Gophers Football – Page 314 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Gophers Carry Memories of Last Season’s Wisconsin Win

Posted on November 11, 2011November 27, 2011 by David Shama

There was less than seven minutes to play in the game last fall and Wisconsin scored against the Gophers, pushing their lead to a more than safe 25 points. Badgers coach Bret Bielema called for a two-point conversion, trying to increase the score to 43-16.

The conversion attempt failed and to Gophers fans so did Bielema’s post-game explanation that his play card called for a two-point conversion rather than kicking the extra point. Minnesotans, already aware of the testy relationship between Bielema and Gophers coach Tim Brewster, saw the drama as an attempt to run up the score, even if only by a couple more points.

The incident is remembered by the Gophers who tomorrow play Wisconsin at TCF Bank Stadium. “It did sting,” sophomore cornerback Brock Vereen said. “The game as a whole stung the most, but that added to it a little bit. I know that guys on the team are going to use that to bring with them Saturday.”

The 2-7 Gophers will not lack for motivation against the 7-2 nationally ranked Badgers. Wisconsin-Minnesota is the most played rivalry in the FBS, with the series dating back to 1890. The Gophers have lost seven consecutive games to Wisconsin and would like to regain Paul Bunyan’s Axe.

Wisconsin is more than a 25 point favorite to win but predictions the Gophers will lose is nothing new to a team that is 1-4 in the Big Ten and has mostly been an underdog all season. “I think going into every game we’ve seen ourselves as underdogs and that’s helped us,” Vereen said. “We always play with nothing to lose and that helps us play loose, and helps us play fast.”

With three games remaining on their schedule the Gophers can’t qualify for the necessary six wins to be bowl eligible. A win over the Badgers would take some pain out of a season that includes a 58-0 loss to Michigan and 45-17 loss to a mediocre Purdue team.

“It would be huge (a win tomorrow),” Vereen said. “This is the biggest rivalry in college football. This is a game that is always circled on our schedule. The city is going to be going wild and I am sure they’re (the Badgers) going to bring a lot of their people with them. It’s just a moment that you want to relish and you can’t wait to get to it.”

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U Needs More than Mbakwe Heroics

Posted on November 11, 2011November 27, 2011 by David Shama

The basketball Gophers have been something of a one-man team in two exhibition game wins. The hope starting tonight at home with the regular season opener against Bucknell has to be that preseason All-American forward Trevor Mbakwe can sustain his heroics in most upcoming games and teammates will pitch in with more support.

Mbakwe scored on 13 of 15 field goals and 13 of 14 free throws in closer than expected wins over Bemidji State and Augustana (Sioux Falls). His totals of 39 points and 24 rebounds made it at least somewhat comfortable for the Gophers to earn 71-58 and 72-60 wins against a pair of Division II opponents.

In one of the most impressive second half performances for a Gopher seen in awhile, Mbakwe scored 16 points, had eight rebounds and five blocked shots against Augustana on Monday night at Williams Arena. The Gophers trailed the Vikings 38-33 at halftime and Minnesota had a 63-60 lead with 3:10 remaining in the game.

Only junior forward Rodney Williams with 10 points joined Mbakwe in double figures scoring. But more production is expected of Williams and also senior center Ralph Sampson III. Along with Mbakwe, they are the three Minnesota upperclassmen who have played Big Ten basketball. Sampson’s performance against the Vikings included seven turnovers and three points.

In the first two games coach Tubby Smith has given significant playing minutes to seven players who are either freshmen or sophomores, plus junior college transfers and newcomers Julian Welch and Andre Ingram. Collectively they’ve often looked unsure and when the Gophers play without Mbakwe on the floor the team usually struggles.

There’s not much doubt the Gophers need to improve to defeat Bucknell tonight at Williams Arena. The Bison are a favorite to win the Patriot League championship and center Mike Muscala, from Roseville Area High, is a mid-major preseason All-American. Bucknell has four starters back from a team that was 25-9 overall, 13-1 in the Patriot League and lost in the NCAA tournament to eventual national champion Connecticut.

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Worth Noting

Posted on November 7, 2011November 27, 2011 by David Shama

The Augustana basketball team from Sioux Falls the Gophers host at Williams Arena tonight includes senior guard Cody Schilling of Ellsworth, Minnesota. He averaged a team best 21.2 points last season. He led the NSIC in scoring at 22.6 points per game. This will be the Vikings first exhibition game of the season. The Vikings had an 18-9 record last season, 15-7 in conference.

Lindy’s Sports College Basketball Magazine includes Apple Valley High’s Tyus Jones among its top 25 high school sophomores in the country. It wouldn’t be surprising if Jones and his prep buddy Jahlil Okafor, the Chicago center also on the Lindy’s list, choose the same college for basketball.

The Wild haven’t sold out a home game other than opener, according to a Sports Headliners source. The team, though, has been able to avoid the slow early season start of last year and could play even better by increasing goal scoring. The problem? Probably too much finesse play ─ over passing the puck.

Among the early season positives is goalie Josh Harding who has won four straight games. His development offers confidence to coach Mike Yeo, that along with Niklas Backstrom, his team can have strong goalie play this season. Backstrom, who is 33 and among the NHL’s top paid goalies, might be involved with Wild trade talks.

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

Gophers freshman wide receiver Devin Crawford-Tufts, who apparently suffered a high thigh bruise on Saturday against Michigan State, will be “okay,” according to comments made by coach Jerry Kill on WCCO Radio yesterday morning. The Gophers play Wisconsin on Saturday at TCF Bank Stadium and game time will be announced today.

Congratulations to Saint Benedict and St. Olaf for respectively winning the women’s and men’s MIAC soccer playoffs last weekend.

The National Lacrosse League’s Minnesota Swarm has been named the 2011 Deubener Award winner in the category of Family-Owned Business. The award is presented annually by the Saint Paul Area Chamber of Commerce in honor of Walter and Lydia Deubener. John Arlotta along with his son, Andy, purchased the Swarm in 2008 and serve as the team’s owners.

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