NCAA – Page 129 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Look for U to Upset Terps Saturday

Posted on October 14, 2016October 14, 2016 by David Shama

It hasn’t been a great beginning to Tracy Claeys’ first full season as Gophers football coach. His team has been unimpressive in every game.

The Gophers scored wins over three ho-hum nonconference teams, showing an improved offense but sometimes leaky defense. In the last two weeks Minnesota has flopped, losing Big Ten Conference games to Penn State and Iowa.

In those two league games the Gophers couldn’t hold second half leads. They played inconsistently on offense, defense and special teams. They self-imploded making costly and sometimes foolish penalties.

This week came news redshirt senior quarterback Mitch Leidner has been diagnosed with a concussion and likely won’t play tomorrow at Maryland against the 4-1 Terps (1-1 in the Big Ten). When Claeys showed up at his Tuesday news conference to answer questions about Leidner and other players, he looked like a concerned coach.

Who could blame him? The pressure is on Claeys to shift the Gophers in gear. This is a team he pronounced during the offseason as potentially the best at Minnesota in years, a group that could contend for the Gophers’ first ever Big Ten West Division championship. A team playing a 2016 schedule that avoided games against Big Ten East Division powers Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State.

Now a schedule that looked relatively easy seems formidable given Minnesota’s slow start to the season. There are seven teams remaining to be played and right now the Gophers are likely to be favored in only two—October 22 and November 5 home games against Rutgers (2-4, 0-3) and Purdue (3-2, 1-1).

Presuming Minnesota can earn victories against Rutgers and Purdue, the Gophers need to find one or two additional wins to become bowl eligible. Tomorrow’s game at Maryland, the October 29 game at Illinois and November 19 home game against Northwestern look like other opportunities to build on the Gophers’ three wins total and earn a bowl invitation with the usually required six victories.

The prevailing prediction is Minnesota will lose tomorrow. The Gophers weren’t favored even before the Leidner news. Without their most important offensive player, the odds-makers like the Terps by about a touchdown.

The Gophers are replacing Leidner with former walk-on Conor Rhoda who has played briefly in one game this season and has six yards passing. Rhoda didn’t play in any games last season and in 2014 made two brief appearances, attempting one unsuccessful pass. The redshirt junior, now on scholarship, is an unknown to media and fans but he just might get the job done tomorrow managing an offense that needs to rely on running the football better than it has all season.

Minnesota’s offensive line will have to get off the line of scrimmage and hold blocks longer than last Saturday in a disappointing 14-7 loss against Iowa. But that line is capable of playing better under the direction of motivating assistant coach Bart Miller, and if there are holes to run through the Gophers have the rushers to pile up a lot of yardage.

The Terps gave up 372 rushing yards last week in a 38-14 loss at Penn State. Minnesota gained over 200 yards the week before against the Nittany Lions in their 29-26 overtime loss. Those numbers should provide Minnesota some confidence.

Rhoda needs to complete some low-risk passes and provide balance to Minnesota’s run game. The passing potential will take a step forward if potential All-Big Ten tight end Brandon Lingen, who has been sidelined with a broken clavicle, is able to play. Wide receiver Drew Wolitarsky, a senior leader and Leidner’s favorite receiver, needs to help Rhoda out with timely catches like on third downs.

While Leidner’s absence seems like a problem for the Gophers, it might elevate performances by his teammates. Darrell Thompson, the ex-Gopher and the school’s all-time leading rusher, believes Minnesota players may gain a psychological edge. “I think they rally around him (Rhoda),” Thompson told Sports Headliners.

If Rhoda minimizes mistakes, completes key passes, makes a few runs off the read-option, mixes in successful scrambles out of the pocket and mostly hands off to his running backs that have holes to run through, the Gophers will have a formula for success.

“That would be ideal,” said Thompson. “I hope there is a quarterback controversy by the end of the game. That means we’re doing something right.”

The Minnesota offense can inspire the defense after only scoring seven points last week. That defense could have one of its better days against the Terps who were held to two first half touchdowns last Saturday. Maryland scored 173 points in its first four games but played a cushy schedule facing Howard, Florida International, UCF and Purdue.

