Golden Gophers – Page 375 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Peterson Might Play at 40 Years Old

Posted on December 20, 2012December 20, 2012 by David Shama

Vikings running back Adrian Peterson is 27 years old and 294 yards short of breaking Eric Dickerson’s NFL single season rushing record. He said today at Winter Park where he and the Vikings are preparing for their last two regular season games of the year that if he maintains his health and passion he might play pro football until he is 40.

“I think I can perform at this level for a long time,” Peterson said. “It depends how long God bless me to play, 35, 36. …”

Peterson is the cover story for this week’s issue of Sports Illustrated. “I feel like I can play 10, 12 more years,” he told the magazine.

The amazing Peterson, who is having his best season despite tearing his ACL about 12 months ago, is full of self-confidence. That is obvious by his dramatic recovery from ACL surgery, and the mindset with which he approaches his future.

Peterson doesn’t seem to put limitations on what he can do. He told S.I. he wants to run the 400 meters for the United States in the 2016 Olympics, and is interested in becoming a “socially conscious entrepreneur.”

Peterson was asked today if he could break Dickerson’s record on Sunday against the Texans, and not need the season finale against the Packers on December 30. Peterson didn’t refute the possibility. “That’s how I am looking at it. Just get it done. Get it out of the way.”

At this point in the 16 game NFL schedule most players have injuries. Peterson has groin and abdominal issues but he minimized their importance. “Normal wear and tear. …I’ll be ready to roll,” he said.

Not a surprising answer from the man who is regarded as the best running back of his era and is seen as super human by some fans. “God watches over me,” Peterson said. “My spirit man be out there doing the things that I do on the field. It’s beyond me.”

U Needs Big Ten Attendance Boost

The Gophers men’s basketball team ranked ninth among Big Ten Conference schools in home attendance averages through games of last week, according to figures from the league office. Minnesota is averaging 10,501 fans per game for seven nonconference games.

That announced figure of 10,501 is larger than actual fans in attendance, with some games probably having 6,000 to 7,000 patrons inside Williams Arena. The arena’s capacity is 14,625 and during recent seasons the Gophers typically haven’t come close to filling the building for nonconference games, while Big Ten games may sell out.

But this fall’s no-shows by season ticket holders and minimal interest among single game buyers has been startling. To see so many empty seats despite having an exciting nationally ranked top 20 team to watch isn’t a good sign for a program that historically was among the Big Ten leaders in largest home attendances and gross ticket receipts.

New Gophers athletic director Norwood Teague talked with Sports Headliners about the lack of interest this fall, and also included the ticket selling challenges of home football games in the conversation. “In the offseason I want to do some real research in finding out where we are with the tickets for football and basketball,” he said. “I’ve only been here five months so I am trying to figure it out, but the offseason will be a time when we can take a step back and really look at it, football and basketball.”

The Gophers sold 7,136 public season tickets and 1,182 student season tickets for this season, according to a story in yesterday’s Star Tribune by Mike Kaszuba. The combined total of 8,318 was the lowest shown on a season tickets graphic dating back to 2007.

Some public customers didn’t renew their tickets because of the new preferred seating charges placed on tickets. Other fans may have not renewed because of seven consecutive second division finishes during Big Ten seasons (ninth and 10^th the last two years). And certainly an unattractive schedule of home games that included American, North Florida and Lafayette didn’t entice potential buyers for either season tickets or single game tickets. “I agree we need to add quality opponents best we can,” Teague said.

The Gophers finish their nonconference schedule with a game on Saturday night at home against Lafayette. Then it’s all Big Ten games including a much anticipated league opener at Williams Arena on December 31 against Michigan State. Teague said single game ticket interest “going forward has been phenomenal,” referring to conference opponents coming here.

Starting with the Michigan State game the Gophers will be announcing attendances much closer to the numbers of fans in the building than was true this fall. The Gophers, though, averaged 12,723 in Big Ten games last season, the first time that figure was under 13,758 since 2006-2007. In all home games Minnesota averaged 11,794 last season, the lowest since 10,974 in 2006-2007.

