Category: Preps

MarQueis Gray’s high ankle sprain has potentially changed quarterback plans for the Gophers.  With Gray out indefinitely, sophomore Max Shortell will be the starter and freshman Philip Nelson, who was highly probable for a redshirt season, is the No. 2 quarterback.

If Shortell becomes injured or sick, then Nelson is the next man up on the limited quarterback roster.  Nelson has been the No. 3 quarterback behind Gray and ahead of fellow freshman Mitch Leidner who has been seeing scout team duties in practice.  Redshirt freshman Dexter Foreman is another reserve quarterback.

Nelson is a high potential player but one obviously without college experience.  Prep recruiting authority Tom Lemming rated Nelson the No. 2 pro-style high school quarterback prospect in the country last year.  Nelson’s potential in throwing and running the ball is a good fit in Minnesota’s balanced offense.

But the hope by the Gophers coaches is Nelson won’t have to see game action because once he’s on the field his redshirt eligibility disappears.  A redshirt season for Nelson in 2012 means he’s still a freshman in football eligibility next season, while Shortell is a junior.  That sets up a possible scenario where Shortell could be the starter for two seasons as a junior and senior while Nelson will have two remaining years of eligibility after Shortell completes his career at Minnesota.

The 6-6, 237-pound Shortell has a lumbering running style that makes him a big target for tacklers and potential injury.  He would be well advised to slide at the end of runs whenever possible, avoiding the kind of near head-on collision he escaped from last Saturday against Western Michigan.

Gray’s skill set begins with his running, while Shortell’s starts with passing.  For that reason the Gophers coaches will make changes to the offense with Shortell as the starter and he won’t be asked to run with the ball nearly as many plays as offered to Gray.  That will help limit Shortell’s exposure to injury.

Notes:

Western Michigan coach Bill Cubit praised Shortell who replaced the injured Gray in the first half with the Gophers leading 10-7 on Saturday.  He said Shortell, who threw three touchdown passes including two in the first half, was “probably the difference” in the game’s outcome.

“Your whole game plan changes,” Cubit said of the switch in quarterbacks.  “Now all of a sudden—no offense to Gray—you have a guy that can throw it around a little bit more.  He came in at a time Minnesota was struggling, and he was able to give them a much needed boost.”

Junior Gophers’ defensive tackle Ra’Shede Hageman didn’t have a sack in the 28-23 win over Western Michigan, leaving his total for the season at three after being double and triple teamed by the Broncos.  Was he frustrated by all the extra attention from blockers?

“It’s just part of football,” Hageman said.  “I get mad.  I just use that for fuel. …”

Sophomore Gophers’ running back Donnell Kirkwood ran for a single game career high of 120 yards.  He credited his resolve to be more of a physical runner for the success after having 71 yards in the previous game against New Hampshire.  “I think I kind of got away from that last week, trying to make the big play,” Kirkwood said.

Junior Minnesota wide receiver A.J. Barker, who caught three touchdown passes yesterday, isn’t on scholarship but look for that to change, according to what Gophers coach Jerry Kill said on WCCO Radio yesterday.

The 3-0 Gophers play 1-2 Syracuse in a 7 p.m. game Saturday at TCF Bank Stadium.  The game is being billed as “Fill Our House” by the Minnesota Athletic Department and $10 tickets are available to the public.  Those tickets can be purchased now via www.mygophersports.com or by calling 612-624-8080.

Jason LaFrenz, Gophers’ associate athletics director, said the season tickets total for students is 4,000.  Last year it was 5,600.

There’s no accusing suspended wide receiver Jerome Simpson of not being optimistic about the Vikings.  Asked last Thursday what he thinks his team is capable of this season, he said:  “Super Bowl.  I really do because we have so many championship people at positions.  … We got a great quarterback, Christian (Ponder).  We’ve got so much talent on this team.  Anything short of a Super Bowl is lost in my book.”

The Vikings looked more like a team headed for a repeat of last year’s 3-13 record yesterday in a 23-20 loss to the mediocre Colts in Indianapolis.  Mistakes, including three personal foul penalties in the third quarter, hurt the Vikings on both offense and defense.  Despite playing against a Colts offensive line that has been shuffled with personnel changes, and a rookie Indianapolis quarterback in Andrew Luck, the Vikings couldn’t make enough big plays to win.

