Gophers interim coach Jeff Horton was asked if upsetting No. 10 ranked Ohio State tomorrow would get him the job on a permanent basis: “No, not unless a lot of people turn it down in front of me, and when I say a lot, that’s a long list.”
Former Hamline head coach Dick Tressel is still coaching the running backs for brother Jim Tressel, the Ohio State coach who is third in all-time wins with the Buckeyes.
Ohio State, 3-1 in the Big Ten, doesn’t play Michigan State, 4-0 in the conference and 8-0 overall. The Buckeyes are hoping for a Michigan State loss at Iowa tomorrow because after that the Spartans’ remaining games are against Minnesota (1-7), Purdue (4-3) and Penn State (4-3).
The Gophers basketball team opens with a home exhibition game against Northeastern State on Tuesday night. Then Minnesota plays a second exhibition game (Winona State) on Monday, November 8 at Williams Arena. A University of Minnesota source told Sports Headliners the Gophers will pay less than $10,000 each to the opponents.
Gophers coach Tubby Smith said yesterday at the Big Ten media gathering in Chicago the league is “by far the best in the country.” He also said his team has a chance to be “very competitive.”
The Timberwolves coaches and players should be demanding better execution and effort tonight on defense when the team plays regular season game No. 2 against Milwaukee at Target Center. The Wolves’ interior defense and overall ability to make defensive stops was poor in their opener on Wednesday night against a mediocre Sacramento team without its best player, Tyreke Evans.
New England has the NFL’s highest scoring offense at 29.5 points per game. The Vikings have the second ranked defense giving up 95 points in six games.
Patriots reserve offensive tackle Mark LeVoir is a Minnesota native who attended Eden Prairie High School.
The Wild recalled forward Casey Wellman from Houston yesterday, giving Minnesota three rookies on the roster. The others are defensemen Clayton Stoner and Justin Falk.
Wild veteran forward Martin Havlat, 29, acquired in 2009 to ease the goal scoring loss of Marian Gaborik, is without a goal after nine games.
While goal scoring will likely be a challenge for the Wild, the goaltending could be a strength with Niklas Backstrom, a veteran who takes a dedicated approach to his profession. Backstrom ranks seventh among NHL goalies in goals against average, 2.09.
An NHL source said Pierre Marc-Bouchard, recovering from a concussion, is expected back in the lineup soon. He’s been skating a lot in practice with the team.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said in this week’s The Fischler Report that Winnipeg “might make sense as a possible destination” for the Coyotes if the team relocates from Phoenix. In 1996 the Winnipeg Jets moved to Phoenix.
Minnesota State High School League executive director Dave Stead will be the speaker at the C.O.R.E.S. luncheon on Thursday, November 11 at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Bloomington. C.O.R.E.S. organization members can make reservations by contacting Jim Dotseth, dotsethj@comcast.net. (C.O.R.E.S. is an abbreviation for coaches, officials, reporters, educators and sports fans).
The MIAC cross country championships are tomorrow afternoon at Como Park Golf Course in St. Paul. The Hamline men’s team is the defending champ and the Pipers hope to win their third MIAC title in six years. St. Thomas’ Ben Sathre and Concordia’s Tom Sederquist are among the favorites in the individual competition. Carleton is the defending women’s champion and the Knights’ roster includes All-American Simone Childs-Walker and Taylor Ffitch.