Gophers’ fans might be planning a pity party tomorrow without Leidner and after five substandard performances to start the season. But sometimes when “the sky is falling” the expected script doesn’t become reality.

Claeys is at the “keyboard” and it’s time for him, the staff and the players to write a better storyline. The Gophers are due to have their best game and quiet critics who already are speculating about the new coach’s future at Minnesota.

The Terps do have the advantage of playing at home and they could be motivated after the beatdown by Penn State. But they have quarterback issues too with senior starter Perry Hills possibly not available because of a shoulder injury, or not playing a complete game if there is a re-injury. Then the Terps would use true freshman Tyrrell Pigrome.

The outcome tomorrow could be decided by two mystery quarterbacks and by the team most determined to win coming off of disappointing early season Big Ten losses. Pigrome has yet to start a game but has played in all five games for the Terps and already shown playmaking skills. Rhoda is a lunch-bucket sub from Eagan who finally gets his big chance tomorrow.

Rhoda and the Gophers are the better script. I am going with Minnesota over the Terps, 27-24.

Worth Noting

Darrell Thompson eats bacon—lots of it—during the week leading up to the Gophers-Iowa game. The Maryland Terrapins take their nickname from turtles that live in fresh or brackish waters. Turtle soup this week for the Gophers’ radio analyst?

“I only do bacon,” Thompson said. “I love bacon. No turtle soup.”

There will be a news conference Monday at Target Field announcing a football game to be played in the Twins stadium next year. Best guess is North Dakota State will be the host team. The Bison have a home game on their 2017 schedule October 28 against Northern Iowa. Could the game be played at Target Field? The Gophers are at Iowa that Saturday.

Jeff Sorenson told Sports Headliners a hot putter and positive approach helped him earn the Minnesota Section’s PGA Player of the Year Award this week. The Minikahda Club pro, who won the award for a fifth time, said he’s “been putting really well” the last two-plus months after changing his set up and grip.

Sorenson isn’t so hard on himself mentally as in the past. He is better at maintaining a positive attitude and not letting poor shots bother him. “You get down, you’re done,” he said.

Two years ago Sorenson, 38, had major back surgery, so earning the most points to win the Player of the Year Award is rewarding. “I am just appreciative of being able to play,” he said.

Edinburgh pro Don Berry finished second to Sorenson in 2016 and was Player of the Year the two previous years. Sorenson, whose last Player of the Year Award was in 2012, worked for Berry in multiple roles from ages 13 to 25. The two remain friends. “He’s a grinder. He doesn’t make too many bogeys,” Sorenson said.

Sorenson said he earned about $22,000 in section events this year, plus earnings in other golf tournaments. He has played in two PGA championships during his career and among his goals are to play in more.

When Lou Holtz coached the Gophers in the mid-1980s he proposed playing the annual Minnesota High School All-Star Football Game in the fall after the prep season ended. That becomes a reality with the first Minnesota Football Showcase scheduled at U.S. Bank Stadium Sunday, December 3, 2016. Past games have been played in June but the intent remains the same—to feature outstanding senior football players from around the state.

The Vikings and the Minnesota Football Coaches Association are partnering to present the 55th annual game matching the North All-Stars against the South All-Stars. Totino-Grace’s Jeff Ferguson will coach the North and Eden Prairie’s Mike Grant the South. KMSP Fox 9 will televise the game in the Minneapolis-St. Paul market.

The All-Star Game has been played since 1945 (annually since 1974) with over 4,200 players and 475 coaches participating. Past sponsors include The Shriners who sent game tickets to their large membership, resulting in crowds of over 30,000 at Memorial Stadium on the University of Minnesota campus.

The 2016 event is billed as a football celebration with attractions to include youth football clinics, marching band performances and autograph sessions with Vikings alumni. Tickets are available now, with proceeds going to the MFCA and Tackle Cancer Campaign. More at vikings.com/showcase.

First place St. Thomas has a bye Saturday but two of the three teams tied for second in the MIAC football standings play each other. Hamline, 4-1 overall and 2-1 in league games, is the surprise group in the MIAC. The Pipers will be in Moorhead Saturday to face Concordia (2-2, 2-1).

