MIAC – Page 45 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

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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U Needs Surge in Offense to ‘Bowl’

Posted on October 19, 2012October 19, 2012 by David Shama

With two of the Big Ten Conference’s better teams ineligible for post-season games, and the conference having agreements in place with eight bowl game hosts, the Gophers have ample opportunity during the next several weeks to qualify for their first bowl trip since 2009. Opportunity and reality, however, are not the same.

Ohio State, 7-0 and ranked No. 7 in the Associated Press national poll, isn’t eligible for a bowl game and neither is Penn State, 4-2. That leaves 10 Big Ten teams fighting for eight bowl invitations, and Illinois and Indiana, both 2-5, don’t seem too likely to play in the post-season.

An FBS team will most likely need at least six wins to become bowl eligible, although a 5-7 team would qualify if it has been a division champion and played in a conference bowl game. The 4-2 Gophers have six games to find a couple more wins, with their best chances coming at home on October 27 against Purdue, 3-3, and at Illinois, 2-5, November 17. Minnesota doesn’t play Indiana but also might have a shot at beating offense-challenged Michigan State (4-3) in the Gophers’ last game of the season November 24 (at TCF Bank Stadium).

Minnesota’s chances of winning tomorrow in Madison appear minimal. The Gophers face a fast improving Badgers team, 5-2, and Minnesota hasn’t won at Wisconsin since 1994.

The Gophers’ other remaining games are at home against Michigan (November 3) and at Nebraska(November 17). Those opponents, along with Wisconsin, feature formidable running attacks, the kind of offenses the Gophers figure to have trouble controlling.

In Minnesota’s two conference games (losses to Iowa and Northwestern), the Gophers gave up a total of 390 yards rushing. Second half adjustments lessened the damage, but in the first half of each game the Gophers gave up too many yards.

But it’s not defense that so much gives pause to contemplating Minnesota’s bowl prospects. The Gophers have allowed an average of 19.8 points per game in six games. That’s a respectable sixth best among Big Ten teams and the numbers don’t tell the whole story.

Points scored against the Gophers have been inflated by playing an overtime period against UNLV, having an interception run back for a touchdown in the Iowa game; and several times the defense gave up points this season because opponents started drives inside the Minnesota 50 yard line.

We’re not trying to point fingers, but the Minnesota offense needs to improve a lot more than the defense if the Gophers are going to pack suitcases for a bowl trip in December. In their last three games against BCS opponents (Syracuse, Iowa and Northwestern) the Gophers have scored five touchdowns and a total of 43 points, averaging 14.3 points per game.

That won’t work in today’s college game where the rules favor offenses, and point totals even in the 40s and 50s can be required to win games. The Gophers are averaging 24.2 points per game for six games, ranking ninth in the Big Ten.

A suspect unit before the season, the offensive line hasn’t done much to enhance its reputation in six games. The line looked like a project back in August and still does, with performance hindered even more now by inexperience and injuries. There are issues, too, with the quarterback, running back and receiver positions.

Gophers fans prayed last summer that senior quarterback MarQueis Gray wouldn’t be injured during the season. Prayers were answered until the third game of the season when he injured his left knee and ankle in the first half against Western Michigan. Gray missed the Syracuse and Iowa games, and wasn’t fully recovered despite efforts to play against Northwestern when he re-injured his ankle.

The Gophers offense, without its best runner regardless of position, hasn’t been the same without the 6-4, 250-pound Gray. Replacement quarterback Max Shortell has been okay in the passing game but isn’t a running quarterback. Minnesota needs a healthy Gray to make a bowl game push.

The Gophers running backs and receivers lack explosiveness. Minnesota’s longest rushing play of the season is a 75 yard run by Gray. The longest by a running back is 26 yards. Eventually freshman wide receiver Andre McDonald may emerge as a long ball threat but for now the Gophers are much more likely to complete a lot of short passes. The longest reception so far is 53 yards by A. J. Barker.

Before the season started Sports Headliners looked at the Gophers’ offensive limitations and concluded that with a healthy Gray, Minnesota could win five to seven games. On October 19—halfway through a 12 game schedule and assuming Gray plays soon—I see no reason to change that view.