If the Gophers fulfill predictions of being a Big Ten title contender, Minnesota won’t have a problem besting last season’s attendance numbers. And a winning season will likely boost offseason ticket sales and announced attendances next fall during nonconference games.

Worth Noting

As of Monday, the 11-1 Gophers’ RPI rating was 11, while 10-2 Michigan State was 53. The Gophers are ranked No. 13 in the country by the Associated Press while the Spartans are No. 20.

The Vikings will use TCF Bank Stadium during part of the construction process for their new downtown stadium. Teague told Sports Headliners expansion of seating in TCF Bank Stadium’s west end will increase capacity from 50,805 to about 60,000.

The Gophers continued practicing this week on campus for their December 28 Meineke Car Care Bowl game. Coach Jerry Kill said on WCCO Radio’s “Sports Huddle” Sunday that senior quarterback-wide receiver MarQueis Gray is the healthiest he’s been in awhile.

It wouldn’t be surprising if Gray starts the bowl game against Texas Tech at quarterback instead of first team freshman Philip Nelson. A switch to the strong running Gray could give the underdog Gophers an advantage, and provide a final game reward to the senior who likely would have been the starting quarterback all season if not for injury.

In Houston the McDonald’s Family Pack promotion for the game costs $99 and offers four game tickets, hot dogs, sodas, and four McDonald’s coffee vouchers and four ice cream vouchers (www.meinekecarcarebowloftexas.com).

Vikings rookie kicker Blair Walsh was selected yesterday as the NFC’s Special Teams Player of the Week for his five field goals performance against the Rams last Sunday. Walsh joins Adrian Peterson and Randy Moss as the only rookies in franchise history to win the Player of the Week Award multiple times in their first NFL seasons. Walsh has set the Vikings’ rookie scoring record with 117 points after surpassing Moss’ 106 points in 1998.

Peterson has been rounding up tickets for Sunday’s game in his native Texas for some time. He said over “100 family members” will attend the game against the Texans in Houston.

Minneapolis native and Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald Jr. is tweeting to his fans about guessing what his favorite Christmas movie is. For those who guess correctly, Fitzgerald will do a random drawing and award the winner a pair of signed game gloves (used).

The Timberwolves are in the midst of a three game schedule against the better teams in the NBA. Tuesday night they lost to the Heat, the team with the second best record, 16-6, in the Eastern Conference. Tonight the Wolves play at home against the 21-4 Thunder, the team with the best record in the Western Conference. Then Sunday the Wolves are in New York to play the Knicks with an Eastern Conference leading 19-6 record.

The Wolves are making only .294 percent of their three point attempts, a 30-team league low. Outside shooting is an issue because of injuries to Kevin Love, Ricky Rubio, Brandon Roy and Chase Budinger. Defenses can crowd interior space close to the basket because of the Wolves’ outside shooting problems.

Tonight’s game, a 6 p.m. start because of the national broadcast by TNT, is only the second game between the Wolves and Thunder since March 23 when the two teams played a news-making double overtime in Oklahoma City. The Thunder won 149-140, combining for 289 points—the fifth highest total in an NBA game in over 15 years. Love scored 51 points.

The St. Thomas men’s team, ranked No. 4 nationally by D3hoops.com, plays at home tomorrow night against No. 5 UW-Stevens Point, three times an NCAA champion in the last 10 years. Admission is free with tipoff at 7:30 p.m. Both teams are undefeated this fall.

The Tommies’ wins include an overtime victory over Bethany Lutheran, 94-91. St. Thomas sent the game into overtime after trailing by five points with 6.6 seconds remaining. Coach John Tauer has an experienced team with four senior captains starting, Will DeBerg, Tommy Hannon, Noah Kaiser and John Nance.

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Mo Walker: ‘I love it Here’

Posted on December 17, 2012December 17, 2012 by David Shama

About two years ago the Gophers lost a valuable player from Ontario when guard Devoe Joseph left the program during his junior season because he wasn’t happy, but Maurice Walker, also from Ontario, said not to be concerned he will leave Minnesota. Walker, a redshirt sophomore forward-center, told Sports Headliners that despite minimal playing time so far during his Minnesota career he’s committed to being a Gopher.