The other one-loss team is Saint John’s (5-1, 3-1). The Johnnies are at home to play Carleton (1-5, 1-3 MIAC).

The Minnesota Wild might be a more relaxed and focused team for three periods Saturday than shown last evening in a 3-2 opening regular season loss to the Blues in St. Louis. The Wild started slow even though the Blues had played the night before and could have been the more sluggish group. The Wild is at home Saturday night against the Jets who won four of five games against Minnesota last season.

New coach Bruce Boudreau is expected to help the Wild improve its scoring and the team is considered by some hockey authorities a “sleeper pick” to have a big season.

From a Minnesota basketball historical perspective, it will be interesting to see if the Lynx can win its fourth WNBA championship in franchise history next week. The Minneapolis Lakers won world championships in 1949, 1950, 1952, 1953 and 1954.

The Lynx, tied 1-1 with the Sparks in the WNBA Finals, play tonight in Los Angeles in the best of five series.

Gophers basketball coach Richard Pitino’s second annual Coaches vs. Cancer Minnesota Tip-off Reception will be from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Sunday, November 6 at the Minikahda Club. Activities include a cocktail reception and live auction. More at coachesvscancerminnesota.org.

Condolences to the family and friends of former Gophers basketball player and coach George Hanson who died recently. Hanson played for Minnesota in the 1950s, was an assistant coach in the 1960s and was head coach for one season in 1970-71. As nice a man as ever coached the Gophers, Hanson was let go after compiling an 11-13 overall record, 5-9 in the Big Ten.

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Bumpkins vs. City Slickers at U Saturday

Posted on October 7, 2016October 7, 2016 by David Shama

As a kid growing up in Minneapolis, I never thought about crossing Minnesota’s southern border and venturing into Iowa City without an army helmet. My parents were ardent Gophers football fans and they warned me about the dangers Minnesotans faced if they dared visit Kinnick Stadium.

Mom and Dad lectured me that the stands in Iowa City were filled with nasty folks. Many Hawkeye crazies behaved wildly after consuming adult beverages. The Iowans hated the Gophers players and didn’t much like Minnesota fans either. The warning for visitors to Kinnick Stadium was be ready to duck a pointed insult, or wayward whiskey bottle.

My parents’ perceptions had their roots in the 1930s and 1940s, and while exaggerations influenced their feelings and words, so did the facts. The Gophers, playing in Minneapolis in 1934, roughed up Iowa rusher Ozzie Simmons so badly he had to leave the game. The next year it was Iowa’s turn to host the annual game and Iowa governor Clyde Herring aroused Hawkeyes fans with this message to the Gophers: “If the officials stand for any rough tactics liked Minnesota used last year, I’m sure the crowd won’t.”

Wow!

Minnesota governor Floyd Olson responded with diplomacy by sending a telegraph to Herring: “Minnesota folks are excited over your statement about Iowa crowds lynching the Minnesota football team. I have assured them you are law abiding gentlemen and are only trying to get our goat. …I will bet you a Minnesota prize hog against an Iowa prize hog that Minnesota wins.”

Détente.

The 1935 game came off without any major incidents on the field or in the stands. The Gophers won and also claimed a live pig from Rosedale Farms in Iowa. Olson later commissioned a bronze statue of a prize pig that to this day is known throughout the country as Floyd of Rosedale.

Tomorrow the Gophers and Hawkeyes play for possession of Floyd at TCF Bank Stadium. The pig is one of the iconic trophies in college football, and while Floyd eased tensions back in the 1930s, emotions, strong words and memories still characterize the Minnesota-Iowa rivalry.

Gophers 2016 captain and senior quarterback Mitch Leidner was born 103 years after the first Minnesota-Iowa game was played in 1891. But he has the attitude about the rivalry to play the Hawkeyes during any era.

“I wouldn’t say I like them one bit,” Leidner said Tuesday. “There’s a lot of hatred between the two states and the two teams. I think everyone on this team understands that. Hopefully the freshmen understand that, but if they don’t by Wednesday they will. I am pretty excited for this one, and to be able to bring the pig home (my) senior year is everything you want.”

