Author: David Shama

Two games is hardly a season but it’s difficult to imagine a more spectacular start for a linebacker than what Nate Triplett is experiencing.  In the Gophers’ first game the senior from Delano High had nine tackles and intercepted a pass in the end zone during overtime to end a Syracuse scoring drive.  Last Saturday in the Gophers’ first game ever in TCF Bank Stadium he had a career high 17 tackles and ran 52 yards with a fumble to score the decisive touchdown against Air Force in Minnesota’s second win of the season.

Triplett’s heroics earned him recognition as the Walter Camp National Football Foundation Defensive Player of the Week.  He was also named the Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week by the football writers association. Triplett, who  had 12 solo tackles against Air Force, is the co-Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week, too.  Triplett’s 17 tackles are a conference high so far this season.

For a guy who only started one game last season and saw most of his playing time as a special teams player, Triplett’s 2009 start is a surprise to many and a source of pride for Gopher coach Tim Brewster.  He said Triplett has been the conference’s best special teams player the last two years and described his development as “amazing.’

“What he’s done is he’s carried that over to linebacker,” Brewster said. “Right now he’s playing at an extremely high level.”

Triplett said he wasn’t worried about what kind of season his last would be, but he was determined.  “This is my senior year,” he said.  “It’s all I have left.”

Determined to make this a “memorable season,” Triplett said he’s been willing to “stay 10 minutes after practice” and “watch 30 more minutes of film” to improve.

He’s also living with two of the Gophers most productive players, quarterback Adam Weber and wide receiver Eric Decker.  That kind of company can’t hurt either.

Nick Punto had his 16^th multi-hit game of the season last night as the Twins beat Cleveland 5-4.  It was his second three-hit game of the season.  He’s played in 107 games and is hitting .232.

Joe Nathan saved his 40^th game. The 40 saves this season are the most since he had 43 in 2005. It was his 240^th career save and he is 40 for 45 in save opportunities this year.

Vikings kicker Ryan Longwell, who has been in the NFL since 1997, said Adrian Peterson’s 64-yard touchdown run in which he broke several tackles and stiff armed a defender was the “greatest” he had seen.  Longwell called home after the game to his family in Orlando to tell them they had to see that run.

On Monday, the Vikings had about 1,000 tickets remaining for their home opener on September 27, according to a team spokesman.  The game is expected to be available on local TV.  The Vikings have tickets remaining for all eight home games.

Former Vikings coach Jerry Burns, 82, said Fran Tarkenton and co-author Jim Bruton sent him an autographed copy of their new book, Everyday Is Game Day.

Burns ranks Tarkenton among the five greatest quarterbacks of all time and thinks the 1961 Vikings’ third round draft choice had the athleticism to play in the modern era including the shotgun formation.  Burns was the Vikings offensive coordinator when he and Tarkenton were part of three Super Bowl teams in the 1970s.

Gophers’ athletic director Joel Maturi said the Athletic Department will lose a minimum of $1 million as a result of changes made to accommodate customers because of the Legislature’s decision to stop the University from selling alcohol in premium seating areas at TCF Bank Stadium, Williams Arena and Mariucci Arena.  Maturi said recently that several full refunds have been made to premium seating customers at the stadium while discounts of 10 percent have been made to others.

Maturi doesn’t know if the unexpected reduction in income means the athletic department will operate in the red during this fiscal year.  “Well, we don’t know because much depends on what our revenues will be, too,” he said.  “We know it’s going to be a challenge.”

New Wild coach Todd Richards admitted that before the start of training camp last week he was nervous.  He told Sports Headliners his biggest early season concern is getting in enough teaching time before preseason games this week.

Retired Patrick Henry football coach Don Swanson, for decades a strong leader and advocate for prep football in the state, passed away from cancer yesterday.  Beloved by his friends and colleagues, “Swannie’s” projects included befriending the Minneapolis football programs, assisting with the high school all-star game and coordinating a popular coaching clinic each spring.  His passing is a huge loss for our community.  Funeral arrangements are pending.

