PJ Fleck provides positive injury outlook for Athan Kaliakmanis, Cody Lindenberg following Pinstripe Bowl
PJ Fleck guided Minnesota to another bowl victory, taking down Syracuse in the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl Thursday evening. That win gives the Gophers nine on the season but involved some scary-looking injuries for a pair of players.
Athan Kaliakmanis started that game at quarterback and was an efficient 7-for-9 passing the ball to open the game. Unfortunately, he was injured and would not return, letting Tanner Morgan finish out the game under center.
Linebacker Cody Lindenberg was also injured in the game while leading the Gopher defense. He finished with a game-high 11 tackles, an effort that included 9 solo stops against Syracuse.
After the game, Fleck said both players avoided a long-term injury in the game. If the season was ongoing, Fleck indicated both players would be out for weeks but would not be labeled as out for the season.
Update: #Gophers coach PJ Fleck said Athan Kaliakmanis and Cody Lindenberg both avoided serious injury in the Pinstripe Bowl on Thursday. The QB and LB both left with leg injuries. If this were regular season, they would be out weeks.
Quote: “Nothing long-term, which is great.”
— Andy Greder (@andygreder) December 29, 2022
That is certainly good news for Minnesota’s offseason programming with both players expected to be key pieces in 2023. Lindenberg finished the 2022 season with 60 tackles while Kaliakmanis accounted for over 1,000 yards of offense and 4 touchdowns while filling in for Tanner Morgan this season.