Recruiting – Page 23 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Bret Bielema Bedevils Golden Gophers

Posted on October 11, 2022October 11, 2022 by David Shama

Bret Bielema has a history with University of Minnesota football and it’s an unhappy one for Golden Gophers fans. Let’s put it this way: Bielema doesn’t receive many greeting cards with Minnesota postmarks on the envelopes.

As a head coach Bielema is 8-0 against the Gophers and he hopes to make it 9-0 Saturday in Champaign where his Big Ten West Division leading Fighting Illini are a 3.5 point underdog. While leading Wisconsin from 2006-2012, the Badgers were 7-0 against Minnesota. Then last season, Bielema’s first as Illinois head coach, he surprised a heavily favored Gopher team with a 14-6 upset in Minneapolis.

Gopher fans who harbor hard feelings can tell you the circumstances and score of the 2010 game in Madison. Deep in the fourth quarter the Badgers scored a touchdown to go ahead 41-16. With a 25-point lead, Bielema opted for an unsuccessful two-point conversion try that raised the eyebrows of the college football world. Gophers head coach Tim Brewster was angered by the strategy not to kick the extra point, and Minnesota fans found another reason to resent the Badgers, piling on the hurt of losing every year to their border rival to the east.

Bielema left the Badgers after the 2012 season to take the head coaching job at Arkansas. For whatever reasons, things didn’t work out in Fayetteville and Bielema was fired with a 29-34 record in five seasons. After a stint in the NFL, Illinois jumped on the opportunity to hire him after firing Lovie Smith who recruited successfully but didn’t see his teams live up to expectations.

Last year the Illini finished 5-7 but now are 5-1 and ranked No. 24 in the Associated Press poll of top 25 teams. The success doesn’t surprise Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck.

“Obviously, he’s one of the best college coaches—maybe of all time. You can start to see that blueprint starting to take shape over there at Illinois. I’ve got a lot of respect for what they do and who they are, especially him as a person and as a coach.”

Fleck, speaking at his weekly news conference Monday, said the Illini are “incredibly physical” and there is a lot of athleticism on the roster. “They want to just beat you up and they’ve done that to a lot of people this year. They’re a really good football team.”

The Illini hold Big Ten wins over Iowa and Wisconsin, with a three-point loss at Indiana. Bielema’s team has scored 24 points or more in four games. No longer is Bielema just relying on a power-run game that had much to do with his success at Wisconsin including three Big Ten titles. Now his teams may show formations with five wide outs or three tight ends.

Defense is really where the Illini show their prowess. Illinois has given up only three touchdowns and ranks third in the country in yards yielded per game, 227.8. Minnesota is No. 1 giving up 222 yards per game. The Gophers have allowed five touchdowns.

The Gophers, 4-1 overall and 1-1 in the Big Ten, likely need to win Saturday to have some control in contending for the program’s first-ever West Division championship. Going to No. 10 ranked Penn State with a 1-2 conference record a week from Saturday wouldn’t be a good position for the boys from Dinkytown. Two of those losses would be to division foes, while the Illini’s only conference loss came out of the division against Indiana.

Nebraska and Purdue are tied with Illinois for the division lead with 2-1 records. Purdue holds a win over the Gophers and its only league loss was to Penn State from the East Division. Nebraska’s loss came to West Division rival Northwestern.

Minnesota still has seven conference games to play, but Saturday has a must-win feel to it. Success could well be determined by players who have been injured and whether they will play Saturday. lllinois starting quarterback Tommy DeVito and playmaking wide receiver Isaiah Williams were injured in Saturday’s 9-6 win over Iowa. Key defensive players are dealing with injuries, too.

Who all will play for the Illini probably won’t be known until Saturday morning. The Gophers will have All-American tailback Mo Ibrahim returning from his ankle injury sustained September 24 at Michigan State. He didn’t play in Minnesota’s offensive malaise against Purdue, when the Gophers lost 20-10. “He is the straw that stirs the drink here,” said Ryan Burns, the Gopher authority from GopherIllustrated.

Ibrahim’s replacements against Purdue, Trey Potts and Bryce Williams, were ineffective in a game where the offense was sluggish, the defense unable to make enough big stops and good fortune didn’t seem to favor maroon and gold.

