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Category: Preps

Koi Perich Adds Intrigue to Minnesota-Iowa Rivalry Game

Posted on September 18, 2024September 18, 2024 by David Shama

 

The unexpected comes to mind this week as Minnesota and Iowa prepare for their 118th  football game.  Why? Because both teams and their fans had no idea last year’s game in Iowa City would end with such drama.

With less than two minutes remaining in the game, Iowa’s Cooper DeJean fielded a punt and ran 54 yards for an apparent touchdown to give his No. 24 ranked team a 16-12 lead.  However, the go-ahead score was negated after officials determined that before fielding the football, DeJean signaled an illegal fair catch.

Emotions always run high in rivalry games but the replay ruling that wiped the touchdown off the scoreboard took things to a higher level. Iowa fans reportedly threw bottles, cans, and food onto the field.  The Minnesota bench was targeted with debris, forcing the players to move out of their sideline area.

The Golden Gophers hung on to their 12-10 lead, winning for the first time in Iowa City since 2000 and taking home the famous rivalry trophy, Floyd of Rosedale. Minnesota’s other four wins this century all came in Minneapolis where Saturday’s game will be played.

The 2023 game was a bitter defeat for the Hawkeyes, including for DeJean who now is in the NFL playing for the Eagles.  DeJean is only 21 years old, but he will be remembered as a legendary player for Iowa.  He has a charming backstory with origins in Odebolt, Iowa, a small town with less than 1,000 people.

As a high school player, the scholarship offers were modest coming from the likes of North and South Dakota schools.  But like a movie character DeJean had a passion for the home-state Hawkeyes and, boy, did he make their fans happy soon after he accepted an Iowa scholarship.  It was the only Power Five offer he received.

A superb cornerback and punt returner, he played three seasons at Iowa and the results were the kind of stuff that gets your uniform number retired and name on a short list of program legends.  In 2022 he set a school single season record by returning three pass interceptions for touchdowns. He was a unanimous cornerback All-American last season on a who’s who of All-American teams. He was also named Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year and Return Specialist of the Year after dazzling on punt returns including a 70-yard TD against Michigan State—and the score that wasn’t against the Gophers.

On Saturday, the Gophers will introduce Iowa to—just maybe—their own version of Cooper DeJean.  Minnesota’s nominee, of course, is prized freshman recruit Koi Perich, a substitute safety for now but already the team’s punt returner.

Perich has that small town background, too, coming from Esko, Minnesota, with a population of about 2,000.  Unlike DeJean coming out of high school, the college football world coveted Perich including mighty Ohio State who he turned down at the last minute.

After signing with the Gophers in December, Perich showed what he could do in a high school all-star game in San Antonio. Playing in the All-American Bowl against some of the better prep talent in the country last January, Perich was named MVP.  He had an interception, broke up two passes, made a tackle for a loss, and blocked and recovered a punt.

As a high school senior last fall Perich played defense, offense and special teams while leading Esko to a 10-1 record.  He accounted for 27 touchdowns, including five on defense, along with three scores on punt returns and one on a kickoff return.

Koi Perich photo courtesy of University of Minnesota

In Perich’s brief career with the Gophers, he’s played special teams and also spot minutes as a defensive back and has an interception.  But it’s been as punt returner that he has mostly caused a stir.  Replacing regular returner Quentin Redding who is injured and out for the year, Perich already has a 28-yard return. He has returned three punts for an average of 16.67 yards (in 2023 DeJean averaged 11.5 for the season).               .

The moxie and athleticism are so evident when Perich is on the field that his presence makes observers watch in anticipation of what he will do.  He has inspired confidence in Minnesota head coach P.J. Fleck who is quick to point out that Perich, unlike some freshmen who enrolled in January, has only been in the program since June.

Perich has had some catching up to do with all there is to learn in college football, but Fleck said the freshman can handle the process by the “shovels.”  Talented, intelligent and confident, Perich has inspired trust in Fleck—something a freshman doesn’t easily earn.

“He’s a heck of a football player,” said Fleck who talks about the 6-foot-1, 200-pound Perich as a player who prompts anticipation that something good is going to happen when he is on the field.

