FORT COLLINS, COLO. -- Gophers safeties Damarius Travis and Ace Rogers, and wide receiver Jeff Jones are all out with injuries heading into this game at Colorado State.
Travis has a hamstring injury, Rogers has a knee injury, and Jones has an ankle injury. They did not make the trip.
Adekunle Ayinde, a third-year sophomore who walked on from Blaine, will get his first start at safety, alongside Antonio Johnson.
True freshman running back Shannon Brooks switched to No. 27 -- David Cobb's old number. And Chris Streveler switched to No. 14. That one's even more interesting. Streveler was No. 5, and this will allow him to play special teams alongside another No. 5, Jalen Myrick. Streveler remains the backup QB, but the Gophers continue to look for other ways to get him on the field.
ABOUT FORT COLLINS
I love this place. Made it here yesterday, finished my preview stuff and went for a run around Warren Lake. The weather was just ideal. Sunny and dry. It was a bit hazy, but this morning at sunrise, the foothills came into view -- perfect.
A few of us hit Rio Grande for dinner last night, and I had a nice breakfast at Cafe Bluebird. Both came highly recommended from Strib colleague Phil Miller, who used to come here a lot when he covered Utah for the Salt Lake Tribune.
It's supposed to be 84 degrees today, so it'll be a hot one on the field turf at 32,500-seat Hughes Stadium. It's going to be a big crowd, with lots of Gophers fans. Phil said he was here when Colorado State and Utah were both undefeated and in the Top 10 in 1994, and this is "the loudest outdoor stadium I've ever been in."
This is a homecoming for a couple of Gophers staffers. Nate Griffin, who works in offensive quality control, and Morgan Liggett, an assistant coordinator of recruiting ops, both went to Poudre High School here in Fort Collins.
The Gophers are wearing their gold helmets with white jerseys and gold pants.
Kickoff is at 2:30 p.m. (Central) on CBS Sports Network. Check out all our preview stuff here, and check this blog for any other pregame updates before kickoff.
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Megan Ryan is a sports reporter at the Star Tribune covering college sports, including Gophers football and hockey. Ryan covered Minnesota United FC during its first two years of existence. She previously spent two years at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette covering Penn State football, Robert Morris basketball and high school sports. Email Megan to talk about the Gophers.
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