Worth Noting

Prayers are welcome for Lynx executive Conrad Smith who is battling cancer. Conrad is a former colleague with the North Stars, and his career has also included front office positions with the Twins and Timberwolves.

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

No MIAC team has come within two touchdowns of St. Thomas and last Saturday the Tommies defeated preseason nationally ranked Bethel 37-0, but coach Glenn Caruso told Sports Headliners it “would be ridiculously arrogant or ignorant” to think his team has cinched another conference title.

The Tommies, 5-0 in MIAC games, have four league games remaining including tomorrow at Hamline. St. Thomas is the defending MIAC champion and top five ranked nationally among Division III teams. “We don’t focus on rankings. We focus on work,” Caruso said.

St. Thomas is the league’s only undefeated team but Augsburg, Bethel and Concordia all have only one loss. Caruso said the MIAC’s quality of teams is the best he’s seen during his five years at St. Thomas. “Almost every team is better,” he said.

The Tommies, who were 13-1 last season and advanced to the Division III semifinals, lost valuable players via graduation but Caruso said he “couldn’t get out of bed each morning” if he didn’t believe the 2012 team has the potential to be his best ever.

Larry Fitzgerald Sr. emailed news about sons Larry Jr. and Marcus and their involvement in the cause against breast cancer. The Fitzgeralds lost their mother, Carol, to the disease in 2003. Larry Jr., who comes back to his hometown of Minneapolis with the Cardinals to play the Vikings on Sunday, is an NFL spokesman for the league’s October campaign to raise awareness about breast cancer.

The All-Pro wide receiver donates $1,000 for every catch, $5,000 for each touchdown and in “the last two years he has donated over $50,000 to breast cancer research as a result of his play,” according to Larry Sr. Last Sunday Marcus ran in the Susan B. Anthony Race for a Cure marathon in Phoenix, with over $1 million raised. The Fitzgerald family has been active for years promoting the Carol Fitzgerald Memorial Fund in Minneapolis.

The other Twin Cities receiver on the Cardinals is rookie Michael Floyd from St. Paul who has seven receptions for 84 yards and one touchdown. Fitzgerald has 36 receptions for 430 yards and three touchdowns.

Adrian Peterson, who described Larry Fitzgerald Jr. as a great player but even better person, said yesterday at Winter Park that his left ankle is sore “but I don’t think it will become lingering that long.”

Vikings wide receiver Percy Harvin leads the NFL in receptions with 49. He has caught a pass in every game he’s played during his Vikings’ career (53) including the playoffs.

Looks like Timberwolves coach Rick Adelman’s opening night lineup on November 2 at home against the Kings will be: forwards Derrick Williams and Andrei Kirilenko, center Nikola Pekovic, and guards Brandon Roy and Luke Ridnour.

Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor is talking with two out of state groups about selling the team. Those individuals would agree to keep the team in Minneapolis, although actually only the NBA Board of Governors can prevent a franchise transfer, Taylor told Sports Headliners.

Taylor had interest from people with probable intent to buy and move the franchise, but he refuses to meet with such potential purchasers.

The 70-year-old billionaire resumed his position as CEO at Taylor Corporation over a year ago and he’s been involved with six business acquisitions this year. His involvement with budgeting for his businesses will prevent him from accompanying the Lynx to Indiana for their WNBA Finals games tonight and Sunday evening.

The first USA Today Coaches Poll released on Wednesday includes five Big Ten basketball teams in the top 25 but didn’t include Minnesota. Big Ten schools ranked are No. 1 Indiana, No. 4 Ohio State, No. 5 Michigan, No. 14 Michigan State and No. 21 Wisconsin.

Edina High School senior basketball guard Graham Woodward has verbally committed to Penn State.

Gophers assistant baseball coach Rob Fornasiere has a detailed spread sheet with batting stats dating back to 1984. The Gophers team batting averages the last two seasons of .257 and .266 are the lowest during the period. Part of the reason, Fornasiere said, is the composition of metal bats has changed over the years and the ball doesn’t come off the bat with the velocity it once did. The change was made for player safety, particularly for pitchers who after delivering the ball are close to home plate and vulnerable to hard hit balls. Overall, for the last 29 years, the Gophers’ team batting average is .312.