Burns said Potts and Williams didn’t break a tackle in 20 combined carries. “Trey and Bryce don’t play well. Do I expect that to happen again? No, I expect them to be able to break a tackle. It was just a strange, strange week against Purdue.”

Burns has a prediction about Saturday’s game while making the assumption key injured players will play. “Illinois’ defense is tremendous, and their offense is a work in progress, but they have a really talented running back too in Chase Brown who…leads all of college football in rushing. So it’s going to be who can get to 17 points first because whichever one does, I think they’re going to win.”

When Bielema coached at Wisconsin he said on a Big Ten basketball telecast he considered Minneapolis part of the Badgers’ recruiting territory. Over the years it’s been a sore point with Gophers fans to see the parade of Minnesota preps in football and basketball play for the Badgers. When Bielema was at Arkansas he reached into Chanhassen and made center Frank Ragnow a Razorback. Ragnow became an All-American and was a 2018 first round pick of the NFL Lions.

Illini offensive line coach Bart Miller, who held the same title in 2016 under then Minnesota head coach Tracy Claeys, is recruiting the Gopher state for Bielema. The Illini have made offers to Minnesotans including Osseo offensive lineman Jerome Williams who has verbally committed to the Gophers.

If the Gophers can keep the Illini shut out in recruiting here and deliver a win Saturday, Minnesota fans may mellow a bit about Bielema who not only was a kingpin at Wisconsin but played and coached at Iowa, that other heated border rival.

Maybe mellow (a bit).

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New NIL Collective Key to U Success

Posted on September 27, 2022September 27, 2022 by David Shama

Dinkytown Athletes, a name, image, and likeness (NIL) collective supporting student-athletes at the University of Minnesota, had its official launch yesterday. It may not be an exaggeration to say the collective’s success may determine whether P.J. Fleck wants to be the Golden Gophers football coach long-term.

Fleck has publicly acknowledged the importance of NIL for his program. If he sees a successful NIL in Minnesota it could be a game changer for Gophers football and other sports including men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball. Other major football programs are out in front of Minnesota with their collectives so the launch of Dinkytown Athletes, with co-founders Rob Gag and former U offensive lineman Derek Burns, is welcome news on campus including in Fleck’s office.

Per a news release yesterday,“Dinkytown Athletes (will) work with student-athletes at the U of M to connect them with the community, allowing them to earn compensation by using their name, image, and likeness. Fans, boosters, and local businesses can now directly support their favorite student-athletes through partnerships, fan-engagement events and exclusive content. Dinkytown Athlete’s mission is to build relationships with the community and further engage the passionate sports market in the Twin Cities and greater Minnesota, while creating opportunities for student athletes.”

Fleck, 41 and in his sixth season at Minnesota, acknowledged at his weekly news conference yesterday “how incredibly important” the new collective is to the U. As the only Power Five college sports program in the state, and with a vibrant business culture that includes a long list of Fortune 500 companies, NIL opportunities at Minnesota could translate into the Gophers consistently attracting high level athletes in the revenue sports of football and men’s basketball that support the Athletic Department.

Worth Noting

The Gophers are No. 21 in the AP college football poll but College Football News has Minnesota ranked No. 9 nationally. Only Ohio State, Georgia, Alabama, Michigan, Tennessee, Washington, Penn State and Clemson are ahead of Minnesota.

Here’s Sports Headliners’ Big Ten power rankings: Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, Minnesota, Iowa, Maryland, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Purdue, Rutgers, Indiana, Nebraska and Northwestern.

The 4-0 Gophers play 2-2 Purdue Saturday. Under sixth-year coach Jeff Brohm the Boilermakers have been inconsistent and lost two games they could just as easily won. Brohm is known for his offensive acumen, with Fleck describing his rival as among the best with X’s and O’s.

Putting life into the offense is wide receiver Charlie Jones who leads the Big Ten in receptions with 533 yards and seven touchdowns. Fleck said Jones might be the best in the conference going after contested balls, and as a punt returner never fair catches the ball. “He can play running back,” Fleck said about Jones’ athleticism.

