Continued: It becomes game time for Gophers' No. 2 center

On the first play of his college football career, Trey Davis nearly snapped the ball over Adam Weber's head. Not all that unexpected from a guy who hadn't played a down in nearly two years.

Weber, lined up in a shotgun formation, jumped and saved the ball -- and Davis' self-esteem along with it -- before completing a 14-yard pass to Ben Kuznia.

Five plays later, Weber found Eric Decker in the end zone, and the Gophers went on to beat Bowling Green 42-17 on Saturday night. With starting center Jeff Tow-Arnett out indefinitely after suffering a knee injury in the fourth quarter, Davis will be the starting center for Saturday's game against Montana State. Until last Saturday, he hadn't played since his senior season at Farmington High School.

"I feel I'm ready to go," Davis said. "Like I said, I've had a year to learn the offense. Last year at this time, I wasn't as comfortable with the offense. But now, you know, I have that confidence, knowing what calls to make."

But before he made his first read and snap Saturday, he needed some help from his fellow linemen, most of whom aren't much older than he is.

"D.J. [Burris] and I really stepped up in the game when he first came in and just talked to him for a second, got him to calm down," left tackle Dominic Alford said. "You know, he kind of had the big eyes. He's only a redshirt freshman. It's going to take the older guys to make sure he's calm and everything, run the offense."

Alford is one of the offensive line's older guys, even though he's just a sophomore. Minnesota might start four redshirt freshmen and a sophomore on its offensive line Saturday against Montana State. While other young linemen around the Big Ten sometimes spend a few seasons on the sidelines perfecting blocking techniques and building up their bodies, Minnesota's first- and second-year players up front are needed now.

The Gophers offensive line has displayed its youth and ongoing maturation in the first two games. The five sacks allowed by the Gophers are tied with Illinois for the most in the Big Ten. On the plus side, the Gophers are tied with Northwestern for the Big Ten lead in success in the red zone, having scored all six times they got inside the 20.

"They've got to grow up real quick here real fast," offensive line coach Phil Meyer said. "They are young, but they're hanging in there, doing the best they can. They've only got a couple games under their belt. No matter how many snaps you get in practice, it's still a new learning experience for them."

Davis is listed as one of the "notable residents" on the Wikipedia page for Farmington, Minn., a town with 12,000 residents. He was a shot put champion and standout two-way lineman in high school. But he's still making the adjustment from a prep team that passed "about once every three games" to a college squad that loves to throw the ball.

In recent days, Davis has intensified his cardio workouts and watched more film to prepare for one of the team's more challenging positions. He will have just seconds to read Montana State's defense and determine the appropriate blocking scheme, while preparing to the snap the ball to a quarterback lined up in the shotgun formation.

Weber has veto power just in case Davis makes a mistake reading the defense.

"I think the most difficult thing is trying to make calls, especially on pass plays, recognizing defenses," Davis said. "Thankfully, we have it set up where our quarterback can save my butt if I make the wrong call."

The new center is also counting on his linemates to help him make the transition -- even though most of them are still learning themselves.

"There's a lot of chemistry between us all," he said. "I feel like there's still lots of room for improvement. But I feel on the whole like we're about where we need to be moving forward."