The Vikings continue to rotate defensive linemen in and out, much more than in past seasons.  KFAN radio analyst Pete Bercich reported during the first half that starting tackle Kevin Williams was so upset he threw his helmet on the sidelines.

The Vikings will pull off one of the NFL’s biggest upsets of the season next Sunday at Mall of America Field if they can defeat the 2-0 49ers, a Super Bowl favorite and perhaps the league’s best club.  The two teams met in the preseason and even then the 49ers looked superior, easily winning 17-6.

Mike Tice had to handle tempermental Randy Moss when Tice was head coach of the Vikings.  Now Tice is offensive coordinator of the Bears and has an emotional quarterback in Jay Cutler who wasn’t happy with the play of some teammates in last Thursday’s 23-10 loss to the Packers. The Bears played poorly at times in that game, showing a leaky offensive line and receivers who under performed.

St. Paul native and NBA referee Ken Mauer is supportive of the NFL officials who aren’t working so far this season because of a lockout.  Mauer said those officials are being told to take fewer benefits, and he “would fight for any worker in this country that was going through something like that.”

“I am for them,” Mauer told Sports Headliners.  “I am proud of what they are doing.  I applaud them. “

It’s popular to criticize the replacement officials but they have a difficult assignment.  Those officials are working NFL games for the first time and their performances are in the national spotlight.

Mike Markuson, the former Hamline University and Farmington High assistant, who was fired as Wisconsin’s offensive line coach after two games last week, was replaced on the Badgers staff by 27-year-old Bart Miller.  Miller was promoted to interim offensive line coach from his position as a graduate assistant.  The Badgers rushed for only 173 yards in a 16-14 win over Utah State last Saturday.

The guess here is Rashad Vaughn, the Cooper junior guard and one of the nation’s best prep basketball prospects in the class of 2014, will keep the Gophers near the top of his list college lists.

Prep basketball authority Ken Lien emailed that representatives from Louisville, North Carolina, Tennessee and Wisconsin will be in town recruiting Vaughn this week.

Ask local prep football authority Zach Johnson about the state of Minnesota’s best college prospects in the class of 2013 and he delivers the highest praise for Tartan High School defensive back Keelon Brookins.

“I just think the world of Keelon Brookins,” Johnson told Sports Headliners.  “I think he’s dynamic.  I think he’s got a chance to be a shutdown cornerback in the Big Ten.   Currently committed to Wisconsin—if he sticks with that.  Sounds like he will, but he was committed to Minnesota for a few months before switching to Wisconsin.”

Brookins, whose father earned two degrees at Minnesota, is one of three prep players from the state who lead a 2013 class Johnson describes as “not deep” in big-time college prospects.  Johnson, who uses his expertise as publisher for Gopherillustrated.com, said the big three consists of Brookins, Cretin-Derham Hall receiver James Onwualu and Cooper defensive back Malik Rucker.

Johnson also has impressions of both Onwualu and Rucker.  “I don’t think he (Onwualu) has the big play (ability) or the high ceiling of a Michael Floyd but I think he’s a guy that probably (will) fit in well at Notre Dame and be a contributor there.

“Rucker, I know, he is still sort of talking to Minnesota but still says he’s solid to Iowa.  He appears to be a guy that would be perfect for Iowa’s defense.  Probably stick him back at safety and let him ball hawk, and I think that is more what will fit his game.  I don’t think he’s that bigger safety that will be into run support, nor do I think he’s really aggressive.  I think he will be more of a free safety that will sit back and try to pick off passes.”

Johnson said it’s “disappointing” none of the three players is verbally committed to Minnesota at this time (official college signing date for prep football players will be February 6, 2013).  He also said “there’s a big drop off” in the state’s major college prospects after Brookins, Onwualu and Rucker.

Johnson described Wayzata’s Chris Wipson as a “solid linebacker.”  He’s the only Minnesota native listed among six preps verbally committed to the Gophers on Gopherillustrated.com.  Wipson receives a two-star rating from Rivals.com.  Brookins is a four-star, while Onwualu and Rucker are three-star players.

There are three two-star players and three with three-star ratings on the Gophers commit list so far.  “But all of them are pretty much what you’d expect from Jerry Kill early on in his recruiting (program building),” Johnson said.  “Not really heralded. …They’re (the Gophers) not beating many Big Ten or BCS type schools to get these guys.