Brohm made waves last spring, per Sports Illustrated, signaling his interest in coaching at Louisville. Speaking at a gathering in his hometown of Louisville, the former Cardinals quarterback reportedly was asked about turning down his alma mater in 2018. He said the timing wasn’t right (just into the Purdue job) but he expressed his love for the Louisville area, SI said. “So anything can happen in the future,” the magazine quoted Brohm as saying.

Fleck said Minnesota quarterback Tanner Morgan, chosen Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week after completing 23 of 26 passes and throwing for three touchdowns against Michigan State, has a “mindset” that there is always a need to get better.

Morgan is 31-12 as Minnesota’s starting quarterback.

The Purdue game is a possible first of the season sellout at 50,805 seat Huntington Bank Stadium. Ticket prices begin at $65 with singles only available in some sections.

Belated happy 26^th birthday wishes to football analytics expert Daniel House, publisher of Gophers Guru.

Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen had his 50^th career touchdown reception last Sunday. He is only the fourth undrafted NFL player since 1967 to achieve that milestone (Antonio Gates, Rod Smith and Wes Welker).

Sunday’s Vikings-Saints game from London starts at 8:30 a.m. Minnesota time and can be viewed on NFL Network, NFL+ and KSTP Ch. 5.

The Timberwolves begin training camp today with the biggest question whether in a league where the trend is to smaller and mobile players they can win with 7-1, 256-pound Rudy Gobert and 7-foot, 250-pound Karl-Anthony Towns on the floor together. How well can the two bigs defend against such opposition?

The popular over-under for Timberwolves wins this season is 48.5. “I don’t think there is a ceiling for this team,” Gobert said yesterday.

New Wolves top executive Tim Connelly impresses with his authenticity. He is interested in developing relationships in the organization that are “organic,” not contrived.

The Twins might regroup next season but they will have to contend with a Guardians roster that made history in winning the AL Central. The Guardians are the first team ever to win a division or league title with at least 16 rookies making their debuts, per Mlb.com and the Elias Sports Bureau.

Startling numbers: the Twins’ Miguel Sano played in 20 games this season and hit .083.

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Vikes Earn an “A” for Persistence Today

Posted on September 25, 2022September 25, 2022 by David Shama

Let’s get right to the grades after the Vikings’ last minute 28-24 win over the Lions today at US Bank Stadium.

The Vikings, now 2-1, trailed 24-14 going into the fourth quarter. In its previous games Minnesota hadn’t produced a touchdown in the second half. But when today’s game was over the Vikings had scored two fourth quarter touchdowns, including a 28-yard strike from quarterback Kirk Cousins to wide receiver K.J. Osborn in the last minute.

Minnesota had never led in the game until the Osborn touchdown with 25 seconds remaining. Give the Vikings an A team grade for persistence.

Lions’ coach Dan Campbell gets an F for late-game strategy. It was his fourth down decision to go for a failed field goal of 54 yards that allowed the Vikings, trailing 24-21, to start their winning TD drive from their own 44-yard line. A Detroit punt sending the Vikings back near their own goal would have been a savvy option and no-brainer for most coaches.

Cousins and his offensive line deserve B- grades. A popular target for not delivering in pressure situations, Cousins threw for 260 yards and two touchdowns today. The Lions were blitz crazy but his offensive line and own awareness helped him avoid interceptions and he was sacked just once.

Kevin O’Connell photo courtesy of Minnesota Vikings

The offense didn’t have much of a day for explosive plays but got two big ones at the end when Osborn preceded his winning reception with another 28-yarder. Running back Dalvin Cook had his best game of the season with 96 yards on 17 carries before apparently injuring his shoulder. Minnesota coach Kevin O’Connell said on the KFAN Radio postgame show he didn’t think the injury was serious.

The Vikings’ defense stopped the now 1-2 Lions in the closing seconds, ending the game with a Josh Metellus interception of a Jared Goff pass. Hard to give that unit better than a below average grade for its work today, though. The Lions consistently opened running holes and Goff’s repetitive completions over the middle were an embarrassment. The Vikings didn’t come up with a single sack and Detroit’s time of possession was 34:04, while Minnesota’s was 25:56.

The last four games in the series between the two NFC North Division rivals have been decided by four points or less. When the Vikings and Lions play again, December 11 in Detroit, the days will be counting down to Christmas. The Vikings better plan on playing better because they can’t expect another “gift” from Campbell.