“Of course,” he said. “I’ll be here. I love it here.”

The 6-foot-10, 289-pound Walker is averaging 8.6 minutes per game, 11^th lowest on the team. Only deep reserves Wally Ellenson, Kendal Shell and Chris Halvorsen are playing fewer minutes than Walker who has been used in 11 of 12 games this season.

But Walker is a potentially key part of the Gophers’ drive for an NCAA Tournament invitation. He’s the biggest body on the team and a player who has the skill set to relieve the Gophers’ primary inside players—Elliott Eliason, Trevor Mbakwe and Rodney Williams.

Walker can contribute by knocking down opponents who drive the lane against the Gophers. He can block some shots and take up space on defense. On offense he has soft, large hands for grabbing rebounds, and he has shown a shooting touch outside and inside that is exceptional for such a big player.

It’s next season, though, that Walker would appear even more valuable to the Gophers because Mbawke and Williams are seniors. They will be gone and so too will Andre Ingram, an undersized 6-7 senior who sometimes is used ahead of Walker to help with interior defense. In 2013-2014 Walker and Eliason, who is also a sophomore, will be the team’s only returning big men.

The opportunity for a lot more minutes for Walker is obvious. “I realize that,” he said. “I understand that. Coaches are really like, easing me into it so I am ready.”

Walker is averaging just 3.3 points per game and 2.6 rebounds. He’s struggled to find his game, at times looking tentative and perhaps out of shape. He said last month the Minnesota coaches want him to lose about 10 pounds but more recently he told Sports Headliners the goal hasn’t been reached.

“I feel like my conditioning is pretty good,” Walker said. “I don’t really get too winded out there so that’s good.”

Although he is 21 years old, Walker hasn’t seen much playing time since arriving in Minneapolis two years ago. He played as a reserve averaging 9.6 minutes in 12 games and showed promise including by making two of five three point attempts. Then on December 23, 2010 he injured his right knee and missed the rest of the season. Last season he missed all of 2011-2012 recovering from that injury.

Gophers coach Tubby Smith said on WCCO Radio’s “Sports Huddle” yesterday that Walker’s mishap was the worst knee injury he’s seen, comparing it with someone being in a “major car wreck.” Smith said he’s pleased with Walker’s “growth and development” this fall. He also noted that while at Minnesota Walker’s weight has dropped from close to 350 pounds to under 300.

While working on his comeback from the long layoff, Walker has drawn some of the biggest cheers from fans at Williams Arena. They particularly delight in seeing him score, or even coming close to putting the ball through the hoop.

Walker appreciates the support. “I got a large fan base,” he said. “I love the fans. I love everything about here, and the Barn and the atmosphere, and my teammates. Everything is great.”

Worth Noting

Walker and the Gophers (11-1 and ranked No. 13 in the country by Associated Press) haven’t played a game since last Tuesday when they defeated North DakotaState. Next up—and the final nonconference game—is Saturday night at home against a 4-8 Lafayette team that lost to Kentucky, 101-49, and Maryland, 83-74. Lafayette is located in Easton, Pennsylvania, also known as the home of former heavyweight champion Larry Holmes.

Lafayette has one Minnesotan on the roster, 6-7 sophomore guard Seth Hinrichs from Clara City. He’s the team’s second leading scorer at 14.2 points per game.

Gopher football fans have a reputation for travelling in small numbers to bowl games. A transplanted Minnesotan now living in Texas emailed Sports Headliners about the virtues of Houston (VisitHouston.com) where the Gophers play on December 28 against Texas Tech in the Meineke Car Care Bowl. He suggests Minnesotans head to Houston first to watch the Vikings next Sunday and then stay in town for the Gophers.

“Texas Tech sold out their ticket allotment the first day and we can’t let the Big 12 show up the Big 10! It is a great event for players, fans and families,” my friend wrote in the email. “Lots to do in the area and fans can take…light rail directly to Reliant Stadium. Best of all there is no snow on our palm trees!”

