Golden Gophers – Page 362 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

U to Dial Back Quarterback Runs

Posted on May 1, 2013May 1, 2013 by David Shama

The Gophers apparently will minimize the number of hits their quarterbacks will be exposed to next fall. “I think there’s a lot of the quarterback run game that we kind of got rid of,” Philip Nelson said.

Fewer hits on Nelson and his backups can mean less chance of injuries. The Gophers have minimal game experience at quarterback. As a freshman, Nelson started seven games last year in relief of injured quarterbacks MarQueis Gray and Max Shortell.

Behind Nelson now on the quarterback depth chart is redshirt freshman Mitch Leidner and true freshman Chris Streveler.

The rushing game responsibility will focus on the running backs. Nelson was encouraged by the Gophers’ rushing game in the Meineke Car Care Bowl loss to Texas Tech and sees the performance as a predictor of success in 2013. Running backs Donnell Kirkwood and Rodrick Williams were the team’s leading rushers in the game with 77 and 60 net yards, part of a team total of 222. “I think our running game will be tremendous this year,” Nelson said. “No doubt about it.”

In Big Ten Conference games last season the Gophers ranked No. 9 in rushing at 127.2 yards per game. Minnesota is counting on an improved offensive line and better performances by the running backs including incoming freshman breakaway talent Berkley Edwards to inflate the rushing stats this fall.

Coach Jerry Kill knows that a better rushing game will buoy his young quarterbacks, causing defenses to respect both the run and pass. “You help quarterbacks by running the football,” Kill said.

After 15 spring practices that ended with last Saturday’s spring game, Nelson is the starting QB but with emphasis on constant competition and evaluation there are no guarantees. “Somebody has to take Philip’s job (for there to be a change),” Kill said. “Right now it’s his job. Somebody has to take it.”

Kill is confident about his quarterback roster. “I feel very good about that position,” he said.

The coach said it’s too soon to decide if Streveler will be redshirted. The Illinois native enrolled in school last winter to participate in spring football.

The Gophers were 6-7 overall, 2-6 in the Big Ten last season including the bowl loss. Nelson believes the team is much improved on both offense and defense. How many games can the Gophers win?

“I think we can win them all, to be honest with you,” Nelson said. “We’ve got a great squad. As long as we stay healthy we’ve got a pretty dangerous team.”

Worth Noting

Former Gopher Adam Weber is with the NFL Bucs where he expects to compete against three or four other quarterbacks for a roster spot. The last two seasons Weber has been on practice squads with the Broncos and Bucs where he earned about $100,000 per year.

Under league rules, a player can only spend three years on a practice squad so this is a big year for Weber. “I am tired of being on the practice squad,” Weber told Sports Headliners. “I want to play. I want to be part of a team. I want to help a team win.”

Weber said it’s a misperception that while offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch was coaching Weber at Minnesota his throwing mechanics were messed up. “No, not at all. I owe a lot to Jedd Fisch. He showed me a lot of things of what it takes to be a quarterback. …I wouldn’t even be where I am at if it wasn’t for Jedd.”

Weber, 25, did color commentary on the radio broadcast for the Gophers’ spring game last Saturday. He’s undecided about post-football plans but broadcasting might be a possibility.

Former Vikings’ defensive lineman Bob Lurtsema, who is a sharp talent evaluator, labeled Vikings’ fourth round draft choice Gerald Hodges “the one to watch” and a “sleeper.” Hodges is a former college safety turned linebacker and Lurtsema likes the field awareness and speed of the ex-Penn State player.

Hodges talking about what it was like to play for coaching legend Joe Paterno: “It was a blessing. It was like being coached by — not a God because no one is higher than God — but it was like being coached by a legend while he was still coaching. That was a blessing to even be in his hands. He was more of a father figure than I would say coach. He taught a lot (about) football, but at the same time, he taught us a lot about how to be a man and how to show respect.”

The super-prep foursome of Apple Valley’s Tyus Jones, along with Houston’s Justise Winslow, and Jahlil Okafor and Cliff Alexander, both from Chicago, are talking about attending the same university starting in 2014-15, according to a Sunday story from the Courier-Journal.com. The Louisville newspaper’s website story said the four high school juniors are talking about winning a national championship together.

