Tyler James at the South Bend Tribune has an interesting profile of freshman quarterback Gunner Kiel. Here's an excerpt: "Still less than a year removed from playing high school football at Columbus (Ind.) East, the 6-foot-4, 210-pound Kiel notices the difference in speed and strength at the college level. "In Wednesday's practice, Kiel was engulfed by walk-on linebacker Connor Little rushing off the edge for a sack during a scrimmage segment where the quarterbacks were live. After practice, Kiel said he enjoyed the hit, the result of another layer in the quarterback's responsibilities in Brian Kelly's offense that Kiel's still learning. "'I probably should have checked to a different line protection there,' Kiel said after a laugh. "The hit was a reminder that while things might be moving slower in his head, the play on the field is full-bore. "'To be honest, it feels good. I haven't been hit for a while,' Kiel said. 'You get right back up and move on to the next play.' "Kiel's been forced to balance the roles of gunning for the starting position and being patient with the learning process. "'I just have to have a positive outlook and go in trying to get better and understanding that I'm the rookie and everything's going to happen not so fast, it's going to happen gradually,' Kiel said. 'So you've just got to wait and be patient and when the time comes you're going to get your opportunity.'"