Gophers football notes: Kill ready to hold Cobb out, if necessary

Running back David Cobb might have 1,430 rushing yards, but Gophers coach Jerry Kill said he won't let him face Wisconsin this week unless his left hamstring is 100 percent.

Cobb strained the hamstring on a 17-yard touchdown run in Saturday's 28-24 victory at Nebraska. Later in the day, Cobb tweeted, "All is well! I'll be ready to go next Saturday!"

But Kill said Sunday that Cobb is questionable, and that the Gophers probably won't know whether he can play until late in the week.

"He's got a pretty good hamstring situation, so we'll just have to see," Kill said.

The coach noted that defensive back Derrick Wells was questionable because of a hamstring injury Oct. 11 against Northwestern but wound up playing that game after missing the first quarter.

"I don't know how bad it is [for Cobb]," Kill said. "I know he could not get it loosened back up to play [at Nebraska]. I know he'll do his best to go, but we're not going to risk somebody going out there 90 percent or 85 percent. I don't think it's worth it to the kid."

While reflecting on how far his program has come in four years, Kill said, "We're not there yet. You know, we're not."

While Nebraska, Iowa, Wisconsin and other schools have built nutrition centers that could pass as three-star restaurants, the Gophers still hold team meals in the lobby of their football complex.

"The biggest story of all is that we're eating in a hallway right now, and we're competing for the championship of our division," he said. "That is unbelievable."

The athletic department is working to raise funds for a $190 million training facility for several sports teams, and football is the main priority. Land O'Lakes pledged $21 million toward the project as part of a $25 million gift to the university in September.

Kill said he's pushing to have ground broken on the new football facility in April.

"Like we told our recruits, 'We'll get this thing, get the shovel in the ground quickly, certainly before the summer is out,' " Kill said. "That's the stride that we've been missing that we've had to overcome."

The Gophers also rank No. 22 in the latest coaches poll. They sat No. 24 in that poll before losing to Illinois on Oct. 25.