NCAA – Page 100 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Stakes High for Gopher Bowl Game

Posted on December 31, 2019December 31, 2019 by David Shama

Seldom has a University of Minnesota football team been booked into such a meaningful postseason game as Wednesday’s Outback Bowl in Tampa against Auburn.

The Golden Gophers have participated in 20 previous bowls but only three have been in January when the more prestigious and historic games are usually staged. Minnesota split consecutive Rose Bowls in 1961 and 1962, and hasn’t been back to the “Granddaddy of them all” since. It took the Gophers until 2015 to earn their way back to a January bowl game, losing 33-17 to Missouri from the mighty Southeastern Conference in the Citrus Bowl in Orlando.

On Wednesday the Gophers face a storied SEC program and strong team in the Auburn Tigers, winners of nine games including a 48-45 victory over preseason national championship contender Alabama (believed to be God’s favorite program). The Tigers, 9-3, are about a touchdown favorite to win the Outback Bowl against the 10-2 Gophers. Auburn is No. 12 in the College Football Playoff rankings, Minnesota No. 18.

Truth is thousands of Minnesotans will sign up right now for a seven point loss to the Tigers who a year ago dismantled the Big Ten’s Purdue Boilermakers in the Music City Bowl, 63-14. Whether Minnesota fans are sunbathing today on the beaches of Southwest Florida, or shivering in ice houses in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, Gopher Nation prays its team won’t be embarrassed by the Tigers Wednesday.

If Minnesota can win the game, or at least keep it close, that will have a mega effect on the public’s perception of this year’s team and successor. Here’s why:

After the 2018 Quick Lane Bowl victory in Detroit, Minnesota had earned a 7-6 overall record. In Big Ten games Minnesota was 3-6. Coach P.J. Fleck’s team won three of its last games, including the bowl win over Georgia Tech. Fair-minded fans thought his third season in 2019 held promise, but no one saw 10-2 coming, 7-2 in the Big Ten and a national ranking as high as No. 8.

A program and fan-base mired in skepticism and negativity for decades all of a sudden had reason to celebrate. Minnesota football became a local, regional and national success story. The long-suffering program flirted with achieving enough success to have fans daydreaming about a first Big Ten title since 1967 and a return to Pasadena for the first time in more than 55 years.

Yet a chorus of doubters, even critics, nagged at this team all fall and is ready to rise up in unison if things turn ugly Wednesday. Their argument is the Gophers had a fluky season with a team that experienced more than its share of good fortune. Yes, Minnesota won two nonconference games against mediocre opponents by a total of six points. The Gophers also won two conference games by five points each.

The schedule was favorable, with Minnesota able to avoid some of the Big Ten’s better teams, starting with conference champion Ohio State. In a mediocre West Division, the Gophers lost games against the two best teams, Iowa and Wisconsin. But the pride of Dinkytown defeated then No. 5 ranked Penn State at home in a game that still prompts adrenaline highs in the fan-base, and Minnesota had commanding wins against five of its Big Ten opponents.

If the Gophers win Wednesday, or at least make the Outback Bowl a competitive game, that won’t shut up all the doubters and critics. Some will suggest Auburn came down with a bad case of bowl game indifference, or the Tigers just aren’t that good. Sorry, won’t buy that.

An Outback Bowl win will give the Gophers credibility with the ticket buying public. A convincing win should bump the season ticket base up by several thousand from the low 20,000’s. A loss will damper sales and anticipation for next season, with a so-so home schedule that includes BYU, Iowa and Michigan.

Defeating the Tigers, or having them in retreat late in the game, will add to the confidence Fleck and his assistants have instilled in this team. Make no mistake that these players believed they could have a special season, and they did, showing resolve in close games and overcoming adversity. Beating Auburn, a program from arguably college football’s best conference, will only add to the Gophers’ psyche during the 2020 offseason and into the schedule.

The Minnesota brand adds even more luster with high school recruits if the Gophers show well in the Outback Bowl. Fleck has had three recruiting classes so far at Minnesota but none has cracked the national top 25 year. Beating Auburn would be a bullet point in CAP letters for future Minnesota recruiting by the coaching staff.

