Don Lucia – Page 8 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

U Not Topping Dome Football Crowds

Posted on November 8, 2013November 8, 2013 by David Shama

Despite the momentum of winning three consecutive Big Ten games for the first time since 2008, there was a reminder this week TCF Bank Stadium hasn’t been a cure-all for Gophers football attendance. The University of Minnesota athletic department has been airing radio commercials titled “Bring the Heat” to entice Minnesotans to buy tickets for tomorrow’s outdoor football game when the 7-2 Gophers play 5-3 Penn State in a November Big Ten game.

If enough ticket buyers respond and decide to watch the “hot” Gophers on a chilly day (temps predicted in the low 40s at kickoff) the athletic department will have its second sell out of the season. The Gophers have played five home games so far this season, including a historic upset of Nebraska, but sold out only the Iowa game when record TCF Bank Stadium attendance of 51,382 was announced. As of yesterday morning, an athletic department spokesman said 47,000 tickets had “been distributed” for Saturday’s game.

The $288.5 million TCF Bank Stadium, with official capacity of 50,805, opened in 2009 and that season every game sold out. The season averages since have been 49,513, 47,714 and 46,637. This year the average is 46,673, with home games yet to be played tomorrow and November 16 against Wisconsin.

In the last four seasons in the Metrodome the Gophers averaged 50,494 fans. The four-year average from 2009-2012 at the Bank is 48,667.

Winning and losing was comparable during the 2005-2008 and 2009-2012 periods. The final four years in the dome saw the Gophers win 10 conference games and lose 22. From 2009-2012 the league record was 9-23.

With a capacity of 64,172 at the dome, large crowds for some games (think ticket buying Iowans and Wisconsinites) did inflate season averages more than is possible at the Bank. But it’s hard to support the position that the new on-campus stadium created a ticket buying boom among consumers.

During the last two years the Gophers have sold out only two home games. Even when the weather is mild many of the best seats in the stadium are unoccupied. A University policy to guarantee 10,000 seats for students has been a flop, with less than half that many showing up for games and filling a portion of seats in the student section of the stadium.

When the weather turns cold — and in past years when losses are also piling up— luring fans to the Bank can be even a bigger problem than in September and October when temperatures are warm and there’s optimism about the team. The dome’s guarantee was that indoor temps were as steady in November as September and no one needed to use an umbrella or wear a parka while watching the game.

There was a vote of confidence for the dome in the first four years (1982-1985) that it was home to indoor Gophers football. Minnesota averaged 55,102 fans per game compared to the previous four seasons at outdoor Memorial Stadium when the average was 41,528.

Being back on campus with the opening of the Bank has its perks. The stadium is beautiful and the sightlines are outstanding. The environment, including a walk through campus to the stadium, provides a college experience the dome can’t offer. With the Gophers owning the facility, the team doesn’t have the scheduling problems faced at the dome when Twins playoff games created chaos. And the University captures revenues from various sources including parking and concessions.

Through the years the Gophers have learned there are trade-offs to indoor and outdoor football venues but where they play comes second to winning. That’s what really “Brings the Heat.”

Worth Noting

This year the University has designated a football tailgating lot just for students. Nadine Babu, a passionate Gophers fan and social media expert whose successes include Gopherhole.com, said “probably a handful” of students used the lot at the last game on October 26. “I just remember a lot of people came up to me and made comments; asked if that was the student tailgate lot because they couldn’t believe it was so empty.”

Gophers senior associate athletic director Chris Werle said student attendance is an issue at other schools, not just Minnesota. “You need to change behavior like you do with any consumer marketing program. And we need to get kids in the habit of coming to games to see what it (is like), to enjoy it, to see what it brings them.”

Whether it’s the students or adults, Babu encourages the athletic department to continue working on gameday atmosphere. “Create a real experience, a gameday experience like they do in Green Bay (for Packers games). Like they do down South for games, so even when the teams are losing, people are still loving that experience. They’re loving the tailgate, they’re loving the camaraderie, they’re loving seeing people. They’re going to enjoy going to the games regardless of the win or loss.”