Chris Monter, the local basketball writer, was asked last weekend how strong he thought the long-held plan was of Jones and Okafor attending school together. “I would be surprised if it didn’t happen,” Monter said.

University of Minnesota president Eric Kaler is impressed with what he’s hearing about new basketball coach Richard Pitino. “Everybody I’ve talked to is excited about his energy, excited about the people he’s brought so far, and I am looking forward to him having a good run at Minnesota,” Kaler told Sports Headliners.

Flip Saunders was a hometown favorite among fans for the job but turned it down. Kaler wouldn’t elaborate on discussions with Saunders. “I haven’t and don’t intend to make any comments about the coaching process selection. I think we wound up with a really super guy and we’re focusing on his success.”

An athletic department spokesman e-mailed that “102 new deposits for season tickets” have been accepted since Pitino’s hiring.

St. Thomas ranked No. 11 nationally in the unofficial winter Division III Learfield Sports Director’s Cup standings released last week. Other MIAC schools in the top 50 were St. Olaf at No. 31 and Gustavus Adolphus, No. 37. Concordia, Carleton and Saint John’s also placed in the first 100.

Eleven of the MIAC’s 13 schools ranked among the leading 213 schools in the standings — second most for any Division III conference. The Learfield standings measure each institution’s combined performance at national championship tournaments and events. The final standings for school year 2012-13 will be announced June 6.

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Tailgating Lot Planned for U Students

Posted on April 29, 2013April 29, 2013 by David Shama

Covering the Gophers’ spring football game on Saturday:

Gophers’ executive associate athletics director David Benedict told Sports Headliners the University of Minnesota will designate a parking lot just for students as an incentive to increase ticket sales for football games this season.

Last week athletic department officials met with 55 student leaders representing various groups to talk about the idea. Benedict also said the student season ticket sale will begin next month. Student season ticket totals have been declining in recent years despite the move of football to campus from the Metrodome.

Last year the department contracted with the Aspire Group to sell tickets. Benedict said Aspire has sold approximately $1 million in tickets since last September, including 600 new football season tickets.

He also said the department hosted 100 potential purchasers of premium football seating at Saturday’s spring game. Those seating areas include suites and outdoor locations.

The Gophers had a large turnout of high school prospects on Saturday but Washburn High School running back Jeff Jones, who has verbally committed to play for Minnesota, didn’t attend the game. The junior recruit was playing in a basketball tournament.

GopherIllustrated.com reported three-star quarterback Dimonic McKinzy from Kansas City, Kansas, committed to the Gophers on his unofficial visit to campus last weekend.

Among those in the crowd of several thousand spectators at the game were University president Eric Kaler and members of the Board of Regents. After being told the Gophers’ opening game at TCF Bank Stadium on August 29 will be played at the same time as the Vikings’ final preseason game at Mall of America Field, a regent said: “I am not happy about it.”

The Gophers’ game has long been scheduled for that date but the Vikings finalized their date earlier this spring.

Gophers coach Jerry Kill said he didn’t allow more than a dozen players to participate in the spring game including two of his best defensive players, senior tackle Ra’Shede Hageman and senior safety Brock Vereen. Hageman is a consensus pick as the team’s top NFL draft prospect. “Brock Vereen is, in my opinion, one of the better secondary players in the Big Ten,” Kill said.

Kill told his players after the game he was proud of their spring efforts and he “loved” them. He urged players to be accountable in their off-field activities including attending class.

Later he told the media: “You go to bed every night worrying about something. Nothing is ever perfect.”

This week the Gophers, who have now completed their 15 spring practices, will hear about mental toughness from motivational speakers Kill has asked to address the team.

A replay of the spring game will be shown on the Big Ten Network starting at 7 p.m. tonight.

Worth Noting

Jim Dutcher followed with interest the recent University of Minnesota hiring of assistant basketball coach Kimani Young who many years ago was arrested for possession of 96 pounds of marijuana. In 2007 the University wouldn’t allow the hiring of assistant coach Jimmy Williams who decades before had allegedly been involved with NCAA rules violations at Minnesota.

