Gophers coach Jerry Kill insisted Sunday that there is "no controversy" at quarterback, hinting Mitch Leidner will remain the starter, with freshman Demry Croft getting phased in gradually.
"Mitch is not the reason we're struggling so much," Kill said, one day removed from an unsightly 27-0 loss at No. 13 Northwestern. "... There's no controversy or any of that stuff. It's just, we didn't play very good."
Croft replaced Leidner in the fourth quarter Saturday but couldn't prevent the team's first shutout loss to Northwestern since 1959. Kill pulled Croft's redshirt, then watched him complete five of 11 passes for 27 yards, while taking three sacks and nearly getting intercepted twice.
"Everybody's going to make a big deal out of [Croft's debut]," Kill said. "But it's not as big a deal as everybody will make out of it."
The reason Croft played, Kill said, is "we've got to have a backup quarterback ready to play. And we moved [Chris] Streveler to receiver, and that's where he's going to play."
Kill said redshirt freshman quarterback Jacques Perra has done a good job in practice, so the team is moving forward with Leidner, Croft and Perra as its three quarterbacks.
For now, it's a basic question: Which one gives the Gophers the best chance to win Saturday at Purdue?
The Gophers (3-2, 0-1 Big Ten) might have entered the season with hopes of winning the West Division. Now, they could be scrambling to reach six victories for bowl eligibility.