Freshman Branden McGarrity set the Carleton men’s soccer school record for most goals in a season earlier this week. He scored two goals in a win over Northwestern College, increasing his career total to 17. He also holds the school record for assists with 38. Carleton 13-1-1 is ranked No. 14 nationally in the latest NSCAA poll.

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Here’s a ‘Vote’ for U Win Saturday

Posted on October 12, 2012October 12, 2012 by David Shama

Winning won’t be easy but it seems like there are too many valid reasons not to predict the Gophers (4-1) will defeat Northwestern (5-1) tomorrow at TCF Bank Stadium.

Odds-makers believe the Wildcats will win by about three points. Sports Headliners predicts a fourth quarter field goal—perhaps wind aided—sailing over the goalpost crossbar to give Minnesota a 30-27 victory on Homecoming.

There’s no doubt a team takes on the personality of its head coach and Minnesota’s players are likely to play Saturday’s game against the Wildcats with a lot of passion. Gophers coach Jerry Kill stewed over the Iowa loss two weeks ago and was critical of himself, not just the team.

Wide receiver A.J. Barker was asked about Kill’s emotions after the Iowa loss and since then: “He gets on us when we win and he gets on us when we lose,” Barker said. “He’s very consistent and you know what to expect with him and the staff. He did a great job coming off this loss, just motivating us, keeping the foot on the gas and moving forward.”

The Gophers will have more than emotion and focus going for them on Saturday. Because of a bye in the schedule, Minnesota had two weeks to prepare for tomorrow’s game while Northwestern has not. Kill used the extra time not only to strategize against the Wildcats, but last week put an emphasis on fundamentals.

That mid-season tune-up should help the Gophers. “Sometimes we forget blocking and tackling, and using your hands, and playing with good technique and having leverage on the ball and those kind of things,” Kill said.

The extra time off helped injured players recover. Among those who didn’t play against Iowa but could be on the field tomorrow, even if in a limited role, is quarterback MarQueis Gray.

Gray’s return is a must for Sports Headliners to write its prediction in ink, rather than pencil. The senior quarterback is one of the nation’s best running quarterbacks. In spot duty tomorrow he could potentially throw Northwestern defense off balance. The Wildcats won’t look forward to stopping Gray’s runs, something Iowa didn’t have to contend with against Minnesota’s pass-oriented quarterback, Max Shortell.

Shortell, who replaced Gray in the first half of the Western Michigan on September 15, was asked about the offense that has produced just four touchdowns in the last two games. “We need to make plays as an offense. We need to convert on third downs,” he said. “Keep sustaining drives, and I think scoring touchdowns in the red zones. We can’t settle for field goals. That will really help our points per game.”

Gray’s presence on Saturday, for a few plays here and there, could not only help produce more points for the slumping offense but take minutes off the game clock. The Gophers want to have more time of possession than Northwestern, a team whose strength is on offense. The Wildcats rank 14^th nationally in rushing yards per game, 233.50, and No. 43 in total offense, averaging 432.50 yards per game.

In Minnesota’s favor, though, is Northwestern uses a spread offense similar to what the Gophers have faced in four of their first five games. And Minnesota’s defensive unit has played better than the offense or special teams this season. The Gophers rank No. 23 nationally in total defense giving up 320.80 yards per game.

Northwestern is a formidable team. The Wildcats proved that with nonconference wins over BCS opponents Syracuse, Vanderbilt, Boston College and Indiana. Pat Fitzgerald, only 37 years old, is one of the Big Ten’s better coaches, but the Gophers staff is impressive too, including a group of assistants that Kill probably frets about losing to better paying BCS schools.

May be the difference tomorrow in Minnesota’s favor is simply playing at home. With the parity of talent in the Big Ten, the home field and a noisy crowd is meaningful.

Worth Noting

The No. 1 ranked FCS North Dakota State football team, 5-0, has over 30 Minnesotans listed on the roster. Former Totino-Grace running back John Crockett leads the Bison in rushing with 432 yards. The Bison have outscored opponents 221 to 42.

