Lots of work for Jones with McKnight sidelined

You could hear the "uh-ohs" at today's scrimmage when Da'Jon McKnight didn't get up after a play during the inside-zone portion of the Gophers' practice today. There hasn't been a skill-position player with a more impressive spring than the senior receiver, who makes an amazing catch about once per practice, and other than MarQueis Gray, there probably isn't a more indispensable player on this year's roster.
McKnight eventually got up, had ice put on his left knee, and watched the remaining 90 minutes of practice on the sidelines. By the end, his knee was pretty stiff, and McKnight limped off the field, but nobody seemed concerned. It appears McKnight escaped serious injury.
That doesn't mean the thought doesn't cross Jerry Kill's mind, though. He just understands that injuries are a calculated risk in football.
"You can't come out here and teach touch football," Kill said. "I always worry about injuries, keeping people healthy. But we have to get stronger and faster -- that prevents injuries. Bending your knees, not playing straight-legged, that prevents injuries."
We'll know Thursday, I imagine, whether McKnight is healthy enough to practice, though Kill pointed out that his experience makes it a little less urgent that he get as many snaps as possible.
Other than that, practice was notable mostly for how beautiful the weather was at the football facility. Too bad it's supposed to get progressively worse this week -- the Gophers are trying to attract university students to Friday night's practice in TCF Bank Stadium. They're also trying to decide what to do if it rains -- or snows.
A few other observations:
-- With McKnight sidelined, Marcus Jones became even more of a prime target than usual. The freshman slot receiver easily caught more passes than any other wideout, and offensive coordinator Matt Limegrover said the coaching staff is becoming more impressed with Jones every day.
"He literally gets better with every rep," Limegrover said. "He's really pretty good, so we're trying to accelerate the learning process for him."
It's working, Limegrover said. On Saturday, for example, the Gophers were scrimmaging near the goal line, and Jones' responsibility was to curl toward the outside linebacker, then cut sharply and get himself open.
Didn't happen. Jones ran toward the linebacker, then slowly changed direction, leaving himself easily covered by the linebacker.
But the Gophers ran the same play Tuesday, Limegrover said, and the difference was obviousl.
"He curled out and the linebacker did almost the same thing. So he snapped in there, turned and gave [Gray] a great picture [target]. He learned from that previous play, and now he's a better player. He's doing a great job of adjusting as he learns."
-- Tight end Collin McGarry got lots of playing time, and seemingly was in motion every play. He's clearly a blocker, but he popped off the line a couple of times as a safety-valve receiver and always made the play. I could easily see him playing alongside Eric Lair in a double-tight formation. Or, Kill seemed to suggest, Lair could end up as a receiver -- one solution to the Gophers' shortage that I hadn't thought of. "He's a versatile kid," Kill said of Lair.
-- Ryan Collado was at practice to watch his former teammates. The cornerback said he has heard from the Canadian League about a contract, but he's still hoping for an NFL tryout after the draft.
-- Kill got fired up by the way Donnell Kirkwood, despite his 5-10 stature, can run over tacklers. "He's the one you truck!" Kill shouted after one run, pointing at a defender who got flattened.
-- The backup quarterbacks each made some nice throws, but Tom Parish had more trouble controlling snaps (admittedly, the snaps weren't great, either). Parish looped a pass over the defense and right into the hands of a double-teamed receiver (sorry, not sure which one) at one point, while Moses Alipate hit Victor Keise in stride for another impressive completion.