Minnesota’s offensive line just took another hit, and this one leaves the Gophers scrambling for the rest of the season.
Starting center Ashton Beers is out with a season-ending injury, a source told the Pioneer Press on Wednesday. Beers had already been listed as out on Minnesota’s first unavailability report ahead of the Michigan game Saturday, but the news runs deeper than that: his absence is expected to cover all eight remaining games.
The 6-foot-6, 320-pound senior from Slinger, Wis., appeared to pick up a lower right leg injury in the 41-7 win over the Zips on Sept. 12. He did come back into that game, then was initially tagged questionable for the Washington matchup last Saturday before being ruled out before Minnesota’s 27-24 win over the Huskies in Seattle.
This is the second center loss for the Gophers. Backup center Brett Carroll went down for the season with a leg injury in preseason camp in August, leaving Minnesota thin at a spot where depth is already hard to find.
As P.J. Fleck noted last week, college football rosters don’t carry much margin there anymore, with backups often looking for playing time and money elsewhere.
Fleck even joked to a Big Ten coach about the situation. When asked what Minnesota would do at center, Fleck said the U was going to punt on first down.
Instead, Minnesota turned to Greg Johnson against Washington. The preseason All-American guard, who started 13 games at center in 2024, slid over and anchored an offensive line that helped the Gophers run for 125 yards and kept quarterback Drake Lindsey from being sacked at Husky Stadium.
That move created a new opening at left guard, and Jaden Ball got his first career start there against the Huskies. Ball, a second-year transfer from Purdue, is also listed as questionable for the Michigan game, according to the U’s report.
Minnesota’s full unavailability report listed three players as probable: running back A.J. Turner, running back Zeke Bates and defensive end Adam Kissayi.
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For the Gophers, that makes the matchup feel less about reputation and more about execution on a field where Michigans defense still brings enough strength to keep things uncomfortable. McManns read was that this could stay close throughout, which only adds to the intrigue for Minnesota as it tries to turn a shaky opponent into a missed opportunity for the Wolverines. [Read more 🡒]