Perhaps like a punt return or interception to beat the hated Hawkeyes on Saturday, or next year, or the year after?

Minnesota, with a 2-1 record, is about a 2.5-point underdog to Iowa, also 2-1.  For the Gophers to win they likely will need sophomore running back Darius Taylor’s big play ability.

Taylor, who is one of Minnesota’s top Name, Image and Likeness earners, missed the North Carolina opener because of a hamstring issue.  The Gophers probably win that game, a 19-17 loss, if Taylor had played.

Taylor, who averaged 133.2 yards rushing in 2023 (third best in program history), had a hamstring injury that caused him to miss seven games last season.  Darrell Thompson, the record setting former Gopher running back and now color analyst on the Gopher Radio Network, acknowledged how hamstring injuries can be re-occurring.

Thompson said hamstring prevention and maintenance are challenging because “you gotta really take care of it and rehab it and never forget about it.”  He added: “…It’s a big delicate muscle, especially when you’re a running back, receiver, defensive back, where you gotta…(track) the problem like all the time.”

Thompson told Sports Headliners fingers are crossed regarding Taylor.  “Absolutely.  We need him.  He’s a very integral part of the offense.  He’s the straw that stirs the drink, so we need him to be in one piece.”

Thompson believes Taylor’s production can go to a new level this fall for a couple of reasons. His workload will be shared with other backs, mostly Oklahoma transfer Marcus Major.  Odds are that a “pitch count” can reduce his vulnerability to injury.

Another positive is it looks like Taylor will be targeted more as a pass receiver. In two games he already has nine receptions after a total of 11 in six games last year.

Fleck, of course, knows what he’s got in Taylor who had a 80-yard touchdown run last Saturday in Minnesota’s win over Nevada.  “I think he’s one of the best players on this football team, and maybe in the country. …He’s really important to our team, not only on the field, but off the field. The type of person he is, the leader he is. How he’s developing as a man.

“There’s so many things that I love about Darius, but yeah, we missed him (against North Carolina). I mean you can’t sit there and say you don’t miss your best players when they’re not in there. …”

Thompson, BTW, was expected on Monday to start his annual routine of eating bacon each day leading up to the Iowa game.  His plan is to “eat as much bacon as possible” during the week, although he confessed there are limits. There was a year when he had nine pieces in one day and he didn’t feel so “great” after gobbling all that down.  The news, he said, didn’t go over well with his cardiologist.

Comments Welcome

Debuts: Sam Darnold Gets the ‘W,’ Kirk Cousins the Loss

Posted on September 8, 2024September 9, 2024 by David Shama

 

Who needs Kirk Cousins?

In homes and taverns around the state, that could be the sentiment of Vikings fans tonight as they chant “Skol” after a dominating 28-6 win on the road over the Giants.  In weekend one of the NFL season, new Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold completed 19 of 24 passes including two touchdown passes in a surprisingly easy win for Minnesota who entered the game about a 1.5-point favorite.

Darnold, who the Vikings signed as a free agent in the off-season, was smoking from the beginning. The grandson of former Marlboro man Dick Hammer, Darnold completed his first 12 passes in the game that celebrated 100 seasons of Giants football.  He was 13 of 14 at halftime, with 151 yards.

Cousins, who after six seasons in Minnesota as the starting quarterback decided the Atlanta Falcons offered too many bucks to remain with the Purple, had a disappointing debut against the Steelers. The 36-year-old Cousins completed 16 of 26 passes for 155 yards and threw a touchdown pass but had two interceptions in a 18-10 home loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Darnold looked like a different quarterback today than he has been for much of his NFL career that includes three initial seasons in the league with the Jets where he threw 39 interceptions, and 45 touchdown passes. Then he played two unproductive seasons with the woeful Carolina Panthers.  Last season, he started one game as a backup for the San Francisco 49ers.

Kevin O’Connell image courtesy of Minnesota Vikings

But Darnold, 27, was around offensive guru and 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan a year ago and now plays for another quarterback whisperer in Viking boss Kevin O’Connell.  He has added football savvy to go with his physical tools that include a quick release and strong arm.

