The throw was a mistake, obviously, and Max Shortell regretted throwing it roughly a tenth of a second after the football left his right hand. But if you're going to throw a game-clinching interception, as the Gophers freshman did with his fourth-quarter error that fell into the arms of North Dakota State cornerback Marcus Williams, at least it should be a learning experience.

"The silver lining is that the kid didn't stand there dismayed that it happened," offensive coordinator Matt Limegrover said of Shortell's interception, on a 20-yard sideline pass to Marcus Jones. The quarterback immediately found his position coach, Jim Zebrowski, "and he said, 'As soon as I let the ball go, I knew I made the biggest mistake I made in a long time.' "
It was a mistake in execution, not decision-making, Limegrover said. "It was the right read. He needs to make that decision a little quicker and not give that guy a chance to rally back to it," Limegrover said. "He was the first one [to know what he did wrong]. He searched out Coach Z and said, 'got to get it there sooner.' "
It's painful, but necessary, the coordinator said. "It's tough, but a kid learned a valuable lesson there," Limegrover said, "and he knows he can't make that type of decision again."
He's also learning about not obsessing over the past, over mistakes he can't take back.
"I can't make those plays. It helps me be more aware of what's going on, maybe not get too greedy in that situation, or throw it earlier," Shortell said. But his confidence "is still the same. I look back on that throw and say, 'That's over with. Let's get better today.' "
The 19-year-old Kansan doesn't deserve any blame for trying to make a play, his coach said.
"We're asking an awful lot of those" quarterbacks, Jerry Kill said. "Max, trying to bring us back the other night, trying to stick a ball -- hell, I'd have thrown it, too. Probably a more experienced [quarterback] would have dumped it down. Those things, we shouldn't ask him to do."