Fleck has multiple incentives for the bowl game including coaching smart after the seven-year contraction extension he was given in November. That came as a reward for achievements the program hadn’t experienced in decades and also having the nation’s third longest winning streak. The 39-year-old coach, who has talked about winning Big Ten and national titles at Minnesota since day one, has won 13 of his last 16 games, and has been justifying the confidence of athletic director Mark Coyle who hired him.

The program was stung last week by the news offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca has left the program to become OC at Penn State. A longtime Fleck loyalist, Ciarrocca is one of the nation’s best at what he does. His resume just this year includes developing Tanner Morgan, unwanted by other Big Ten schools while in high school, into one of the conference’s best quarterbacks. Ciarrocca oversaw an offense that finished fourth among league teams in yards per game, 426.8. Minnesota also averaged an impressive 34.3 points per game.

With Ciarrocca’s recent departure, Fleck reportedly will have his hand in the offense more on Wednesday than in the past. He could show that the Gophers won’t slow down without Ciarrocca whose versatile offense helped rebuild Minnesota football and before that contributed to a 13-1 Fleck team at Western Michigan.

The bowl game looks like a possible audition for wide receivers coach Matt Simon, the Farmington, Minnesota native who has long been a Fleck favorite. Simon is expected to play a role, likely a major one, in play calling. While Fleck may eventually replace Ciarrocca with an outside hire, speculation is that Simon and tight ends coach Clay Patterson are internal candidates.

The Outback Bowl will be the last game for a core of seniors who contributed to the program’s revival. The Gophers honored 13 seniors before their last regular season home game against Wisconsin. The loss to the Badgers wasn’t a pleasant departing memory for seniors like Thomas Barber, Shannon Brooks, Carter Coughlin, Tyler Johnson, Sam Renner and Rodney Smith. However, they could bask in a lot of glory in the Florida sunshine on Wednesday, and are yet another reason why the Gophers are playing for so much this week at the Outback Bowl.

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Wild Close on 2021 NHL Winter Classic

Posted on December 5, 2019December 5, 2019 by David Shama

Target Field could be the playing site for the 2021 NHL Winter Classic. The Twins and Wild would host the prestigious annual game that has never been played in Minnesota, and a January 1, 2021 date could help commemorate the 20th anniversary of the local NHL team.

Wild owner Craig Leipold acknowledged to Sports Headliners yesterday that his franchise is competing with one other NHL city for the Winter Classic, but the league has yet to inform him of its decision. An announcement of the 2021 playing site for the outdoor game is likely to come January 1, 2020.

Known as the “State of Hockey,” the NHL Winter Classic seems overdue for a Minnesota date. “It should be us,” Leipold said. “We think that we’ve got exciting players. We think that we have a good team, and a very competitive team, and we have a great market. No one will ever question that. Our fans are fantastic. So I think we check most of the boxes, and…we hope it’s our time.”

Local interest in attracting the nationally televised event has been ongoing for a long time by the Twins and Wild. Twins president Dave St. Peter spoke of his interest in the game as recently as August of this year. The Wild hosted a successful NHL Stadium Series game at TCF Bank Stadium in 2016, but that event is less coveted than the Winter Classic that last January was played at Notre Dame Stadium, and January 1, 2020 lands in the Cotton Bowl.

The Winter Classic was first played in 2008 to evoke the outdoor roots of hockey. The event uses football and baseball stadiums, with one game drawing over 100,000 fans to Michigan Stadium. A Sports Headliners hockey source said the NHL and TV rights holder NBC prefer historic league teams from the United States like the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks. Planners also want winning teams that can attract a large TV audience.

The Wild has been a mediocre team for years and that’s been a factor in the NHL not granting the Winter Classic to Minnesota. But the team has been impressive of late and with the franchise’s 20th anniversary looming since its inception for the 2000-2001 season, and the fact so many other cities have already hosted the game, Minnesota’s lobbying efforts could finally pay off.

The Wild’s opponent might be the Blackhawks because of the rivalry between the two teams and the size of the huge Chicago TV market. The Dallas Stars, the team once based in Minnesota as the North Stars, may well be another possibility. Activities surrounding a Minneapolis Winter Classic could include an alumni game between former Wild and Blackhawks or Stars players.

The Wild is undefeated in its last 10 games, going 7-0-3. Leipold said the team is showing skill and depth, referring to the third and fourth lines as playing “fantastic.” With three goalies and a sound defense, he is excited after the Wild had a slow start to the season. “We don’t have any weaknesses,” he said.