“I am really proud of him,” O’Connell said at his postgame press conference heard on KFXN-FM in Minneapolis.

The Vikings were predicted to have quarterback issues without Cousins and minus first round pick J.J. McCarthy who was injured in the first preseason game and is out for the season.  But those same predictors who said earlier in the summer the Vikings won’t make the playoffs, got a surprise today when the Vikings played a complete game.

Led by new running back Aaron Jones, the offense was balanced with 111 rushing yards complementing the work of Darnold and receivers Justin Jefferson and Jalen Nailor who both had TD receptions.  Jones, who also scored a touchdown, showed his breakaway speed and toughness, rushing for 94 yards.

Defensively, the Vikings made the boos rain down from the stands much of the game at MetLife Stadium.  Coordinator Brian Flores’ defense confused the Giants, and his players came up with five sacks and two interceptions.

One of those sacks came from rookie edge rusher Dallas Turner, a Vikings first round pick last April.  He’s among the top favorites for NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.

Regarding that possible honor, Turner said on Friday: “You know, it’s definitely a blessing and an honor, but you know at the end of the day I still have to play football and perform. That journey starts next week. The play is going to speak for itself.”

His sack spoke loudly and even more so was the 10-yard interception for a third quarter touchdown by linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel that put Minnesota ahead 28-6.  Veteran safety Harrison Smith had the other INT.

At his postgame presser, O’Connell said his players weren’t surprised with their dominant win. Maybe not, but a lot of fans who bleed purple certainly were.

Worth Noting

The Vikings are offering three fan packages for their October 6 game in London against the Jets.  Per person costs range from $1,145 to $4,095.  https://onlocationexp.com/nfl/minnesota-vikings-london?utm_source=vikings.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=isg_london_teams-vikings_news_article_press_release_priority_access

Kaden Johnson, the former Minnehaha Academy star who started his college career at Wisconsin, is a fifth-year edge rusher for the Nevada team that plays at Minnesota Saturday.  A coveted recruit coming out of high school, Johnson has two solo tackles and nine assisted for the Wolf Pack who are 1-2 on the season, with a 28-26 win over Troy and losses to SMU, 29-24, and Georgia State, 20-17.

The Wolf Pack receive $1.2 million from the Gophers for playing in Minneapolis.

Dick Jonckowski

Dick Jonckowski, who turns 81 on October 22, reports he’s still cancer free from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma after about 18 months.  Over the years Jonckowski has been a fixture with public address work for amateur baseball and on September 21 he will be inducted into the Minnesota Amateur Baseball Hall of Fame in St. Cloud at the River’s Edge Convention Center.  It’s the 10th hall of fame for the “Polish Eagle” who has endeared himself to Minnesotans over the years for his emcee, public address and radio broadcast work in amateur sports including with the Gophers.

Baseball Hall of Famer and former Twins left-handed pitcher Jim Kaat texting about his golf game: “I don’t keep a handicap anymore. I just play for recreation. My goal is to beat my age, 85, every round.”

Kaat, one of the best TV baseball analysts ever, plays ambidextrously.  “I do play a little each way. Lefty is a little better.”

Gabriel Gonzalez, acquired in the 2024 Twins trade sending Jorge Polanco to the Mariners, is the Minor League Player of the Week playing for High-A affiliate Cedar Rapids.  The Venezuelan outfielder hit .350 in five games. That’s about 100 higher than his season average for the Kernels.

Ari Peterson, the daughter of former Vikings superstar Adrian Peterson, is enrolled at Minnetonka High School as a freshman. The 6-foot-2 Peterson helped Providence Academy to state Class 2A titles the last two years playing with Maddyn Greenway, daughter of former Vikings linebacker Chad Greenway.

Brian Cosgriff, coach of the defending state champion 4A Minnetonka girls’ team, wants the gifted Peterson to play “positionless basketball.” He told Sports Headliners that Peterson, who has offers from the Gophers, Oklahoma and Ohio State, can be the “best” basketball player in the state when she is a high school senior.