Coach Kevin McHale will have his Rockets in town on December 26 to play the Timberwolves at Target Center. It will be a difficult holiday homecoming for the Hibbing, Minnesota native whose 23-year-old daughter Sasha died in a Twin Cities hospital last month. McHale was in tears during a post-game hug with Kevin Garnett after Friday night’s Rockets-Celtics game in Houston. McHale drafted Garnett for the Wolves in 1995 and assisted Garnett’s career for several years in Minnesota before trading him to the Celtics.

Gophers assistant head baseball coach Rob Fornasiere emailed that “final touches are going in and construction trailers are moving out” for the new Siebert Field. Next season will be the 125^th year of baseball as a University of Minnesota sport. The first game at the new Siebert Field will be April 5 against Ohio State.

The Twins will switch their Single-A Beloit farm team to Cedar Rapids next year, setting up a shorter drive for curious fans wanting to travel from Minneapolis-St. Paul to see prospects. Twins general manager Terry Ryan said on WCCO Radio’s “Sports Huddle” yesterday that among the interesting players likely to play there in 2013 will be German outfielder Max Kepler. Miguel Sano, the power hitting third baseman who needs improvement in the field, is likely to play for Single-A Ft. Myers where manager Doug Mientkiewicz is a an adept defensive instructor, Ryan said.

Dave Mona, co-host of the “Sports Huddle,” will be the speaker on January 10 at the C.O.R.E.S. luncheon in Bloomington. Anyone interested in more information can email Jim Dotseth at dotsethj@comcast.net. C.O.R.E.S. is an acronym for coaches, officials, reporters, educators and sports fans.

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Jerry Burns: Fans Unfair to Ponder

Posted on December 10, 2012December 10, 2012 by David Shama

It’s been a fall of boos and other criticism directed at Vikings second-year quarterback Christian Ponder, but former Vikings head coach Jerry Burns said Ponder receives too much blame.

The Vikings’ passing game has faltered much of the season including in yesterday’s 21-14 win over the Bears. The offense produced one touchdown drive and that was courtesy of Adrian Peterson’s running on the game’s opening drive including a 51-yard run. Otherwise, the Vikings used a first quarter Josh Robinson 44-yard interception returned to the Bears’ five yard line to set up their second touchdown, and in the third quarter Harrison Smith ran back an intercepted pass 56 yards for Minnesota’s third and final touchdown.

Ponder, who completed 11 of 17 passes for 91 yards, heard from the boo-birds in the stands, and media critics who have found fault with him this season will no doubt rip him again.

Burns, who was Vikings head coach from 1986-1991 and before that a revered NFL offensive coordinator, said critics don’t understand all the elements responsible for the Vikings’ passing attack that ranks with the NFL’s most anemic (last in yards per game at 172.6). “I just feel sorry for Ponder,” Burns told Sports Headliners on Saturday, a day before the Vikings defeated Chicago and improved their record to 7-6.

Burns said the offensive line isn’t consistent in giving Ponder enough time to throw. Sometimes a formation with an additional blocker in the backfield would help, perhaps adding a precious second allowing Ponder to set his feet.

With defenses sometimes storming Ponder, Burns suggested the Vikings might benefit from more use of screen passes and draw plays with Peterson or Toby Gerhart, his substitute. That kind of action, combined with more rollouts and bootlegs by Ponder using his athleticism, could help make the offense less predictable and keep the defense off balance.

In yesterday’s game wide receiver Michael Jenkins had two second half third down receptions to sustain drives. Big plays from wide receivers have been MIA for the Vikings most of the season, a reality not lost on Burns who attends games and remains a passionate supporter of the franchise.

“I haven’t seen a diving catch, a great catch,” Burns said. “Going up and taking the ball away from people. A guy you can go to.”

Burns isn’t arguing Ponder doesn’t sometimes make bad decisions, throw inaccurately and occasionally have minimal zip on the ball. He is saying that in a team sport the quarterback plays the lead role but the surrounding personnel and play calls make a difference too.

Head coach Leslie Frazier has Burns’ support and he likes the commitment of not sending Ponder to the bench, replacing him with Joe Webb. “It might make things worse at this point,” Burns said. “Now (by benching) you’re bouncing back and forth.”

