Jerry Kaminski battles back from ankle injury to lead UND past South Dakota State

GRAND FORKS — At Monday's practice, UND head coach Eric Schmidt and offensive coordinator Danny Freund checked in on the players recovering from injuries. Senior quarterback Jerry Kaminski had hurt his ankle in the second half of the Fighting Hawks' loss to Northern Iowa, spending the fourth quarter on crutches and in a boot. Two days later, the injury still didn't look great. "Javance (Tupou'ata-Johnson) needs to be ready to go here," Schmidt told Freund after he saw Kaminski's foot. Tupou'ata-Johnson took snaps as the presumptive starter at practice. Kaminski, however, had other plans. He spent more than 20 hours in the training room throughout the week, working to reduce swelling and improve mobility. Before Saturday's home game against No. 1 South Dakota State, Kaminski was told he and the coaching staff would decide after warmups whether he could play. "These are the games that you dream about playing," Kaminski said. "I was going to do everythin