The Skippers have three returning starters, but lost a fourth when prep superstar Aaliyah Crump, among the most coveted players by colleges in the country, decided to play her senior season at Montverde Academy, a private prep school in Montverde, Florida.

Former Vikings defensive end Jared Allen, a member of the franchise’s Ring of Honor, will be the celebrity speaker Saturday night at the Morrie Miller Athletic Foundation Banquet in Winona. He will play golf the next day at the Cedar Valley Golf Course in Winona. Past celebrity speakers include Brett Favre, Joe Montana, Mike Ditka, Bart Starr and Bud Grant. The foundation’s purpose is to benefit youth athletics in Winona.

Steve Erban’s Creative Charters has added the 2025 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show at Madison Square Garden in February to the list of travel destinations that includes Gopher football games and more.  Son Bryce Erban will be showing his champion Airedale.

WCCO TV sports director Mike Max leads a panel discussion with Gopher basketball coaches Ben Johnson and Dawn Plitzuweit, and Dinkytown Athletes president Derek Burns, at the Twin Cities Dunkers program September 24.

Comments Welcome

Making the Case for Trading Viking WR Jordan Addison

Posted on August 27, 2024August 27, 2024 by David Shama

 

It’s interesting to consider the Vikings could trade second-year star wide receiver Jordan Addison.

Multiple factors make a trade plausible.  The Vikings appear deep in wide receivers starting with 25-year-old superstar Justin Jefferson and moving through other players who impressed during training camp.

The list includes Jalen Nailor, “Speedy,” who lived up to his nickname in three preseason games as Minnesota went 3-0.  Nailor, 25, caught four passes for 94 yards, an average per reception of 23.5 yards.

When the Vikings trim their roster to 53 today, the club could list three other wide receivers including Trishton Jackson, 26, who caught touchdown passes in all three preseason games—tops in the NFL. He totaled nine receptions for 154 yards in the games.

Brandon Powell, 28, is small at 5-8, 181 pounds but he is a physical player. The Vikings saw his production last year when he received increased playing time with Jefferson sidelined.  He started two games, played in all 17 regular season games and caught 29 passes for 324 yards.

Trent Sherfield, 28, is another physical player and the coaches have to love his willingness and skill blocking, traits not all wideouts possess.  The 6-1, 210-pound NFL veteran had one touchdown among his seven preseason receptions.

Jordan Addison image courtesy of Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings need draft choices in 2025 and an early round selection, preferably a first, could come in return for moving on from Addison. Minnesota has three selections for next year, a first-round pick and two fifth rounders. Expected bottom feeders like the Panthers and Patriots need wide receiver talent.  It’s possible the Vikings might get creative and be able to make a trade involving Addison that returns a valued player and draft choice.  The club could have needs at cornerback and interior offensive line not only this season but next when the Vikings will be well positioned with salary cap space to pursue free agents.

Addison’s two road incidents within 13 months of each other raise “red flags” about his judgment. He was cited for speeding and reckless driving at 140 MPH on Interstate 94 in St. Paul over a year ago.  He later pled guilty to a misdemeanor speeding charge, $686 fine and had his license suspended for six months.

Last month Addison was arrested by the California Highway Patrol on suspicion of driving under the influence.  His car was reportedly found blocking traffic on I-105 near Los Angeles International Airport while he was asleep in the driver’s seat.

If there is another incident this year or not too long after, that figures to diminish Addison’s trade value. Rather than gamble on future problems, the Vikings might test trade interest in Addison who could miss games this fall because of disciplinary action from the NFL. The Vikings find themselves in a position of apparent strength with their wide receiver corps and have other offensive playmakers including gifted tight end T.J. Hockenson and potential 1,000-yard rusher Aaron Jones.

There seemingly are always other teams willing to take on a talented player who has had off-field issues.  Addison produced 70 receptions, 911 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns last season.  The Pro Football Writers Association named him to its All-Rookie team.

Addison and Jefferson form one of the best and explosive pass catching duos in the NFL. The Vikings might have an ego issue about trading Addison after having spent a first-round draft selection on him in 2023 and seeing his importance to the team.  A former NFL executive with two clubs cautioned Sports Headliners earlier this summer when he said: “The reality is a first-round pick is different.  And a first-round pick that plays well like he did last year—and we presume he will this year—it’s just different.”