Edina High School will recognize legendary coaches Billy Bye and Stav Canakes on Thursday night during halftime of its home game against Washburn.  Bye, who had gained fame as a Gopher running back, coached at Edina from 1958-1960, with his last team recognized as mythical state champions.  Canakes, was head coach from 1961-89, compiled a 203–69–1 record (.755 winning percentage) with 16 Lake Conference championships and five state titles.

Bye and Canakes passed away in recent months. Their families will be on the field tomorrow night when announcements about the careers of Bye and Canakes will be made.  The Edina football team will be on the field with the families and the captains will present each family with an Edina helmet.  The team is honoring Bye and Canakes this season with two football shaped stickers with the names Billy and Stav that are on the back of all helmets.

The Gustavus and Saint John’s men’s golf teams have been honored by the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) for their academic performance during the 2008-09 academic year.  Gustavus was also named as the GCAA Academic National Champions for Division III.  Coach Scott Moe’s group was the only team in Division III to have a cumulative team grade point average above 3.50.  Saint John’s, coached by Bob Alpers, was the only Division III team to earn All-Academic team honors and finish in the Top 10 at the NCAA Division III Championship last May.

Thank you to our new advertisers, TCF Bank (see bottom of page) and Washburn-McReavy (see top).

Looking back on an historic football weekend, these notes made their way from a reporter’s scribbled handwriting to the Sports Headliners home page.

11:30 a.m. on Friday:  I return a call to Gopher football fan Mike Wilkinson.  He wants to know if I am excited about the TCF Bank Stadium opener.  Yes, but I don’t verbalize the hesitation I feel from years of Gopher disappointments.

Wilkinson mentions he did a trial drive to the stadium on Thursday.  Then he passes along the news President Barack Obama will be in town, adding to potential traffic problems.  I know someone who frequently sends out anti-Obama emails and is a Gopher fan.  You can bet he’ll blame Obama for any traffic snafus.

9:30 a.m. on Saturday:  Working on estimated tax payments, so the morning is off to a dark beginning.  The tax code needs to be revised but it’s kind of like the common cold.  A lot of people talk about changing the code but we don’t come up with a cure.

10:30 a.m. Dave Mona calls and we agree the Gopher-Air Force game will be close.  So do the odds-makers who have the spread down to about three points.  If this game were in Colorado Springs the Falcons would be favored.  We pick Minnesota to win.

11:15 a.m.  Overmatched Syracuse is playing with heart against Penn State.  Last week the Orange was one for 12 on third down conversions against the Gophers.  No way Air Force does that tonight (finishes 12 for 21).

11:50 a.m.  Fresno State goes up 21-7 on Wisconsin in Madison.  What a swell Saturday if the Badgers lose, Iowa State beats Iowa and the Gophers win.

Noon:  I find a check in the morning mail.  Things are looking up.

1:25 p.m. Head for the health club before testing the traffic on the way to the stadium.

2 p.m.  I think about Gophers coach Tim Brewster who is always upbeat, but today is something special for him and the players as they open the stadium.

2:07 p.m.  Feel bad that I couldn’t come up with tickets for my son.  He waited too long to ask, though.  Someone will read this and email that they had extra tickets.

3 p.m.  Drive by Metrodome on way to campus.  Just miss the Twins crowd exiting the stadium and also avoid an Obama blockade.  Earlier in the day my wife’s car was “parked” for about 15 minutes on Crosstown Highway 62.

3:10 p.m. I pull into my parking space about six blocks from TCF Bank Stadium.  There are only a couple of cars but people are tailgating here and all over campus.

3:45 p.m.  Near Oak Street and Washington Avenue a grandmother makes this comment on a gorgeous summer afternoon:  “When it gets to be 10 degrees in November one of my grandchildren will be in my seat.”

3:50 p.m.  There won’t be any alcohol served in the stadium but there’s plenty available nearby including at the McNamara Alumni Center.  Maroon and gold dressed fans are everywhere enjoying themselves like they had waited 30 years for this.

4:10 p.m. A friend wearing a University of Arizona cap with a large “A” is targeted by an Arizona State fan.  I guess you never know when a college football rivalry will surface.