“That was a gutsy move (hiring Young) after the way they treated Jimmy Williams — and I fully support it because I always believe in giving people second chances,” said Dutcher who had Williams on his staff in the 1970s and 1980s when he was the Gophers’ head coach.

Dutcher expects Michigan State and Michigan to be favorites to win the Big Ten title next season. He also said the hiring of young head coaches at Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern and Rutgers could change the style of play in the league, moving away from the “grind it out” offenses to faster play.

Twins’ manager Ron Gardenhire has sold his home in Little Canada for $751,000.00, according to a Bizjournals.com story on Friday. Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal also reported the sales price was $1,100.00 more than the initial asking price in February.

After yesterday’s 5-0 win over the Rangers, the Twins are above .500 in both overall record (11-10) and at Target Field (7-6). Starting pitcher Kevin Correia shutout the Rangers for eight innings. He’s the only Twins’ pitcher in history to start his career with five straight outings of seven innings or more.

Twins’ second baseman Brian Dozier is batting .364 in eight games as the team’s leadoff hitter. He has reached base in 10 consecutive games.

Watch Twins’ farm players like Chris Colabello (six home runs) and Clete Thomas (.340 average) when Triple-A Rochester hosts Buffalo starting at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday in a MLB Network telecast.

Paul Allen, the radio play-by-play voice of the Vikings, will speak to the C.O.R.E.S. group on Thursday, May 9 at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Bloomington. Allen is also a radio talk show host on KFAN and track announcer at Canterbury Park. Anyone interested in attending the luncheon and program can contact Jim Dotseth, dotsethj@comcast.net.

Canterbury Park is the only location in the state where there is legalized wagering for this Saturday’s Kentucky Derby. Admission is free at the Shakopee facility where live horse racing returns on Friday, May 17.

WCCO Radio’s Dave Lee has been honored with awards from both the Associated Press and the Northwest Broadcast News Association for his play-by-play broadcast of the St. Thomas and UW-Oshkosh football playoff game last year.

Dave Mona, public relations executive with Weber Shandwick-Minneapolis, was honored by Minnesota Business Magazine last week as part of its power 50 list. Mona is retiring from the international public relations agency on July 1 but will consult for the company.

Weber Shandwick announced this month that it has added the Big Ten Conference to its client list. Mona said much of the work will be done by Weber Shandwick in Chicago.

When the Blue Jackets didn’t qualify for the playoffs, it probably cost Columbus coach and former Wild coach Todd Richards a realistic opportunity to win the NHL Coach of the Year award.

Tim Leiweke, the former Timberwolves marketing executive, has been hired in Toronto to run Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment. He will have NBA, NHL and facility responsibilities.

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NFL Draft: Tough Night for Big Ten

Posted on April 26, 2013April 26, 2013 by David Shama

Covering the NFL Draft from the perspectives of the Big Ten Conference and the Vikings:

The Big Ten almost made history last night after being shutout during the first round of the draft until the Cowboys chose Wisconsin center Travis Frederick with the 31^st and next to last pick. Since 1953 the conference has had at least one player chosen in the first round, according to an online story on Monday by the Omaha–World–Herald. The World–Herald reported that in 29 of the 31 drafts going into last night the Big Ten had at least three players chosen in the first round.

In 2012 Big Ten teams had four players selected in the first round. The SEC had nine players drafted among the 32 picks, including six of the first 15. And last night the SEC had 12 players chosen among the 32 players selected including five of the first 11 picks.

It’s no wonder the SEC, winners of seven consecutive national championships, is known as the king of college football while the Big Ten’s reputation is that of commoners. But it’s not just the SEC that is showing superiority in talent as judged by the NFL. Last year the Big 12 had five players taken in the first round. This year the ACC had six players chosen and the Pac-12 five.

The last time a Gopher was selected in the first round was 2006 — running back Laurence Maroney. During the last 20 years the only other Gopher picked in the first round was cornerback Willie Middlebrooks in 2001.