The NFL trade deadline is November 5. The Vikings have time to work on an Addison trade if they choose to.

Worth Noting

Vikings reserve quarterback Jaren Hall led the NFL in preseason touchdown passes with four. Trey Lance, the Marshall, Minnesota native, led all the quarterbacks with 662 passing yards and topped rushers with 168 yards while playing for the Cowboys.

Dinkytown Athletes, the official Golden Gophers collective, reports for the most recent fiscal year it bettered the goal of 85 percent revenue going to student-athletes.  That means an additional $150,000 will be provided to Gopher athletes for name, image and likeness opportunities.

Casey O’Brien, the former Golden Gophers football player who has inspired so many, is battling cancer again. O’Brien, a six-time cancer survivor dating back to age 13 when he was first diagnosed with bone cancer, is pursuing funds to pay for an alternative therapy not covered by insurance.  A graduate of the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management, he is known for the courage and optimism he has displayed facing his health challenges—a message he has shared in speaking engagements, conversations and fundraising.  Now battling cancer in his lung, liver and low back, he has established a GoFundMe page: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-casey-obriens-fight-against-cancer

Jim Brunzell reports Kevin Hamm, his friend and former Gopher football teammate in 1969 and 1970, has been battling leukemia for seven months.  https://www.caringbridge.org/site/ac4809a5-5805-11ef-9ac3-53c8c09873a4

The Golden Gophers and North Carolina game Thursday night will be seen across the country on Fox.  Jason Benetti, a familiar voice from his work on the Big Ten Network, will do play-by-play.  Former Washington Huskies quarterback Brock Huard will offer analysis.

This will be the season opener for both teams, with the Gophers likely to be about a two point underdog.  The outcome could turn on a couple of things depending on whose new quarterback plays better, and how the defenses contain the star running backs—North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton and Minnesota’s Darius Taylor.

As of Tuesday, tickets remained for the game with Gophersports.com reporting “low availability” in many sections at Huntington Bank Stadium.

My prediction for the Gophers’ season record: 8-5 including another bowl win running their streak to eight in a row.

Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck starts the season as the third fastest coach in Gopher history to win 50 games.  Fleck, 50-34, needed 84 games to reach his total while Henry Williams did it in 58 and Bernie Bierman in 67.

North Carolina head coach Mack Brown’s birthday is today, August 27.  At 73 he is the only Division I head coach in his 70s.

The Nevada team the Gophers play in their third game of the season opened its schedule last Saturday with a close loss, 27-24, to SMU.  Nevada, playing on its home field and nearly a four-touchdown underdog, led 24-13 going into the fourth quarter.  Preseason expectations were for Nevada to be among the worst FBS teams in the country.

Coach Dwight Lundeen goes for his 400th career victory Thursday night when his Becker football team hosts Hill-Murray.  After the 2023 season, his record was 399-167-3, ranking second all-time in state prep coaching history, and trailing Verndale’s Mike Mahlen at 432-132-3.  Brainerd’s Ron Stolski and Delano’s Merrill Pavlovich, both retired, rank third and fifth respectively on the all-time wins list, with Eden Prairie’s Mike Grant, 388-80, fourth.

As of this morning the Twins’ biggest stars, Royce Lewis, Carlos Correa and Byron Buxton, had missed a total of 177 games.  Here’s how it breaks down: Lewis 67 with a right quad strain and 20 with a right adductor strain; Correa 22 with a right intercostal strain and 35 with right plantar fasciitis; Buxton 20 with right knee inflammation and 13 with right hip inflammation.

Yesterday (August 26th) was the anniversary date of the first no-hitter by a Twins pitcher. In 1962 Jack Kralick threw a near perfect game except for a walk as the Twins defeated the Athletics 1-0 at Metropolitan Stadium

The MIAC Sports Network can be found and installed free at various sources such as Apple TV as well as the web at https://miacsportsnetwork.com/.

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