This year the Gophers’ season ticket total is 33,361 including 4,908 student season tickets, according to Werle.

The Gophers’ offense struggled early in the season but in the last two games has scored 76 points with 1,003 yards in total offense. “We’re still not even close to where we can be,” coach Jerry Kill said.

Kill described redshirt freshman tight end Maxx Williams from Waconia as an “unbelievable player for his age.” Williams, 19, caught the winning pass in last Saturday’s 42-39 victory over Indiana.

Dieter Kurtenbach, writing for the October 31 Sun-Sentinel.com, speculated on candidates for the Florida Atlantic head football coaching job and included Tim Brewster with this comment: “This is a wildcard selection but Brewster established a better-than-expected program at Minnesota before getting the boot.”

Quarterback Christian Ponder played one of his better games last night in helping the Vikings defeat the Redskins and win their second game of the season. All-Pro running back Adrian Peterson noticed Ponder’s confidence.

“Yeah, he looked more calm. He looked comfortable. He just went out there and played football. The way he came out and approached it allowed us to be balanced offensively. He was able to complete a lot of balls to a lot of different receivers and it kept Washington’s defense on their heels. He was able to sneak a run in there and be more balanced offensively…and we were able to move the ball.”

Cris Carter was honored by the Vikings last night during halftime for his 2013 induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. His son, wide receiver Duron Carter, had a tryout this year with the Vikings but didn’t make the team and is playing in the CFL for Montreal averaging 18.6 yards per catch. He has 909 receiving yards and five touchdowns.

Bethel (8-0 overall, 6-0 MIAC) can earn at least a share of the conference football title with a win tomorrow over St. Olaf (1-7, 0-6). If the Royals stay unbeaten and St. Thomas (6-2, 4-2) defeats Concordia (7-1, 5-1) tomorrow, Bethel will clinch the outright MIAC championship. Bethel last won the league title in 2007 and is seeking its fifth conference championship.

When the Gophers hockey team plays at Notre Dame tonight it won’t be the first time this fall Minnesota coach Don Lucia has seen his son Mario play for the Fighting Irish. The older Lucia’s schedule has allowed him to watch Mario’s games at Minnesota-Duluth and Vermont.

Lucia has two goals and one assist in eight games. He was friends in suburban Minneapolis youth hockey with Gophers Mike Reilly and Justin Kloos. Lucia and Reilly helped the BCHL’s Penticton Vees set a North American junior hockey record with a 42-game win streak in 2011-12 en route to RBC Cup and Doyle Cup championships.

Notre Dame, 6-2, is ranked No. 4 in the USCHO national poll while the 5-0-1 Gophers are No. 1. Boston College, who the Gophers played in an October two-game series, is probably the most talented team Minnesota has faced but the Irish will be a challenge, too. Notre Dame has 10 seniors on their roster.

The Lehigh basketball team that plays the Gophers tonight at Williams Arena in Minnesota’s opening regular season game could be a contender in the Patriot League despite losing shooting guard C.J. McCollum who went No.10 in last June’s NBA draft. The 7 p.m. game will be televised by ESPN3.

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Prediction for U Win at Illinois

Posted on November 9, 2012November 9, 2012 by David Shama

J Leman, former Illinois linebacker and now a football reporter for the Big Ten Network, has twice seen both the Illini and Gophers play this season. Who will win tomorrow’s game in Champaign? “I would think the Gophers would win,” Leman told Sports Headliners this week.

The Illini are 0-5 in the Big Ten and are rebuilding under new coach Tim Beckman. The Gophers, 1-4 in conference games, are rebuilding too, but Leman said Minnesota is “the better team.”

The Illini are 2-7 overall and don’t have the incentive of qualifying for a bowl game. Leman, though, is familiar with his old program and said Gophers fans shouldn’t expect a demoralized Illinois team. “I expect a full effort,” he said.

