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University of Minnesota Athletics
Gopher Talk With Conor Rhoda
10/4/2016 12:00:00 AM | Football
Junior quarterback Conor Rhoda talks playing close to home, favorite road trip ever and roughs up his roommate Andrew Harte a bit in the latest Gopher Talk.
Gopher Sports: What's it like playing football so close to home?
Conor Rhoda: I would say the best part about it is being close to my family. They get to come to all the games. They have always been able to come to all of my sports whether it was baseball, football or basketball growing up. All my relatives, my grandparents are always at the games. So it's really nice. I would say that's probably the best aspect of it. Just playing for your hometown, all my high school buddies, just so many different people are able to watch and kind of see how I'm doing. That's what really makes it awesome.
GS: Were you a Gopher fan growing up?
CR: I moved up here from Iowa when I was in fourth grade. I actually grew up kind of a Notre Dame fan. My grandpa went there and I had gone out there once a year for a game growing up. We moved here when I was 10 and I just slowly started liking the Gophers. Being around campus all the time, it's kind of hard not to.
GS: What's your favorite home cooked meal?
CR: My mom makes a really good mac-and-cheese with bacon in it and all this awesome stuff. Once every couple weeks I go home and make sure I get a little bit of that.
GS: What's your favorite road trip you've ever been on?
CR: I would say Nebraska my redshirt freshman year. Great stadium, great fans, electric atmosphere and we ended up winning an unreal game. The atmosphere and then how the game went as a whole made it the best. Nebraska and Iowa as far as stadiums are a tie but that game at Nebraska was just ridiculous and made it special.
GS: What do you like to do outside of football?
CR: I really just like to hang out. My roommate Andrew Harte and I like to golf a lot. We are still trying to get out there on Mondays, that's our day off, and take advantage of our free time. I would say that's probably my favorite thing to do outside of football other than just hanging out with friends and relaxing.
GS: Who's the better golfer?
CR: I definitely am. I rough him up out there.
GS: What's the craziest thing any teammate has ever said to you?
CR: Andrew Harte saying he's a better golfer than me.
GS: Who would you want to play you in a movie?
CR: I would say Leonardo DiCaprio. He's my favorite actor. He's good in any role.
GS: If you were stranded on a desert island and you could only bring one teammate, who would it be?
CR: I would say Cody Poock. He is from middle-of-nowhere, Iowa. He would figure out some way to get us food, whether that's with his bare hands or figuring out a way to make a bow and arrow. He would figure something out.
GS: What's one thing you can't live without?
CR: Just being able to go outside. I love being able to just get away and breathe some fresh air. I think it's really important to do. Definitely having a job where I'm stuck inside all day would not be my forte.
GS: Do you have a favorite place to go outside just to relax?
CR: Not necessarily. I love being up north. I think that's heaven on earth. Really anywhere in the wilderness I like. Northern Minnesota would probably be my favorite spot. As far as being around in the cities really just anywhere. I just like walking around and seeing new stuff.
GS: What's your favorite place to go on campus?
CR: I really like my apartment. Andrew and I just kind of hang out, play video games, watch sports, make fun of each other. That's probably my favorite spot to be at.
GS: What's your favorite video game?
CR: FIFA. I also rough Andrew up on that. It's kind of a bad interview for Andrew, but he'll be ok.
GS: What's your dream vacation?
CR: I've got a dream trip where I want to go to Europe, start in Germany and then make my way over to Ireland. That's where both of my heritages are from. Starting and ending there and seeing everything in between would be awesome.
GS: What kind of music do you like?
CR: I like everything. It really depends. Right now I really like listening to country during the fall and summer. During the winter, I'll listen to anything. It's really kind of season or mood-based but I would probably say country is my go to.
GS: Who's your favorite artist?
CR: Eric Church would be my favorite if I had to choose.
GS: If you could throw a pass to any NFL wide receiver, who would it be?
CR: Right now, I would say Odell Beckham Jr.. He's probably going to catch it wherever I put it.