“But then again they didn’t have to do that to get a lot of the current true freshmen on the field right now that are seeing some potential.”

Those who understand the Gophers program know Minnesota’s head coach and his staff realize that until Minnesota becomes a winner it’s going to be difficult to land big-time high school players, those with four and even five-star ratings.  In the meantime, the Gophers coaches will use their wits and moxie to find players, including talent others don’t recognize.

“I would expect until they figure out a way to compete in the Big Ten, that they’re going to have to rely on their evaluation skills, and their ability to find those guys who might be an inch short or 10 pounds light than what the big schools want,” Johnson said.  “You can still win football games finding those guys.”

Notes:

Kill said yesterday he may redshirt about 24 of his freshmen this season.  Per NCAA rules, a freshman will lose the redshirt option if he plays even a minute in one game.

Troy Stoudermire mishandled a punt in the opening game on August 30 against UNLV and was replaced by A.J. Barker who has kept the Gophers’ punt return job since including last Saturday in Minnesota’s 44-7 win over New Hampshire.  Barker has been steady and returned three punts including one for 19 yards last week.  He leads the Big Ten Conference in punt return average at 14 yards.

David Schwerman was the Gophers’ opening night punter at UNLV.  He punted twice for 31 yards and then was replaced by Christian Eldred.  The Australian native and program walk-on averaged 42 yards on four punts against New Hampshire.

UNLV, the team the Gophers defeated 30-27 in overtime in Henderson, Nevada, lost at home again last Saturday night when FCS Northern Arizona beat the Rebels 17-14.

Vikings’ executive Lester Bagley told Sports Headliners he expects an architectural firm that will design the new downtown stadium to be chosen before month’s end.  Five firms are submitting bids including HKS, the firm that designed the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.  Although the Vikings like the Indy facility, Bagley said that won’t be a factor in selecting a firm.

Quarterback Christian Ponder recovered from a slow start in last Sunday’s 26-23 season opening win over the Jaguars.  Ponder rallied his team to a late second quarter touchdown that seemed to turn around his day and the offense but before that he was booed by the crowd of 56,607, the smallest at a Vikings home game since the 1990s.

“Anytime you get booed, you gotta feel for that guy,” teammate Toby Gerhart said.  “(Fans) got on him early but he stepped up, made some key plays, key passes for us as the game went on, and really helped us win that game.”

Gerhart, the Vikings reserve running back, said Adrian Peterson told him on the sidelines he was “ecstatic” to be playing again after last season’s ACL injury, and needed to contain his emotions.

Vikings No. 2 quarterback Joe Webb on the importance of winning at home: “You gotta protect the house.  You can’t let nobody come in your home and take over.  It’s a great place to play (Mall of America Field).  Minnesota fans, they bring great energy to the stadium.”

Webb has a two-year career rushing average of 6.8 yards per carry, but he didn’t play in Sunday’s game against Jacksonville.  Will fans see Webb in the run-friendly Wildcat offense this season?  “You never know what’ll happen,” he said.

Webb and former Vikings quarterback Brett Favre sometimes text one another, offering words of encouragement.

Vikings defensive tackle Kevin Williams, 32, believes he’s still playing at a high level.  “Without a doubt.  I wouldn’t get out there if I couldn’t,” he said.

Vikings rookie offensive tackle Matt Kalil, the team’s top draft choice in 2012, blocked a pair of field goals and extra points during his junior 2011 season at USC.  He blocked an extra point attempt in Sunday’s game against the Jaguars.

How did he judge his play as the starting left tackle in the regular season opener compared with preseason games?  “Probably my most solid game,” he said.

Twins first-year pitcher Sam Deduno, who defeated the Indians on Monday night, is 2-1 in his last three starts with a 1.80 ERA.

Twins first baseman Justin Morneau, who has made a successful recovery from concussion problems, is hitting .326 in his last 62 games.

WCCO TV’s Mark Rosen said over 8,000 hard copies of his book Best Seat in the House have been sold.

Eric Perkins has replaced Randy Shaver as KARE 11 sports director.  Shaver is now the co-anchor on the KARE 11 week day nightly news with Julie Nelson.

Murray’s restaurant has completed its remodeling project and re-opened last Friday.  Enhancements include private seating areas for groups and a larger bar along with overall redecorating.