Worth Noting

It’s believed the University of St. Thomas will soon announce plans to build an on-campus hockey facility after considering other sites in St. Paul. To meet CCHA guidelines the facility will have to seat at least 3,000 fans.

The Gopher football team, dominant in a 34-7 win over Michigan State Saturday, has outscored opponents 183-24 in four games. Minnesota has punted three times all season.

Minnesota is No. 21 in the Associated Press top 25 poll out today. It’s the first time this season the Gophers have been in the AP top 25. Haven’t been ranked by the AP since 2020.

U marketers are promoting the first ever Stripe Out in Huntington Bank Stadium next Saturday for the Purdue game. Fans in various sections are asked to wear maroon or gold clothing.

Former Gophers head coach Jerry Kill earned his first win at New Mexico State last night with a 45-26 home victory over Hawaii.

Often injured Byron Buxton hasn’t played in a Twins game since August 22 and will finish the year appearing in 92 games. That ties the 92 games he played in 2016 for the second highest total of his eight-year career. In 2017 the Twins’ MVP played in 140 games.

The best hope the Twins may have in retaining Carlos Correa for next season is if he and representative Scott Boras decide the less crowded free agent market for shortstops a year from now is their best strategy for a mega contract deal.

Without splashy offseason moves, including possible retention of Correa, the Twins will find it difficult to retain and grow their disappointed fanbase.

It was 10 years ago this fall that St. Paul native Tim Tschida, now 62, retired from umpiring MLB games. The affable Tschida enjoys tending bar at Mancini’s Char House.

Long before home run king Aaron Judge and hockey immortal Wayne Gretzky wore No. 99, Minneapolis Lakers great George Mikan popularized the number. He was voted Mr. Basketball of the first half of the 20th century by Associated Press.

BTW, although way overdue, the Los Angeles Lakers will retire Mikan’s number in a home game October 30 against the Nuggets.

Oddsmakers have the Timberwolves, who have their first training camp practice Tuesday, finishing second in the Northwest Division behind the Nuggets.

Gophers basketball player Parker Fox has a podcast called “Double Down.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0X25lkiCNXM

For the first time ever Minneapolis will host Big Ten Basketball Media Days. The event October 11 and 12 at Target Center will include coaches and players from all 28 men’s and women’s basketball programs. Minnesota coaches Ben Johnson and Lindsay Whalen will speak October 12.

Nolan Winter, the Lakeville North basketball recruit who has verbally committed to Wisconsin, will be a nice fit in the Badgers’ offense that features outside shooting by its bigs, but his decision to turn down the Gophers is painful for local fans who over the years have watched a “parade” of Minnesota preps travel to Madison.

Apple Valley’s Tre Jones, a reliable playmaker but able to make just 19.6 percent of his three-point attempts last season, could emerge in training camp as the starting point guard for the NBA Spurs. Jones, 22, is starting his third NBA season.

The USHL Fall Classic in suburban Pittsburgh this weekend is attracting about 300 scouts and college coaches including former Wild GM Chuck Fletcher now in the same role with the Flyers. All 16 USHL teams are playing their first games of the season.

Budding superstar Kirill Kaprizov, who probably would be targeted for military conscription if still in his native Russia, played with teammates and others in the Wild’s inaugural golf tournament last Monday at Royal Golf Club in Lake Elmo. The course opened in 2018 but is up for sale with a possible purchase price of $8 million, per a September 20 story from Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal.

Bally Sports North will televise three Wild preseason games: October 2 and 6 against the Blackhawks, and October 8 with the Stars.

Oddsmakers have the Wild, who started preseason practices last Thursday, finishing second to the Avalanche in the Central Division.

Some Wild preseason practices at TRIA Rink are open to fans who must pre-register. http://www.wild.com/openpractices

St. Thomas football coach Glenn Caruso speaks to the CORES group November 10 at the Bloomington Event Center. Former North and Henry basketball coach Larry McKenzie will be the January 12 speaker. More information about CORES is available by contacting Jim Dotseth, dotsethj@comcast.net. CORES is an acronym for coaches, officials, reporters, educators and sports fans.

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