Gopher football coach PJ Fleck has his quarterback on Saturday at Northwestern.
Tanner Morgan, who's started every game this season for the Gophers but was rattled by several hits late in last Saturday's loss at Iowa, passed concussion protocol and started against the Wildcats.
He made the most of his opportunity, throwing two touchdown passes in the first half as the Gophers took a 21-9 halftime lead
Confirmation that Morgan was ready to play came Saturday morning from a U-of-M team spokesman at Ryan Field in Evanston, Il.
Fleck also told ESPN about his decision well before late-morning kickoff.
Last Saturday in Iowa City, Morgan was pulled late in the game against the Hawkeyes after he took a pair of hits in the Gophers' final drive of the game.
If Morgan was not ready, Fleck was ready to go with either Cole Kramer or Jacob Clark.
Both Kramer and Clark are true freshmen.
Kramer, who had a standout career at Minnesota high school football powerhouse Eden Prairie, filled in against Iowa after Morgan was hurt, throwing an incomplete pass and having another throw intercepted.
Morgan has started 16 games over the past two seasons, with the Gophers winning 13 times.
Four times in his career, Morgan has thrown for more than 300 yards in a game, including his last two starts.
This season, the redshirt sophomore from Union, Kent. has completed 156 passes for 2,468 yards and 22 touchdowns with four interceptions.
The Gophers come into the game 9-1 and ranked 11th in the AP and coaches polls, with a number 10 rating in the latest College Football Playoff poll.
A win would give the Gophers their second 10-victory season since 1905, and move them closer to a spot in the Big Ten championship game.
If the Gophers beat Northwestern, a two-touchdown underdog, and Wisconsin is upset by Purdue, Minnesota would clinch their first Big Ten west title.