Growing up in Minnesota Leidner was wired about the rivalry. As a Lakeville South High School senior he attended the 2011 game at TCF Bank Stadium. He was so excited about the Gophers winning 22-21 that he went on the field after the game to celebrate with Minnesota fans and players.

That was a far more pleasant day for Minnesota fans than the 2002 Iowa win at the Metrodome. Hawkeye fans made national news by storming the field after the game and tearing down a goalpost. Then they tried to carry pieces of the goalpost out through the Metrodome doors.

Black and gold dressed rubes? Yeah, that’s the way some Gophers fans have long viewed their neighbors to the south. Chad Greenway, who was on that 2002 Hawkeyes team, is aware Minnesotans can have a superior attitude toward Iowans. “We’re the country bumpkins coming from Iowa without the big city,” said Greenway, who has played for the Vikings since 2006. “You get that feeling a little bit, but it’s a good rivalry. It’s been back and forth over the last 10 years.”

The Hawkeyes have won six of the last 10 games including last year’s 40-35 victory in Iowa City. The Gophers lead the all-time series against Iowa with a record of 62 wins, 45 losses and two ties.

There’s not been a coach on either side who didn’t feel the intensity of the rivalry but perhaps no one was more locked in than Minnesota’s Joe Salem. He had been a key contributor as a spark plug quarterback on the Gophers’ 1960 national championship team. The run to the title included a matchup on November 5, 1960 in Minneapolis between No. 1 ranked Iowa and No. 3 Minnesota. The Gophers won 27-10 before a delirious crowd of 65,610 at Memorial Stadium.

Salem took over as Minnesota coach for the 1979 season. Although Salem never had a winning Big Ten record in five years at his alma mater, he defeated Iowa three consecutive seasons from 1979-1981. Salem wanted badly to beat the Hawkeyes and during Iowa week he was on a mission.

“He was very focused on the rivalry,” said former Gopher lineman Jon Lilleberg via email. “One thing he always did was wear OshKosh B’gosh Bib Overalls to practice a couple days that week (Iowa week). But he was never mean or demeaning; (he) just made the week fun and dialed in on the rivalry.”

A friend said Salem told Iowa jokes like this one: A Hawkeyes fan comes to Minneapolis with a $20 bill and his underwear—and never changes either one. Salem also joked that Iowa fans became frustrated trying to get their tractors into big city parking ramps.

Okay, timeout. Minnesota jokes told by Iowans are just as bad. Try this one: Several Gopher football players are riding down the highway. What kind of a vehicle are they in?

Answer: A police van.

Hayden Fry took over as Iowa coach the same year Salem arrived at Minnesota. Fry was not only a superb coach who revived Hawkeyes football but he was a psychologist, too. He had the visiting team’s locker room walls painted pink with the intent that visiting teams like the Gophers would play passively.

Fry had defeated the Gophers four consecutive seasons when the Hawkeyes lost at home to Minnesota in 1989. A mediocre Minnesota team beat Iowa 43-7 and after the game Fry was tardy in doing his radio show. Finally he went on the air and the interviewer asked about the coach’s postgame delay. Fry explained he wanted to share some personal thoughts with his seniors about playing their last college game.

What did Fry reportedly tell the boys? “I just told them that they were all fine, upstanding young men…but that they just weren’t very good football players!”

Darrell Thompson, the Gophers all-time leading rusher, almost found Fry’s straight talk and charms too much to resist when he was being recruited out of Rochester, Minnesota. Fry was a terrific recruiter and the Hawkeyes had just been to the Rose Bowl in 1986, but Thompson stayed home and played for Minnesota from 1986-1989.

Now the Gophers radio analyst, Thompson pays homage to Floyd of Rosedale every year during Iowa-Minnesota game week. He eats bacon—lots of it—each day. “In honor of Floyd, in honor of the University of Minnesota and in honor of the Hawkeyes,” he said.