In various aspects of football the Illini haven’t been able to execute, despite having talented players and preseason expectations by some observers that Illinois would qualify for a bowl game. Leman said the team strength is the front seven on defense, particularly the four down linemen. The Gophers have an inexperienced offensive line and for the Illini to win the game, the front four probably has to “dominate,” Leman said.

The Gophers, 5-4 overall, can qualify for their first bowl game invitation since 2009 with a win tomorrow. Freshman Philip Nelson, who Leman predicts can become a “special quarterback,” talked about the game’s importance.

“Being at five wins right now, we want to get that sixth one and get those seniors to a bowl,” he said. “Every week is very important to get a victory but this one does have a little more meaning to it, just like last week (a loss to Michigan).”

Senior linebacker Mike Rallis is focused on the Illinois game and didn’t want to look at tomorrow’s game as more winnable than Minnesota’s last two games against Nebraska (7-2) and Michigan State (5-4). “We can’t get caught up too much in what the sixth win means,” he said. “We gotta prepare for this game, one single game. If we get too big picture minded, it’s going to hurt us.”

Worth Noting

Gopher football players shaved their heads last week in support of teammate Connor Cosgrove who has cancer. Rallis had shoulder-length hair prior to the trim. How does he like the new hairdo? “I am a little bit lighter and quicker on the field,” he joked.

Nelson is a primary runner in the Gophers’ offense. Although he’s a quarterback, he doesn’t foresee sliding to the ground to avoid contact in future games, and he referenced quarterbacks coach Jim Zebrowski.

“The way coach ‘Z’ teaches us, there’s no sliding allowed,” Nelson said. “We want to run physical. We want to split defenders and fall forward, and get extra yards. That’s the philosophy that we’re taught and that’s what we go by.”

Former Gophers quarterback Tim Salem is the Illinois running backs coach and special teams coordinator. Salem’s dad, Joe, was the Gophers head coach from 1979-1983.

Mike Dunbar is offensive coordinator at Northern Illinois for the 9-1 Huskies. Dunbar was Minnesota’s offensive coordinator in 2007.

Here are Sports Headliners’ Big Ten football power rankings: Ohio State, Nebraska, Penn State, Michigan, Wisconsin, Northwestern, Michigan State, Iowa, Indiana, Minnesota, Purdue and Illinois.

The Vikings will try to defeat the Lions for a second time this season when the teams play on Sunday at Mall of America Field. But it’s not at all probable the Vikings will have the same kind of special teams success they achieved in a 20-13 win in Detroit on September 30. In that game Percy Harvin had a 105-yard kickoff for a touchdown and Marcus Sherels ran 77 yards to score on a punt return.

Harvin leads the NFL in receptions with 62. He’s caught a pass in every game of his NFL career, 62. He also leads the league in kickoff return average at 35.9 yards.

Adrian Peterson, who has run for over 100 yards in each of his last three games, leads the NFL in rushing with 957 yards. He’s second in yards per carry at 5.7.

Vikings offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave was asked yesterday if Peterson, who rehabilitated in the off-season from ACL surgery, is capable of a continued heavy workload. “I think he’s back up to full speed. I think he is. He’s doing a terrific job and we’re doing a good job of blocking and creating some air in the defense for him to do his thing.”

Musgrave also said it wasn’t known yesterday if Harvin’s sprained ankle would allow him to play on Sunday.

The Vikings have 74 sacks since the start of the 2011 season, the most in the NFL. During that period the Vikings have the second most forced fumbles, 25.

Former Vikings receiver Nate Burleson is on injured reserve and won’t play for the Lions on Sunday. He has a broken leg and is out for the season.

Silas McKinnie, a regional scout for the Lions, had the same responsibilities with the Vikings from 1997-2002. He was once an assistant basketball coach for Clem Haskins with the Gophers.

Former Gophers tight end Charlie Sanders is assistant director of pro personnel with the Lions.