Big Ten teams struggled in nonconference BCS games last season with the best win — honest — Northwestern’s victory over Vanderbilt. Big Ten schools also lost three games to MAC teams. The conference record in bowl games after last season was 2-5, another in a long list of mediocre (at best) postseason performances. In the final AP national poll the league had only two teams in the top 20, Ohio State (ineligible for a bowl game) at No. 3 and Northwestern, No. 17.

Except for Ohio State — and maybe Michigan — national expectations will be minimal for the Big Ten again next fall. Coach Urban Meyer is building an SEC caliber program at Ohio State but overall the league looks weak. It’s obvious that for now most Big Ten teams aren’t coming up with high impact talent worthy of national rankings and NFL first round draft choices.

But if football fans in Minnesota couldn’t thump their chests last night about the Big Ten, they certainly could strut over the Vikings who came into the draft with two first round picks and finished with three, thanks to a late night trade with the Patriots. Those three draft choices equaled the total of the Vikings’ NFC North rivals, the Lions, Bears and Packers who had one each.

The Vikings might have wanted to trade up for a top 10 selection, perhaps coveting elusive wide receiver Tavon Austin from West Virginia who was chosen at No. 8 by the Rams and might be Percy Harvin II. But instead the Vikings used the Patriots trade to take Tennessee wide receiver Cordarrella Patterson at No. 29 – a player who is raw in route running skills but is an explosive runner as a receiver and kick returner. “You’re talking about a 6-1, 215 pound receiver that runs 4.3, that is electric with the ball in his hands, and what he does after the catch and what he does as a returner,” Vikings’ general manager Rick Spielman said last night.

The Vikings used their selections at No. 23 and No. 25 to choose defensive players, tackle Shariff Floyd from Florida and cornerback Xavier Rhodes of Florida State. Floyd is considered a value pick, a strong inside presence who probably lasted deeper in the first round because so many offensive linemen were chosen before him. “I went through 1,000 scenarios and at (the) 23^rd and 25^th pick I can tell you honestly, he was not in one of those scenarios,” Spielman said about Floyd’s availability to Minnesota.

Mike Mayock’s mock draft Wednesday on NFL.com had Floyd being drafted No. 3 in the first round. “He is the best defensive player in the draft on my board,” Mayock wrote.

Rhodes, like Patterson, may initially be more of a project but his speed and size, 6-1, 210, are prized attributes in an NFL cornerback. The Vikings’ needs going into the draft included replacing depth and quality lost with veteran cornerback Antoine Winfield’s departure for the Seahawks. “Our defensive philosophy is to try to have size and speed because of the cornerbacks we have to face and the type of receivers in this division,” Spielman said.

The prevalent pre-draft speculation about the Vikings selecting Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o didn’t live up to the hype. The Vikings passed on Te’o three times in the first round, preferring other players. Te’o’s controversial past could be part of the reason but so, too, might his so-so speed, and on KFAN Radio last night former Viking Pete Bercich said he didn’t like the linebacker’s “flatline” personality.

Worth Noting

The Vikings will have their three first round draft choices in town today and will hold a news conference this afternoon to introduce them to the media.

The 2013 version of the NFL’s top 100 players debuts Saturday night at 7 p.m. Minneapolis time on the NFL Network. The initial show will reveal players 91-100 with the series continuing until June 27 when the top 10 are identified. The 100 list was determined by a vote of league players.

Approximately 100 University of St. Thomas football players and coaches will spend Saturday volunteering for a home building project as part of Habitat for Humanity, Twin Cities. The group will work at 652 Sims Avenue in St. Paul.

Coach Glenn Caruso will present a check to the organization for $10,000, part of his award for being named the 2012 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year for NCAA Division III — the third year in a row he received the award.

After last night’s 2-1 loss to the Rangers at Target Field, the Twins have lost seven of their last nine games against Texas. Twins’ catcher Joe Mauer threw out his fourth attempted base stealer of the season last night. The Twins have allowed only three stolen bases, the fewest in the majors this season.

The Twins, 9-9, have scored one run or less three times this season. Their only run last night came on Josh Willingham’s third home run of the season. He has hit 24 career home runs at Target Field, tying him with Jim Thome for the club record.

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