The Vikings are still in the playoff race with three games to play. It may be unlikely they can win enough games the rest of the way with their limited offense to make the playoffs for the first time since 2009 but the franchise’s future at quarterback seems tied to Ponder.

While some NFL quarterbacks have early first and second year success, others develop more gradually. Burns believes Ponder can be effective in the future with maturity and having the right support around him.

“I think he will be fine,” Burns said.

Worth Noting

What a birthday present on Saturday. St. Thomas quarterback Matt O’Connell turned 20 while running for two touchdowns and passing for one as the Tommies defeated UW-Oshkosh, 28-14, in a Division III semifinals playoff game. Next up for the Tommies is a first ever trip to the Division III national championship game on Friday night against Mount Union in Salem,Virginia. The game starts at 6 p.m. Minnesota time and will be televised on ESPN U.

The Gophers football team has 31 fall Academic All-Big Ten selections, 13 more than last year and second in the conference to Northwestern’s 34. Among the Gophers honored are defensive starters Michael Amaefula, Cameron Botticelli, Keanon Cooper, Aaron Hill, Mike Rallis and Brock Vereen, and offensive starters Jon Christenson, Derrick Engel, Drew Goodger, Ed Olson, Tommy Olson and John Rabe.

With Max Shortell transferring to another school, the Gophers will have only two quarterbacks with game experience for their Meineke Car Care Bowl matchup on December 28 against Texas Tech, Philip Nelson and MarQueis Gray. Coach Jerry Kill told Sports Headliners he won’t take the redshirt status off reserve backup Mitch Leidner for the game.

Kill likes what he’s seen of Leidner in practices this fall. The 6-foot-4, 226-pound Leidner has various attributes including physical toughness. “He’s a very competitive kid,” Kill said.

The Meineke Car Care Bowl is played in Reliant Stadium, the same facility that is home to the NFL’s Texans who host the Vikings on December 23. “It’s a beautiful stadium,” Kill said.

No one expected Texas Tech coach Tommy Tuberville to accept the Cincinnati coaching job on Saturday but Stewart Mandel writing on SI.com said Tuberville wasn’t a good fit in Lubbock during his three seasons stay. Suggesting Cincinnati was a convenient place to escape and rebuild the resume Tuberville had at Auburn, Mandel wrote on Saturday: “Tuberville was an underwhelming 20-17 in three seasons in Lubbock. The locals never warmed to him, and he never warmed to Lubbock.”

The Timberwolves’ 9-9 record matches the franchise’s best start through 18 games since 2006-07 (also 9-9).

Don’t be surprised if point guard Ricky Rubio makes his season debut Wednesday night at Target Center against the Nuggets, the Wolves’ next game. If not then, Saturday evening at home against the Mavericks might be his return game, although there’s been no official announcement from Rubio or the team.

Wolves All-Star forward Kevin Love has double-doubles in eight of his last nine games and 120 in his past 139.

Love, Rubio, forward Andrei Kirilenko and center Nikola Pekovic are on the NBA All-Star game ballot. A total of 120 players are on the ballot to determine all-stars for the February 17 game in Houston. Various sources are available for fan voting including Twitter and Facebook.

The North DakotaState team playing the 10-1 Gophers tomorrow night at Williams Arena is 8-2 and lost 87-61 to No. 1 ranked Indiana at Bloomington. Forward Marshall Bjorklund (Arlington, Minn.) and guard Mike Felt (Redwood Falls, Minn.) are NDSU’s second and third leading scorers at 11.4 and 10.9 points per game.

The St. Thomas men’s basketball team, a unanimous preseason choice by league coaches to win the MIAC, is 4-0 in conference games and 7-0 overall. Gustavus, the second place choice, is off to a 1-3 start in league games and is 2-5 overall.

Coach Brad Frost’s 20-0 Gophers women’s hockey team is dominating opponents. The Gophers have scored 114 goals to their opponents 12, an average of 5.7 per game versus 0.6. Amanda Kessel has 25 goals and 29 assists, while teammate Hannah Brandt totals 19 and 29. Minnesota doesn’t play again until a two-game home series on January 11 and 12 against North Dakota.

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