Former Gophers defensive back Tom Sakal recalled a story about tomatoes in an email to Sports Headliners. In the 1965 game at Kinnick Stadium the former schoolboy star from Aliquippa, Pennsylvania broke up a pass in the end zone in front of the Hawkeyes student section. “As I was getting up to my feet, I lifted my head only to see a huge tomato coming straight at my face. It hit squarely in my facemask, smashing into a hundred pieces all over my face and uniform. The student section went wild hollering and laughing.

“I thought to myself, ‘Welcome to Iowa’…and then proceeded to give them the Aliquippa hand gesture for ‘thank you.’ Ha! That was not the thing to do because then the tomatoes really started flying. I hurried back to the huddle.”

Sakal, then a sophomore, had actually been introduced to rambunctious Iowa fans about 13 hours prior to kickoff. “Around midnight or later the night before the game, hundreds of students in cars were outside our hotel blowing car horns and singing the Iowa fight song until the police arrived to send them on their way,” Sakal remembered.

The Gophers won that game in 1965, and two years later were back in Iowa City where Sakal, the team captain, helped Minnesota win again. The 1967 Gophers went on to win a share of the Big Ten title.

That was Minnesota’s last Big Ten championship. Since then Gophers fans, young and old, have had to look for glory in rivalry games and upsets of Big Ten goliaths. “I really can’t stand Iowa and will take great joy if we beat them on Saturday,” a Gophers fan said. “I have to admit that part of my feelings towards them stems from jealousy. In my lifetime, 41 years, the Iowa football program has been better than the Gophers, and that hurts.”

Tomorrow the Gophers and Hawkeyes play for the 82nd consecutive time to determine 12 months of bragging rights to Floyd of Rosedale. Yes, the Minnesota students will yell themselves hoarse, chanting “Who hates Iowa? We hate Iowa!” There may also be groan-inducing jokes from fans of both teams —and probably a lot of good football. Sportsmanship will likely prevail on the field and in the stands.

Enjoy.

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Leidner Not in McShay’s 1st Round Now

Posted on October 5, 2016October 5, 2016 by David Shama

Todd McShay made news in Minnesota last spring when he projected Mitch Leidner as a No. 1 pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. The ESPN college football authority has revised his opinion this fall.

McShay overrated the Gophers senior quarterback and no longer projects him as a first round draft choice. Last month a Sports Headliners reader told me he heard McShay on ESPN Radio in September predict Leidner as a possible fifth rounder in 2017.

Leidner hadn’t dazzled during his junior season at Minnesota but did show improvement in final games. He ranked 10th in Big Ten efficiency among passers, with a rating of 121.2. In 13 games he completed 59.5 percent of his passes and threw 14 touchdown passes. But in early May McShay wrote that the 6-4, 230-pound Minnesota native had “ideal size” for a quarterback, and labeled him a “late riser.”

McShay used a disclaimer in his “Way-too-Early NFL 2017 Mock Draft”, writing on the ESPN website that he hadn’t “studied tape” on the players he projected 1-32. In fairness to McShay he had just finished his assignments with the recently completed 2016 draft.

In his May 5 article this spring McShay had two quarterbacks, Deshaun Watson from Clemson, and Brad Kaaya of Miami, projected as the first two picks in next year’s draft. Leidner, projected as the No. 25 pick, was the only other quarterback in McShay’s mock first round.

McShay offered a revised mock draft for ESPN late last month. The top projected quarterback was Notre Dame’s DeShone Kizer at No. 18. The other first round quarterbacks were Watson at 24 and Kaaya at 30. …

It’s time for another Sports Headliners Big Ten power rankings—and Gophers fans should brace themselves. Minnesota is no longer deserving of the No. 7 listing in the last rankings of 14 conference teams. Not after an unimpressive 3-0 nonconference start and last Saturday’s 29-26 loss to Penn State in Minnesota’s league opening game.

It’s far from a perfect process comparing scores, but the Gophers didn’t earn any bragging rights last Saturday when a couple of interesting scores from out West became finals. Wyoming, with a 3-2 record, defeated Colorado State 38-7 and Colorado, 4-1, beat up on Oregon State 47-6. Minnesota, playing at home, won games against Colorado State, 2-3, and Oregon State, 1-3, by a touchdown.