North Dakota State head coach Craig Bohl, a former Nebraska assistant, will surely have his name mentioned if the Cornhuskers head coaching job opens up.

Zach Zenner, formerly from Eagan High School, has rushed for 1,077 yards, averaging 215.40 yards per game for South Dakota State. He leads all FCS players with both totals.

Roy Terwilliger told Sports Headliners the Minnesota Sports Facilities Commission retained the HKS architectural firm a few years ago to do preliminary work on the Metrodome as a potential site for a new Vikings stadium. The firm concluded the 20 acre site was sufficient for such a facility, according to Terwilliger, the former commission chairman.

Now HKS has been retained to design the new stadium. Terwilliger refers to HKS as a “great firm” and said the company also designed acclaimed NFL stadiums in Indianapolis and Arlington, Texas. “I am pleased they (the Vikings and the Minnesota Sports Facility Authority) hired them,” Terwilliger said.

Wide receiver Percy Harvin, who currently ranks second in the NFL with 38 receptions, was passed over by a majority of teams in the league before the Vikings took him with the No. 22 pick in the first round of the 2009 draft. Credit front office executive Rick Spielman, then head coach Brad Childress and wide receivers coach George Stewart with taking Harvin.

When the Vikings play the Redskins on Sunday they will see former Minnesota defensive backs Cedric Griffin and Madieu Williams. This will be the third consecutive season the Vikings have played the Redskins in Landover, Maryland.

Next Tuesday, October 16, is the NFL trade deadline.

John Gagliardi, now in his 60^th season coaching Saint John’s, is off to a 2-4 start and the Johnnies have lost four straight. His Saint John’s teams have never lost more than four games in a season and he’s had only two years when the Johnnies lost more games than they won. Saint John’s has four games remaining this season including tomorrow’s home game with Carleton.

Augsburg quarterback Ayrton Scott is second among Division III players in per game total offense, 366.20 yards, and seventh in rushing yards, 150.20. The Auggies last Saturday beat the Johnnies in consecutive years for the first time since 1926-27.

Former NBA coach Flip Saunders said the Timberwolves are “potentially a playoff team.” The difference in whether the Wolves qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2004 will have much to do with how fast and effectively point guard Ricky Rubio recovers from his ACL injury, Saunders told Sports Headliners.

“I think right now you look at the West (Western Conference), there are seven teams that are playoff locks,” Saunders said. “And at that eighth spot, there’s probably about five teams that have a chance to get to that spot, and I think they’re (the Wolves) one of those teams in there.”

Who does Saunders, the former Wolves head coach, believe will be in the NBA Finals? “I think it will probably be the Lakers and Miami,” he said. “I think those are the two best teams.”

Saunders said with forward LeBron James and guard Dwayne Wade the Heat has two of the five best NBA players for closing out games. He also said Miami is “maybe the best team in the league defensively.”

Saunders, though, “wouldn’t be surprised” if the Lakers won the NBA title. “They’ve got great balance, size, a little bit of everything,” he said.

Saunders last coached in the NBA with the Wizards during the 2011-2012 season and he isn’t employed by a league team now. He’s interested in getting back into the NBA but wouldn’t say if the Wolves might one day be a possibility. Saunders could interest NBA teams as either a coach or general manager.

How about the following for TV ratings competition? The second Wolves telecast of the fall will be next Tuesday night in a preseason home game against Maccabi Haifa, the same evening of the presidential debate between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney.

Single game tickets for the WNBA Finals at Target Center range from $20 to $225. The Lynx host Indiana in game one on Sunday night starting at 7 p.m. ESPN2 will televise the game.

The Aeros, the Wild’s American Hockey League affiliate, open their season tomorrow night in Houston against Charlotte. In the Aeros’ last preseason game Mikael Granlund scored four goals as part of a five point night as Houston defeated Oklahoma City, 6-2.

The Aeros play Rockford on November 18 at the Xcel Energy Center in a regular season AHL game. Tickets are on sale via www.wild.com.

The estate sale last month for Dark Star, the former WCCO Radio personality who passed away in June, generated over $75,000 with some of the proceeds dedicated to the new Gophers baseball stadium.

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