When the Gophers' defensive line was banged up in preseason practice, freshman outside linebacker Julian Huff took some snaps up front.
"He tore us up," Gophers coach Jerry Kill said of his offensive line. "Therefore, he got an opportunity" Thursday night in Minnesota's 23-17 loss to second-ranked Texas Christian at TCF Bank Stadium.
In a defensive wrinkle to throw off TCU quarterback and Heisman Trophy favorite Trevone Boykin, Huff started the game as an undersized, standup defensive end. He finished with seven tackles and a handful of other disruptive plays.
Huff, who is listed at 5 feet 11 and 220 pounds, made it hard on starting Horned Frogs left tackle Halapoulivaati Vaitai, who is 6-6 and 315 pounds.