Author: David Shama

Maybe there is such a thing as Gopher luck.

Minnesota took advantage of Middle Tennessee State’s misfortune last night to win a building block game for a possible successful season.  The Blue Raiders played without preseason Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year Dwight Dasher, a dynamic run-pass quarterback who had been a force in making his team 10-3 last season.

Misfortune is a word that characterizes Gophers football, a program that has been trying to become both lucky and good since the late 1960s.  It was just last year and the season before the Gophers could have added a few more wins if not for injuries to wide receiver Eric Decker.  Among the school’s best pass catchers ever and a focal point of the offense, he missed eight total games in 2008 and 2009.

The Blue Raiders couldn’t come up with a running game without Dasher in a 24-17 season opening loss to Minnesota.  The Blue Raiders rushed for only 146 yards.  Forced to pass, they only had the ball for 14 minutes the entire game and their defense couldn’t stop Minnesota enough to win as the Gophers rushed for 281 yards while possessing the ball for 45 minutes.

Gophers coach Tim Brewster told Sports Headliners earlier in the week the key to the game would be whether Minnesota had superior line play on both offense and defense.  The Gophers were better and the result was a seven point, comeback win with Minnesota overcoming a 17-14 Blue Raiders fourth quarter lead.

Even though it was Minnesota’s first of 12 games this season, the game in Murfreesboro was critical to the schedule.  The Gophers, who were 6-7 last season and lost three of their four final games, are a popular choice to finish last in the Big Ten Conference.  Before the Blue Raiders’ Dasher was ruled ineligible, his team was favored to win the game.  A skeptical Gophers fan base had thoughts of an opening loss to the Blue Raiders, a win over lowly South Dakota next week, followed by a nonconference loss to BCS bully USC and maybe a loss, too, against Northern Illinois, a division favorite in the Mid-American Conference.

The psyche of the Gophers and their fans got a boost with last night’s win.  Surely there’s enough talent and confidence now to beat South Dakota next Saturday at TCF Bank Stadium.  With two wins, including a good memory of the Middle Tennessee Sate game, the Gophers will go into the USC game feeling positive about themselves.

Even if the Gophers stumble against USC, a 3-1 or 2-2 record in nonconference games looks doable now.  Northern Illinois lost 27-10 to Iowa State last night, a team that defeated Minnesota by one point in last December’s Insight Bowl.

The Gophers found out last night they have plenty to work on in the days and weeks ahead.  Included in that category is polishing up the tackling, and establishing a passing game where the pass protection and receiving is more consistent.  In the highlight column was a minimum of penalties and mistakes, plus the previously mentioned relentless running game led by tailback Duane Bennett’s 189 yards and fullback Jon Hoese’s three touchdowns, all done behind an improved line.  The Gophers even received favorable decisions by the game officials with Minnesota being penalized only four times for 29 yards.

The Gophers had good fortune last night including with the officials.

Zero. That’s the number of Gophers who made the 20 individual watch lists for college football awards.  Wisconsin running back John Clay, the reigning Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, will be among the most followed players in the conference.  He’s on the watch lists for the Walter Camp Player of the Year, Maxwell and Doak Walker awards.

The Badgers are the last Big Ten team to play this weekend.  Wisconsin has a Minneapolis 10 p.m. start time on Saturday in Las Vegas against the Rebels.  The game can be seen on Versus.

KARE 11 anchor Mike Pomeranz will host Tim Brewster’s football show each Wednesday starting at 6 p.m. on Fox Sports North.  Pomeranz, a Bloomington native who once played pro baseball, also has worked for FSN on Twins telecasts.

The Vikings media guide devotes 13 pages to amazing Brett Favre.  The 40-year-old Vikings quarterback, who holds a lengthy list of NFL passing records, has started a league record 285 regular season games.  If his health holds, Favre will start No. 300 on December 26 in Philadelphia against the Eagles.

In its annual valuations of NFL teams Forbes ranks the Vikings at No. 30, with a worth of $774 million, behind only Oakland and Jacksonville.  Forbes also issues this warning: “Vikings owner Zygmunt Wilf’s biggest asset is the termination of his lease at the Metrodome, which expires after the 2011 season. If Wilf does not have an agreement for a new stadium in Minnesota he will probably move the franchise to Los Angeles, where two separate groups want to build new stadiums. …” https://www.forbes.com/lists/2010/30/football-valuations-10_Minnesota-Vikings_309201.html

Kevin Love’s potential as a rebounder is intriguing.  Love, who turns 22 on Tuesday, has been impressive rebounding for the U.S. team in the FIBA World Championships. He averaged 14.0 points and 11.0 rebounds in 28.6 minutes per game during his second season with the Timberwolves last season.  Love averaged 15.3 points, 13.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists in his 22 starts, while also leading the team in rebounding in 35 games.  Orlando’s Dwight Howard led the NBA with a 13.2 average last year.

What do you consider the greatest game in the Wild’s 10 year history?  The team’s 2003 overtime 3-2 Western Conference quarterfinal win over Colorado was chosen No. 1 in voting by fans.  No. 2 was the first ever game between the Wild and Dallas (once the North Stars franchise) in 2000.  A DVD celebrating those two games is available for purchase at $19 and on sale at all Hockey Lodge locations and the Wild’s state fair locale.  Proceeds benefit the Wild Foundation.

The Wild would welcome more offensive production next season from Martin Havlat.  In his first season with the Wild he had 18 goals and 36 assists, after totals of 29 and 48 the season prior in Chicago.

Marilyn Dutcher, wife of former Gophers basketball coach Jim Dutcher, passed away on Monday.  Condolences to the Dutcher family.  https://www.edenprairienews.com/news/deaths/funeral-notice-marilyn-r-dutcher-108

Twins home attendance has increased a major league best 37.1 percent through August, according to MLB.com’s Baseball Daily News.  The Twins, playing their first season at Target Field, averaged 100.6 percent of capacity through games ending August 31.

The Twins won 18 games in August, the most in the American League.  More of the same in September might enable them to finish with the best overall record in the league and earn home field advantage in the playoffs.  The Twins will need that kind of edge against better teams like the Yankees and Rays.

Among the reasons the Twins have to be thinking about bringing back 40-year-old Jim Thome next season is he’s hitting .280 (7-25) as a pinch-hitter.

Twins third baseman Danny Valencia is hitting .446 in games at Target Field.  He has hit safely in 24 of 28 games there during his rookie season.

Although St. John’s has won the last three MIAC titles and been the conference’s marquee football name for decades, it’s St. Thomas that received the most votes from league coaches in a preseason poll. The Tommies received seven of nine first place votes and 63 total points to lead the preseason poll followed by Saint John’s, Bethel, Concordia (Moorhead), St. Olaf, Gustavus Adolphus, Augsburg, Carleton and Hamline.

St. Thomas third-year coach Glenn Caruso has three All-Americans back from last year including wide receiver Fritz Waldvogel, the MIAC’s 2009 MVP.  The others are center Josh Ostrue and running back Ben Wartman.