MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota lost more than Paul Bunyan’s Axe in the game against Wisconsin on Saturday.
Starting center Jeff Tow-Arnett, a former walk-on and one of the most valued leaders on offense, has a broken leg and will end his college career.
“He was such a great teammate out on the field,” quarterback Adam Weber. “What he brought to this offense, it’s going to hurt us.”
Tow-Arnett, a senior who also suffered some damage to his knee and has two brothers on the team, had surgery on Tuesday. He played most of last season with a torn ACL, exhibiting a toughness that endeared him to his teammates.
“Jeffy and all those Tow-Arnett brothers are just hard workers and have earned everything they’ve got,” Weber said. “It’s tough to see him go down because he worked so hard to come back from that knee injury.”
It’s a big blow to an offensive line that has struggled at times to protect Weber and open holes in the running game. The Gophers average just 96 yards rushing per game, 107th in the nation, and Weber was under pressure on nearly every throw late in the 31-28 loss to the Badgers.
Coach Tim Brewster said Trey Davis, a sophomore who started five games last season, will start on Saturday against Purdue (1-4, 0-1 Big Ten).
Davis has added about 10 pounds of muscle to bulk up to 285 pounds and said he will benefit from playing five games last season.
“I obviously feel bad for Jeff, but excited for the opportunity to get back out on the field with the guys,” Davis said. “I think my knowledge of the offense is conceptualized better. I think I’m further along and stronger than I was last year.”
Davis is also a shot-putter on Minnesota’s track and field team.
“I’d like to think that Trey Davis will step in and it will be business as usual,” Brewster said.
This week of practice will be spent primarily getting Weber, Davis and the rest of the offensive line on the same page after spending training camp and the first five games of the season with Tow-Arnett in the middle.
It’s a big week for the Gophers (3-2, 1-1), who have lost two straight at TCF Bank Stadium after winning the opener against Air Force. After facing struggling Purdue in the homecoming game this weekend, the Gophers go on the road for games at Penn State and Ohio State.
“This week is going to be crucial getting comfortable with Trey and all the backup centers, really getting comfortable with the snaps and my cadence,” Weber said. “It’ll be tough. It’s one more thing to work on. But it’s nothing we haven’t done.”
Starting center Jeff Tow-Arnett, a former walk-on and one of the most valued leaders on offense, has a broken leg and will end his college career.
“He was such a great teammate out on the field,” quarterback Adam Weber. “What he brought to this offense, it’s going to hurt us.”
Tow-Arnett, a senior who also suffered some damage to his knee and has two brothers on the team, had surgery on Tuesday. He played most of last season with a torn ACL, exhibiting a toughness that endeared him to his teammates.
“Jeffy and all those Tow-Arnett brothers are just hard workers and have earned everything they’ve got,” Weber said. “It’s tough to see him go down because he worked so hard to come back from that knee injury.”
It’s a big blow to an offensive line that has struggled at times to protect Weber and open holes in the running game. The Gophers average just 96 yards rushing per game, 107th in the nation, and Weber was under pressure on nearly every throw late in the 31-28 loss to the Badgers.
Coach Tim Brewster said Trey Davis, a sophomore who started five games last season, will start on Saturday against Purdue (1-4, 0-1 Big Ten).
Davis has added about 10 pounds of muscle to bulk up to 285 pounds and said he will benefit from playing five games last season.
“I obviously feel bad for Jeff, but excited for the opportunity to get back out on the field with the guys,” Davis said. “I think my knowledge of the offense is conceptualized better. I think I’m further along and stronger than I was last year.”
Davis is also a shot-putter on Minnesota’s track and field team.
“I’d like to think that Trey Davis will step in and it will be business as usual,” Brewster said.
This week of practice will be spent primarily getting Weber, Davis and the rest of the offensive line on the same page after spending training camp and the first five games of the season with Tow-Arnett in the middle.
It’s a big week for the Gophers (3-2, 1-1), who have lost two straight at TCF Bank Stadium after winning the opener against Air Force. After facing struggling Purdue in the homecoming game this weekend, the Gophers go on the road for games at Penn State and Ohio State.
“This week is going to be crucial getting comfortable with Trey and all the backup centers, really getting comfortable with the snaps and my cadence,” Weber said. “It’ll be tough. It’s one more thing to work on. But it’s nothing we haven’t done.”
