ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) Winston DeLattiboudere and Jerry Gibson, as defensive ends for Minnesota, will be engaging their share of daunting blockers on the field this fall.

Those oversized and overpowering offensive linemen in the Big Ten were the least of their worries one day this summer, when a 16-foot, 2,000-pound creature approached them in search of an afternoon snack.

"Is he going to eat the whole stick? Is he going to lick my hand?" DeLattiboudere wondered aloud with amusement and a bit of anxiety about whether Skeeter, the 9-year-old giraffe at the Como Park Zoo and Conservatory, would stick to the leaves and lettuce being offered or become more interested in chewing on his fingers.