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Gophers kicker Luke Drzewiecki has eligibility upheld in court

On Thursday, Judge William Jorden of the 19th Judicial District Court in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, granted Gophers kicker Luke Drzewiecki a fifth year of eligibility, with the ruling arriving roughly an hour after the 7 p.m. kickoff at Huntington Bank Stadium.
Drzewiecki, who spent four years at New Mexico, signed with Minnesota on Aug. 21 after appearing in a Baltimore Ravens minicamp, having made 18 of 19 field goals during his final season with the Lobos.
During Thursday's season opener against Eastern Illinois, Daniel Jackson handled place-kicking duties while Beckham Sunderland took kickoffs, with Drzewiecki remaining in uniform but not expected to play.
Last year, former kicker Brady Denaburg briefly entered the competition after receiving eligibility in a Denver court, but an appeals court revoked that status in August, providing precedent for Drzewiecki's legal victory.
Minnesota will pay $2.05 million for its three nonconference games this year, including $500,000 to Eastern Illinois, $350,000 to Mississippi State, and $1.2 million to Akron, records show.

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