Mitch Leidner will practice with the Gophers on Tuesday, testing his left knee injury, coach Jerry Kill said Tuesday. Kill said the Gophers need to have both Leidner and backup quarterback Chris Streveler ready to face TCU on Saturday.

"Mitch is going to go, no doubt in my mind," Gophers tight end Maxx Williams said. "Mitch is one of the toughest guys I know by far. ... I couldn't even tell if anything was wrong with him. I don't even really know what's going on, all I know is he's in there practicing with us."

Leidner got hit in the knee while releasing a pass in the fourth quarter of Saturday's 35-24 win over Middle Tennessee State. Kill didn't give specifics, but people familiar with the injury said the MRI showed a sprained medial collateral ligament, which runs along the outside of the knee. Leidner had a brace placed on the knee and was able to run forward Saturday but had trouble replicating his drop-back motion.

"We won't know until we get him out there," Kill said. "I can just tell you he's running and moving around. He actually moved around on Sunday. So he's a tough cat."

Kill said he would limit Leidner's reps, making sure Streveler and No. 3 QB Jacques Perra get chances.

"I don't want to wear [Leidner] out and be smart," Kill said. "But we'll see how it goes. I can't guarantee anything, but I can guarantee you that he's going to practice today and that will help us determine some things. But, you know, he's tough. He's been on the phone with Jordan Lynch. Jordan is pretty tough too."

Rallis out for the season

Gophers linebacker Nick Rallis is out for the season with a knee injury, Kill said. Rallis, the team's second-string middle linebacker behind Damien Wilson, injured the knee on punt coverage Saturday.

"We pulled a redshirt off Everett [Williams], and he's got to step up," Kill said. "That's really all you do. Certainly [Rallis] can play all three [linebacker] spots. That's what made him special. I feel bad for him. He's worked so hard and so forth."

The Gophers have now lost three players to season-ending knee injuries -- tight end Duke Anyanwu, defensive tackle Scott Ekpe and Rallis.