Mayville State quarterback Matt Donovan gave his family and friends reason to be optimistic amid his ongoing hospitalization, where he has been placed in a medically induced coma, following a violent helmet-to-helmet hit earlier this month. Matt's father, Terry, shared via Facebook on September 29, “They removed the breathing tube and successfully placed a trach. Everything went well. We look at the trach as a bridge — something that can make things safer and more comfortable while giving Matt the time he needs to heal and work his way toward breathing more independently.” Terry continued, “Before all of that happened this morning, though, we got another little moment to hang onto.” The moment happened when Terry's wife, Tina, was in the hospital room with their son on Tuesday. Terry said, “Tina was with Matt and was asking him to blink hard. His eyes weren't actually opening, but she could see his eyelashes moving when she asked him. She FaceTimed me, and when I talked to Matt and asked him to do it, he did it twice for me.” He added, “We obviously can't say exactly what he was processing, but it sure felt like he was responding to us, and right now those moments mean everything.” After the hopeful interaction, Matt was sedated for a procedure, which Terry said was completed “successfully.”