New general manager Bill Guerin has had time to evaluate the personnel but Leipold doesn’t think there are any trades in the works right now. “But I think the next month, and month-and-a-half, is going to tell a lot as to where we think this team can go,” Leipold said.

Worth Noting

It will be interesting to see if Gophers athletics director Mark Coyle is rewarded with increased compensation this month, or shortly after the first of the year. Coyle’s work since being hired in 2016 is highly regarded, but his annual compensation of $850,000 remains unchanged from the original contract—although he did receive a three-year extension last October taking his deal through 2024.

There are many major college athletic directors earning well over $1 million including some of Coyle’s colleagues in the Big Ten. An increase of $150,000, taking Coyle to $1 million, could make sense to new University of Minnesota president Joan Gabel after the breakthrough season in football under the direction of coach P.J. Fleck who Coyle hired in 2017.

The University regents meet December 12 and 13 in Minneapolis but the agenda for the meeting is as yet unknown. Possibly blocking a Coyle increase is this week’s announcement of faculty layoffs at UMD. Although Coyle’s compensation comes from the largely self-supporting Gophers athletic department, a University system perception problem could arise because of the fiscal challenges at UMD.

Coyle’s success at Minnesota, including popular hires of hockey coach Bob Motzko and basketball coach Lindsay Whalen, is noticed by other universities. There was speculation earlier this fall USC was interested in Coyle for its AD opening. Coyle, an Iowa native who first worked for the U athletic department about 18 years ago before taking AD jobs at Boise State and Syracuse, has often expressed his liking for working at Minnesota and living in the Twin Cities with his family.

Sid Hartman’s 100th birthday will be March 15 of next year, and that day just happens to be a Sunday. It’s perfect timing to celebrate the milestone on WCCO Radio where Hartman has been heard for decades on the Sunday morning “Sports Huddle” program.

Show co-host Dave Mona told Sports Headliners the station will do a “Sidtennial” celebration. A list of about 50 potential celebrity guests for telephone interviews is being reviewed to reach a smaller total. The Sid salute March 15, Mona said, will continue during a WCCO Radio Twins spring training broadcast in the afternoon and on into the evening with more interviews, stories and tributes to the legendary radio personality and Minneapolis newspaper columnist.

The Twin Cities Dunkers organization that supports Minnesota professional and amateur sports has provided $690,500 in combined gifts to the athletic departments of the Minneapolis and St. Paul high schools over the past eight years. The organization was originally known as the Minneapolis Dunkers and dates back to 1948.

Gophers wide receiver Rashod Bateman was named the Big Ten’s wide receiver of the year Wednesday (Richter-Howard Award). Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck raved about Bateman recently, describing him as “incredibly talented.” But Fleck also praised the sophomore for his work ethic and selflessness. “When you start combining the skill with that, that’s an inferno, that’s a bonfire, instead of the fire in your fireplace with one log,” Fleck said.

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Rhodes 2020 Vikes Status Appears Iffy

Posted on December 3, 2019December 3, 2019 by David Shama

A Tuesday notes column including commentary on the Vikings following last night’s loss to the Seahawks in Seattle.

It seems probable this will be cornerback Xavier Rhodes’ last season with the Vikings. He had a glaringly inconsistent performance last night that included an apparent communications mix up leading to a Seahawks touchdown in the 37-30 loss. He also clearly showed poor judgment in committing a personal foul leading to a first half Seattle touchdown. He lost his temper on the sidelines during the game and for awhile was replaced by Mike Hughes.

The 29-year-old Rhodes is paid like one of the NFL’s best cornerbacks with a reported $70 million deal he signed in 2017. He had a disappointing season in 2018 and has been inconsistent this year, including some poor moments. He has obviously tested the patience of head coach Mike Zimmer.

The Vikings will enter the 2020 offseason with challenging salary cap numbers. At Rhodes’ age, and with his sizeable contract and recent performances, he looks like an easy cut from next season’s payroll.

A couple of team stats stand out from last night’s game. The Seahawks’ time of possession was 39:45, the Vikings’ 20:15. It’s difficult to win when one team is so in dominant controlling the football.

The game officials allowed an aggressive style of play. Each team had just 30 yards in penalties, with Vikings fans not happy with the officiating.