Gophers hockey coach Don Lucia told Sports Headliners he believes his team was probably a “little overrated to start the year.” The Gophers have been ranked No. 1 or 2 in the country dating back to last month but he said the team needs time to work in new players, particularly goalies.

The Gophers (5-2 overall) are at Alaska Anchorage (2-2-2) for WCHA games tonight and tomorrow night. A week from this weekend the Gophers play Wisconsin at home. The Badgers are celebrating their 50^th season of hockey and 40^th anniversary of the 1973 national championship team.

The Timberwolves are off to a 3-1 start for the first time since the 2001-2002 season. The Wolves play the Pacers at Target Center tonight.

Gophers baseball players will lay 40 square feet of sod at the new Siebert Field on Saturday. Players were told to wear their “oldest and dirtiest clothes,” assistant coach Rob Fornasiere said. One player responded: “That’s my daily wardrobe.”

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Gray: Team Accepts New U QB

Posted on October 26, 2012October 26, 2012 by David Shama

Philip Nelson, 19, will make his second start as the Gophers quarterback tomorrow. He’s accepted as the new leader of the offense, according to MarQueis Gray.

Nelson, a freshman and earlier this year the No. 3 quarterback, sat on the sidelines for only six games before becoming the starter last week atWisconsin. Gray, who will be 22 next month, waited three years after high school to become the Gophers No. 1 quarterback last season.

A high ankle sprain and knee injury suffered against Western Michigan on September 15 sidelined Gray for two-plus games. More recently he hasn’t been healthy enough to reclaim the quarterback job and coach Jerry Kill will send Gray out to play wide receiver against Purdue tomorrow, a position that will subject him to much less punishment than quarterback.

Gray started 10 of 11 games at quarterback for the Gophers last season. This preseason he was viewed as the team’s MVP, the one player the Gophers couldn’t be without. Teammates admire his athleticism and look at him as a leader.

Gray prefers to play quarterback but understands his circumstances now and voices support for Nelson. Gray said “the offense is going to accept whoever is back there (at quarterback),” and he is supportive of Nelson. What can Gray do to lessen the pressure on the true freshman?

“Keep building his confidence in the huddle, on the sidelines, (and) catching everything that comes my way (at receiver),” Gray said. “Making sure I am making the right blocks. Being in his head about how this game is slower than what most people may think it is. Realizing that he’s the leader of this offense now. … Just being out there encouraging him is the best thing I can do.”

Nelson, who played high school football at Mankato West, enrolled at Minnesota early this year so he could be around his new teammates and learn the offense. He made friends and developed rapport with teammates. He said the Gophers “trust” the coaches and “whoever is back there will get support from them (the players).”

Kill is an admirer of Nelson’s skills including his release in throwing the ball. The coach said Nelson’s release is quicker than Gray’s or No. 2 quarterback Max Shortell. “You could see that on Saturday, if you watched the game,” Kill said.

Not unexpectedly, Nelson made mistakes in his first college start but he was impressive including when he ran effectively. In the Wisconsin game he was the team’s leading rusher with 16 carries and 67 net yards. He completed 13 of 24 passes for 149 yards and two touchdowns. He showed an ability to avoid tacklers even in the pocket and wasn’t sacked.

What about tomorrow? “It’s going to be real exciting,” Nelson said. “Us as a team really want to come out and win this one for sure. This is a must win.”

The Gophers, 4-3, have lost three consecutive games (0-3 in the Big Ten). With five games remaining and trying to reach at least six wins to become bowl eligible, there’s no doubting the importance of defeating a Purdue team with a mediocre 3-4 overall record and 0-3 in the Big Ten.

It will be an opportunity for Nelson to lead, but if something were to happen to him during the game Shortell will likely be the replacement. As Kill said earlier in the week, Gray just isn’t “100 percent.”

Gray said he tries to keep his attitude positive around teammates, admitting he’s “been through a lot.” How does he approach these recent weeks where his health has been a problem?

