-pound junior. "Every time I look at him, I think he'd be a great 'Will' linebacker, but he plays safety, and he moves like a safety. He's a guy that has impressed us so much that we're gonna think about him at nickel.''
* The Gophers will scrimmage on Saturday, and Fleck expects to get a lot of work done.
"We're gonna hit every situation,'' he said. "It's going to be very different than the other times we've been in scrimmage. You can do a lot with this team, you can push this team differently, push a lot of different buttons.''
Three weeks before the season opener, the Gophers showed progress under the lights.
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Go Gophers!!