With an 8-4 record the Vikings face a favorable remaining schedule that could see them win their final four games. “I kind of think they will,” former Viking Matt Birk told Sports Headliners this morning.

Three of the last four games are at home, with the Green Bay Packers appearing to be the only team who might be favored against Minnesota.

The Seattle loss was costly, though, because even if the Vikings make the playoffs they may not have home field advantage. Right now several NFC teams, including the Packers who lead the NFC North, have better records than Minnesota.

The Vikings need to have key players heal up soon from injuries including wide receiver Adam Thielen who missed last night’s game, and running back Dalvin Cook who was injured in the second half. Left tackle Riley Reiff was injured in the first half and replaced by Rashod Hill who appeared to struggle in his performance.

Zimmer could provide injury updates at his 4 p.m. news conference today.

Zimmer refers to Cook as a “model citizen” in the December 2 issue of Sports Illustrated. A feature story on the star running back looks back at Cook’s off the field problems as a teen and how his “rap sheet” deterred teams from taking him in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft. In the pre-draft interview process Vikings GM Rick Spielman became confident enough in Cook’s character to select him in the early second round.

“I can’t even fathom a time when there has been a question about this kid’s dedication to what we are trying to do,” offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski told S.I. “There’s been no prodding with Dalvin Cook.”

Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins is now 0-7 in his NFL career playing in Monday night games.

Renaissance man Matt Birk is the latest guest on “Behind the Game,” the Twin Cities cable TV program co-hosted by Patrick Klinger and Bill Robertson. Birk, the former All-Pro NFL center, has led a varied life since retiring as a player. He has worked for the NFL, started a Catholic High School in Burnsville, done standup comedy, written a book, spoken to groups as a corporate speaker, and been linked to a possible future in politics. He and wife Adrianna have eight children. “Behind the Game” episodes can also be viewed on YouTube.

A popular projection is the Gophers will play in the January 1 Outback Bowl in Tampa. That’s a desirable destination because the Gophers have never been to the Outback Bowl, Tampa is an easy direct flight from Minneapolis, many retired Minnesotans live on the Gulf Coast and a prestigious SEC opponent awaits. As do sun-splashed beaches.

Via email former Gopher Scott Mullen on the possibility SEC powerhouse Alabama could be the bowl opponent: “If that’s the case, best ditch the oars and get an outboard motor for the boat.”

Mike Nealy, a Roseville native and University of Minnesota alum, is executive director of the Fiesta Bowl in Arizona that hosts a College Football Playoff semifinal game December 28. The Fiesta Bowl could be a Gophers destination in future years, as might the Arizona-based Cheez-It Bowl that Nealy is also executive director for.

Nealy was in Minneapolis last weekend and owns four Gopher football season tickets.

The Gophers finished with a 10-2 regular season record and had good fortune with keeping most of their key players healthy and available to play. Head coach P.J. Fleck labels his Dan Nichol “the best strength coach in America.”

The Gophers value strength and conditioning, but there’s more in their pursuit to stay healthy. “I also think it has a lot to do with the mental health as well,” Fleck said. “It’s not just the physical health. It’s the mental health, emotional health of your football team. Are they in the right place mentally, emotionally, to be able to perform at a high level? A lot of times that keeps players out almost more than the physical injuries these days.”

With Minnesota’s season ending loss to Wisconsin, Fleck didn’t get the birthday present he wanted when turning 39 last week.

Big Ten football teams played 96 home games this season but only 32 were sellouts. The Gophers had two sellouts at TCF Bank Stadium, reflecting the Big Ten and major college football status of struggling to fill seats.

With the Minnesota Twins not bringing back C.J. Cron, they could move Miguel Sano from third to first base and potentially tighten infield defense.

The new Minnesota Timberwolves City Edition uniforms may seem a little familiar to those who watched the Minneapolis Lakers play in the early years of the NBA. The uniform is baby blue and bears the letters MSP on the front. “The design pays homage to the Lakers but is done indirectly,” Wolves executive Ted Johnson wrote via email. “That is because the Minnesota Timberwolves do not have the rights to the Lakers logos, colors or historical uniform designs. All of that belongs to the current franchise located in Los Angeles.”

Wolves ticket marketers have been aggressive in recent days with a full page Star Tribune newspaper ad Thursday promoting 50 percent off single game tickets and a Cyber Monday offering of 25 to 50 percent discounts for December game tickets.

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