“Just realizing that there’s people out there in the world who is going through more than what I am,” he answered. “That’s one of the reasons how I keep my head. Coming through there (practice), going home to my kids. …”

Worth Noting

Since January of 2011 the injury log for high profile Minnesota athletes sidelined with significant health problems includes Gray, Trevor Mbakwe, Kevin Love, Ricky Rubio, Adrian Peterson, Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau and Mikko Koivu.

Contrary to what some fans believe, the $800,000 the Gophers will pay North Carolina to cancel two football games between the Tar Heels and Minnesota isn’t taxpayers’ money. The money is from the Gophers athletic department, which is self-supporting except for three percent of its budget going to facilities.

The Golden Gopher Football Banquet will be held on Sunday, November 25 starting at 10:30 a.m. at the Hilton Minneapolis.

Samantha Steele, the ESPN reporter who is dating Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder, is a native of Phoenix, the daughter of a coach, played five sports in high school, attended Liberty University and devotes time to her family’s nonprofit organization benefitting inner city youth, according to the samanthasteele.com website.

Ponder asked after last night’s 36-17 loss to the Bucs if his performance has regressed from earlier in the season: “I think I definitely have to play better. I don’t think I’m playing as well as I should, or can. Defenses are always going to be scheming against us. We have to make adjustments, and we will make adjustments. Coach (Bill) Musgrave comes up with a great game plan; we just have to play better. It comes down to me. I have to play better. I think that’s obvious to everyone.”

Attendance last night was 60,860, the second consecutive home game the Vikings have drawn over 60,000.

Vikings defensive tackle Letroy Guion’s career plans after football are to become a chef, according to the Playbook publication distributed at Vikings games. What’s his favorite meal to cook or eat? “Oxtails, mac ‘n cheese, yellow rice and collard greens,” he told Playbook.

Sports Media News reported on Wednesday that for seven consecutive weeks an NFL game has ranked as the most-watched program on national television. The source also reported the Minneapolis market bested 16 other NFL markets in ratings (31) and audience share (67) for the Vikings-Cardinals game last Sunday at Mall of America Field.

It could be a high scoring game tomorrow when Augsburg (4-2 in the MIAC) plays at St. Thomas (5-0). St. Thomas’ Matt O’Connell and Augsburg’s Ayrton Scott are both among the league’s top six in passing and rushing. The two teams lead the league in points per game (39.4 for St. Thomas, 37.0 for Augsburg) and are also 1-2 in total offense.

The Timberwolves rank No. 9 among 15 teams in the Western Conference, according to the October 29 issue of Sports Illustrated. In the publication’s NBA preview story an anonymous scout said point guard Ricky Rubio can be better than former league MVP Steve Nash, and he would be “shocked” if newly acquired shooting guard Brandon Roy can make a major impact because of knee problems.

Ticket prices range from $15 to $85 for the February 17 Hockey City Classic at Soldier Field in Chicago. The college doubleheader matches the Gophers against Wisconsin and Miami-Notre Dame. The Gophers face the U.S. Under-18 Team tonight at Mariucci Arena. Minnesota plays Canisius Sunday afternoon at Mariucci, the first game ever between the schools.

Gophers coach Don Lucia is the 10^th coach in NCAA Division I hockey history to have 600 wins (600-329-83).

After five games playing for the Aeros in the AHL, Wild prospect Mikael Granlund leads the team in points with seven, while Marco Scandella has six and Jason Zucker five.

It will be 21 years ago tomorrow that Jack Morris pitched the Twins to a game seven win and World Series championship against the Braves at the Metrodome.

The Big Ten announced yesterday that Ohio State’s Tayler Hill (from Minneapolis South) and Penn State’s Alex Bentley were chosen by Big Ten women’s coaches as Co-Preseason Player of the Year, while a media panel chose only Hill. The Gophers Rachel Banham was one of seven players on the coaches preseason all-Big Ten team.

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