After taking a back seat to Mitch Leidner for a while, Philip Nelson has re-emerged as the Gophers primary quarterback.
The Gophers remain proud of their two-quarterback system, and coach Jerry Kill is quick to say, "We need them both." But Nelson has handled most of the time as the Gophers have reeled off three consecutive victories over Northwestern, Nebraska and Indiana.
Leidner had started three consecutive games before Nelson got the nod Saturday at Indiana. Nelson responded by passing for a career-high 298 yards and four touchdowns.
After leaving the game because of a hip pointer, Nelson returned to complete a 50-yard pass to Maxx Williams for the winning touchdown. The hip pointer remains an issue, but Nelson practiced Tuesday and is expected to play in Saturday's home game against Penn State.
"It's just a little painful, but the good thing with hips is they can't get much worse," Nelson said. "And the only way you can make them better is by continuing to keep moving them, so that's where I'm at right now."
For the past three weeks, the Gophers have gone into each game planning to start one quarterback and bring the backup in for at least one series in the first half.
Leidner started at Northwestern, and after four first-quarter punts, the Gophers turned to Nelson and never looked back, as he steered them to a 20-17 victory. Leidner started against Nebraska but, after three drives that included a touchdown, the Gophers let Nelson handle the rest, as they rolled to a 34-23 victory.
Kill said the decision on when to switch quarterbacks has come down to "feel," and he credits quarterbacks coach Jim Zebrowski for keeping both of them ready.