MINNEAPOLIS — Gophers football coach Jerry Kill says it’s time to look forward to Senior Day, as Minnesota closes out its regular season at home against Michigan State Saturday.
Talking to reporters Tuesday, Kill said his team “was excited to get back to work” against the Spartans, who are 5-6 on the year and need another win to become bowl eligible.
It was Kill’s second-straight day before the cameras. Monday he met the media to defend his actions after disciplining wide receiver A.J. Barker, who quit the team in anger Sunday afternoon.
“I feel bad about it. I really do,” Kill said. “But I told the kids we’re moving forward. Players leave programs, and things happen.”
As for Saturday’s game, Kill says he’ll try to shorten practices this week because he felt his team may have been tired in last week’s loss to Nebraska.
“You can’t tackle or block well unless you have fresh legs,” he said. “As a head coach, I take responsibility for wins and losses — but I think our team was fatigued going into Lincoln.”
Going into the Michigan State game, Kill will also be without some defensive help, as he revealed that DE Roland Johnson is done for the season with an ACL tear.