Coach Tracy Claeys’ team has some strengths, including the kicking game. Placekicker Emmitt Carpenter made four field goals in the loss to PSU and is nine-for-nine in his career. He leads the Big Ten in points with 43. Punter Ryan Santoso ranks sixth in Big Ten punting with a 41.9 average and he has shown touch in booting balls inside the opposition’s 20-yard line.

Leidner’s senior experience and leadership is a major asset. Shannon Brooks, recovered from a broken foot, is one of the Big Ten’s most explosive running backs. Defensive tackle Steven Richardson has been called “unblockable” by a rival coach. But this team has issues including an inconsistent offensive line that too often can’t open holes for runners like Brooks, and is flagged for false starts and holding. The defense is vulnerable to big plays because of mistakes in the secondary and not enough pass rush.

Put the Gophers at No. 11 in the power rankings. Ohio State is an easy choice for No. 1. It’s not a layup, though, to rank Michigan No. 2 and Wisconsin third. The Wolverines won 14-7 against the Badgers last Saturday in Ann Arbor. Both teams have elite defenses, lesser offenses.

Here’s how the rest of the Big Ten teams rate: No. 4 Nebraska; No. 5 Maryland; No. 6. Northwestern; No. 7 Iowa; No. 8. Michigan State; No. 9 Penn State; No. 10. Indiana; No. 11 Minnesota; No. 12 Illinois; No. 13 Rutgers; and No. 14 Purdue. …

The Gophers hockey team opens its season with Alaska-Anchorage in Anchorage on Friday and Sunday. Minnesota goalie Eric Schierhorn is from Anchorage and his parents will host a dinner in their home for the Gophers travel group on Saturday night.

The nonconference game against Alaska-Anchorage is likely to be Minnesota’s last with the Seawolves. Budget cuts in the Alaska university system may end the men’s college hockey programs at Alaska-Anchorage and Alaska-Fairbanks. A source said the hockey programs account for about five percent of the university system’s budget.

Eden Prairie forward Casey Mittelstadt, who is expected to sign with the Gophers in November, is highlighted by NHL Central Scouting as a player to watch in rankings released earlier this week. He received an A rating. …

Vikings rookie wide receiver and 2016 No. 1 draft choice Laquon Treadwell has only been on the field for a few plays through four regular season games but receivers coach George Stewart has a message for worrisome fans. Don’t fret because the Vikings like what they see of the 21-year-old who was the 23rd pick in last spring’s draft.

“He is fine. He is a smart kid,” Stewart told Sports Headliners. “The problem is Rick Spielman, our GM, has assembled a lot of talent (among receivers) in that room.

“He’s a rookie. Just because you are a first round pick, doesn’t guarantee you’re going to come in and play. He’s the future of our football team. We have a lot of guys right now that are playing at a high level (like)—Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen. We just have one football now, too. …It’s hard to spread that thing around.”

Treadwell, 6-2 and 215 pounds, has yet to catch a pass in a game and part of his very limited playing time has been on the punt coverage team. Stewart praised Treadwell’s attitude and willingness to work.

He said Treadwell’s limited game action shouldn’t be interpreted as the Vikings being disappointed in the former Ole Miss star who gave up his final season of college football to enter the draft. Treadwell, Stewart explained, is getting a how-to on life in the NFL as a receiver including adjusting to a different offense than the one he knew in college and learning about defensive coverages.

Could Treadwell some day be a Pro Bowler? Achieving that honor will have a lot to do with desire, and Stewart talked about how Thielen has progressed from an undrafted free agent to a playmaker for the Vikings. “…If you would have told me that Adam Thielen from Minnesota State would be the player he is four years ago I wouldn’t have said so. It’s the want-to. He (Treadwell) has to want to. So hopefully if that’s a goal of his, hopefully he gets a chance to attain it.”

Treadwell broke his leg as a junior at Ole Miss and it’s a fair question to ask if that has diminished his speed. NFL.com reported that Treadwell ran a 4.63 40-yard dash at his Pro Day before the draft last spring. Stewart said the Vikings weren’t concerned about Treadwell’s speed when they chose him and aren’t now. “I believe it’s healed now because he’s out doing good things,” Stewart said.

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