Trivia question: What team did the Vikings face in their first preseason game ever and where was the game played? (See answer at bottom of column).
A Vikings’ win in the team’s last pre-season game tonight (Thursday) in Dallas against the Cowboys will result in a 2-2 preseason record. In the past 47 years there have been 37 times when the Vikings have had a .500 or better preseason record. The team has gone on to play at .500 or better 30 times during the regular season.
The Vikings haven’t allowed an offensive touchdown during the last seven quarters of preseason. In the last two games the Vikings have eight sacks. Defensive ends Jared Allen and Otis Grigsby lead the team with two each.
Former Vikings quarterback Brad Johnson, 39, is still a backup with the Cowboys. His brother-in-law is Mark Richt, head football coach of No. 1 ranked Georgia.
Another former Vikings quarterback, Wade Wilson, is the Cowboys’ quarterback coach.
The Gophers’ 22-man offensive and defensive depth charts released earlier this week had 11 players who are either true freshmen, or redshirt freshmen, plus three junior college transfers.
Gopher coach Tim Brewster on sophomore Adam Weber: “I think he’s going to be one of the best quarterbacks in the Big Ten.” Brewster also said the most important quarterback statistic is wins and losses.
Second team quarterback Tony Mortensen is also the backup long snapper to Ryan Coleman. Brewster said former Eden Prairie quarterback Ryan Grant, now a freshman with the Gophers, has potential as a long snapper, too.
The Big Ten Conference plays a Charmin-soft nonconference schedule compared with the Pac 10 Conference. Big Ten opponents this Saturday include Akron, Coastal Carolina, Maine, Western Kentucky and Youngstown State. The Pac 10 has two conference games, Oregon State at Stanford tonight, and Washington at Oregon on Saturday, plus non-conference foes Michigan State, Oklahoma State, Tennessee and Virginia.
Former Gopher national championship coach Murray Warmath, 95, plans to attend every home Minnesota game including Saturday’s opener with Northern Illinois. He hasn’t missed a home game in several years.
The Gophers have a new website devoted solely to TCF Bank Stadium. The website, www.tcfbankstadium.com, debuted this week and offers virtual tours of the facility that will open next year.
“Our major goal in creating a stadium specific website was to effectively help drive our sales, marketing and communications efforts for TCF Bank Stadium,” said Jason Lafrenz, the athletics department’s director of marketing and ticket operations. “Tcfbankstadium.com is a one-stop shop for anything and everything related to the stadium.”
Gopher basketball coach Tubby Smith is out of town working at Michael Jordan’s basketball camp.
MIAC football teams begin play next week. Six of the nine MIAC teams will have rosters of over 100 players, according to an MIAC spokesman.
Trivia answer: Dallas in a preseason game in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.