Duane Bennett’s carries limited in Gophers’ spring football game, but starting nod means more

Duane Bennett got the fewest carries among Minnesota’s three running backs during Saturday’s spring football game at TCF Bank Stadium, but that meant he already had done enough to impress new coach Jerry Kill.

Bennett had only seven carries for 22 yards, but he was the first tailback to run with the first-team offense. He also lined up as a wide receiver because the Gophers were so thin at the position after injuries.

“Everybody has that mind-set that they want to be the starter,” said the 5-foot-9, 210-pound senior. “But the biggest thing is for them to utilize me however they feel is necessary. I try to do what’s best for the team. They feel like I might have the ability to go out there and catch the ball as a receiver, so I’m going out there and learning different things every day.”

After Bennett, redshirt freshman Donnell Kirkwood was the second tailback to get carries. Kirkwood, who received a medical redshirt last season after suffering a shin fracture, rushed 18 times for 65 yards and a touchdown. He scored the game’s only touchdown on 3-yard run while breaking out for a 28-yard run on the same drive.

Senior DeLeon Eskridge had nine carries for 26 yards. Starting quarterback MarQueis Gray also had seven carries for 38 yards, including a 20-yard run.

“We’ve got good tailbacks,” Kill said. “We’ll certainly have to name a starter as we go, but competition is good. Competition makes everybody better. Until we start the first game, we’re going to keep the competition heavy and see how people work.”

Alipate stands out: Sophomore quarterback Moses Alipate spoke to Kill recently about his role on the team, which was uncertain after he spent the spring at No. 3 on the depth chart.

Kill told Alipate to take advantage of the extended reps he would get while redshirt freshman Tom Parish was out with an injury. He did, with three first-down throws Saturday, all to walk-on receiver Matt Kloss, who had a team-high 40 yards receiving. Alipate also rushed four times for 11 yards.

“It was great that I got to play as much as I did, and I tried to capitalize on everything,” said Alipate, who lost 15 pounds since the start of spring practice. “Coach Kill told me before, it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish. I just tried to come out here and make the best of my opportunity. He believed in me, which was really huge for my confidence. So I was able to go out there, let loose and have fun.”

Golden leg: The Gophers’ kicking game struggled to be consistent last season. But sophomore kicker Chris Hawthorne showed Saturday why Kill expects that area to improve this year.

Hawthorne, a 6-5, 196-pound transfer from North Carolina State, nailed both of his field-goal attempts in the spring game, from 30 and 50 yards.

“Was that a 50-yarder? That’s good,” Kill said. “You can win a lot of games in the kicking game.”

Briefly: Kill said the Gophers were only able to run 75 plays because they lacked enough depth for a regular spring game. There were 13 players sidelined because of injuries, including receivers Da’Jon McKnight and Brandon Green, tight ends Eric Lair and Colin McGarry, offensive linemen Jimmy Gjere and Brooks Michel and running back Lamonte Edwards.