Gophers coach Jerry Kill has been seizure-free for more than a year, and he's hoping to continue raising epilepsy awareness to help others suffering from the disorder.
The Gophers will host their third annual Epilepsy Awareness Game on Saturday against Ohio State, and several other Big Ten coaches will be showing their support.
Kill is one of 2.2 million people in the United States who has epilepsy. He and Ohio State coach Urban Meyer both will be wearing pins with purple ribbons Saturday, as will Nebraska's Bo Pelini, Northwestern's Pat Fitzgerald, Wisconsin's Gary Andersen, Illinois' Tim Beckman, Indiana's Kevin Wilson and Maryland's Randy Edsall.
The Gophers will have a purple epilepsy awareness logo on their gold helmets. "The more awareness there is, the more it can help people, and that's what life's about at the end of the day," Kill said. "There's so much exposure on national TV. When you have a platform, especially with college football being so big, I think it's a neat deal."
Cobb rested, ready
David Cobb still ranks third in the nation with 25.2 rushes per game, but the Gophers lightened his load in last week's victory over Iowa, giving him 16 carries for 74 yards. And the week before that, Minnesota had a bye.
"I was just telling my running backs coach I feel as good as I did at the start of the season," said Cobb, who ranks ninth in the nation with 133.9 yards per game.
Cobb made an impact even when he wasn't carrying the ball against Iowa. Kill was thrilled with Cobb's blocking, a skill that could help raise his NFL draft stock.
"They all know he can run, and if he blocks well, he'll make a lot of money," Kill said. "So I think a good back does that, and it is unselfish. But if you want to have all the goals that he has in life, he knows he's got to be able to block."
