MINNEAPOLIS -- Tracy Claeys was a defensive coordinator for 15 years at four different schools before taking over as head coach at Minnesota, so he knows a thing or two about making adjustments to the game plan on the fly.Seeing three key members of a unit that is expected to lead the Golden Gophers to new heights be ejected for illegal hits? That was a new one even for him.Minnesota overcame the loss of linebackers Cody Poock and Jonathan Celestin and defensive end Taiyon Devers for targeting to beat Oregon State 30-23 on Thursday night.Im all for that rule, Claeys said. We just have to go back and look at the film and everyones got to lower their target down.Poock was flagged for a helmet-to-helmet hit on a receiver after a pass fell incomplete. Celestin launched himself head-first into sliding quarterback Darell Garretsons helmet and the freshman Devers came in high on Garretson on a late hit in search of his third sack of the game.It was kind of crazy and kind of nerve-racking seeing all of our starters go out like that, Minnesota defensive back Damarius Travis said.Rodney Smith rushed for 125 yards and two touchdowns, the last coming in the fourth quarter to put the Gophers in front 24-23, and the short-handed defense held the Beavers scoreless over the final 15 minutes to hang on for a tense victory in a game they were favored to win by 13 points.You try to educate and get the young men where they need to be to handle the scenarios, Oregon State coach Gary Andersen said of the targeting penalties. Its hard. The quarterback now, he starts sliding, hes protected, which we want to protect the players. Youve got to show the game tape. Theres not a lot of game tape on that.Mitch Leidner was erratic as ever in going 13 for 26 for 130 yards. But he rushed for 76 yard and two scores, the last a 1-yard run with 1:27 left to give the Gophers a seven-point cushion.Garretson threw for 228 yards and three touchdowns for Oregon State. The junior transfer lost two fumbles on crunching sacks by Devers in the first half, but Garretson bounced back to throw TDs to Noah Togiai, Victor Bolden and Tim Cook.They were strong. They were physical. They flew around, Garretson said. They knew what they were doing. They were comfortable. You could see. We put up a pretty good fight.THE TAKEAWAYOREGON STATE: After going 2-10 in Andersens first season last year, the Beavers were hoping Garretsons arrival would help speed the rebuilding process. The early returns are promising. He completed 25 of 40 passes and hung in there while being sacked four times.Youre not going to find a tougher kid than that, Andersen said. Hell stay in there and hell fight like crazy. He didnt just get hit. He got drilled numerous times.MINNESOTA: If the Gophers are truly going to contend in the wide-open Big Ten West, they will have to be much more disciplined and precise going forward. They had eight penalties for 70 yards. Center Tyler Moore snapped the ball over Leidners head twice, one resulting in a safety, and Leidner missed several open receivers down the field, an underwhelming performance all around.I think its a mixture of both being a little too amped and a little nervous, Leidner said. Unfortunately you dont get preseason games like the NFL does to get adjusted to things like that. But to be able to win a game and have some of that sloppiness, that will definitely help us moving forward.GOING FOR 2When the Gophers scored in the last 90 seconds to take a seven-point lead, Claeys elected to go for 2 to try to make it a two-score game. An extra point would have made it impossible for the Beavers to win the game in regulation.My opinion is 95 percent of the time those teams go down and score late, theyre going to kick the extra point and go to overtime, Claeys said. So I would rather take the chance on getting three yards and ending the game.UP NEXTOREGON STATE: The Beavers get next week off before hosting Idaho State for their home opener on Sept. 17.MINNESOTA: The Gophers host Indiana State on Sept. 10 for what should be an easy tune-up before they face Colorado State for a third straight home game.Bill Bates Jersey . PETERSBURG, Fla. Tony Pollard Jersey . By having more great seasons. Manning was the only unanimous choice for the 2013 Associated Press NFL All-Pro team Friday. http://www.shoptheofficialcowboys.com/Elite-Chuck-Howley-Cowboys-Jersey/ . Philadelphia is 2-0 against the Senators this season and scored five goals in each victory. The Flyers recorded a 5-0 win in Ottawa on Nov. 12 and then earned a 5-2 home decision on Nov. 19. The Flyers have claimed three straight and four of the last five encounters with the Sens overall and Philly has won two in a row and three of its past four tests in Canadas capital city. Larry Allen Youth Jersey . The team said Saturday that Lopez was hurt during its 121-120 overtime loss at Philadelphia on Friday. The Nets said they would issue another update next week after consultation with their doctors. Bill Bates Youth Jersey . Halifax beat the Saint John Sea Dogs 7-5 on the strength of two goals apiece from Nikolaj Ehlers, Matt Murphy and Brent Andrews. Jonathan Drouin also scored and had three assists while Zachary Fucale made 17 saves for the Mooseheads (16-8-0), who led 6-1 after two periods.AUBURN, Ala. -- Former Auburn defensive end Quentin Groves has died at 32, a school spokesman said Saturday.?Kirk Sampson said Groves died in his sleep while visiting Trinidad, where his wife is from.?Sampson said he didnt know the cause of death.Groves played for the Tigers from 2004 to 07 and finished with 26 career sacks, tying the schools all-time record. He earned first-team All-SEC honors as both a junior and a senior, and his senior class won more games (50) at Auburn than any other class in school history.I am devastated and in disbelief by the sudden passing of Quentin, Auburn athletic director Jay Jacobs said. He had a vibrant smile, a big personality and was full of life. ... Quentin was one of my favorites and I always enjoyed spending time with him. He lived life to its fullest and had a great love for his family and friends.Medical tests at the 2008 NFL combine revealed that Groves had Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, which causes a rapid heartbeat. He had what is described as a minor heart surgery after the combine, and two months later, he wwas chosen by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the second round of the NFL draft.ddddddddddddGroves played seven seasons in the NFL with five different teams. His most recent stint came prior to the 2015 season, when he signed a contract with the Buffalo Bills. However, he was cut before the first game.Quentin was an outstanding man, on and off the field, former teammate and current Jaguars tight end Marcedes Lewis said in a statement. He made everyone around him better and always had a smile on his face. He pushed me every day in practice and was a fierce competitor.Im very grateful to have had an opportunity to spend two seasons with him. My thoughts and prayers are with his entire family on this incredibly sad day.Groves met his wife, Treska Baptiste, at Auburn when he played football and she ran track. The school said he is survived by Baptiste and their two children.Information from The Associated Press was used in this report. ' ' '