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U Crowds Decline from Record 2015

Posted on October 12, 2016October 12, 2016 by David Shama

The Gophers sold 5,100 fewer football season tickets in 2016 than last year, according to figures provided by the University of Minnesota Athletic Department. Those are nonstudent season tickets and the decline represents about a 19 percent loss in purchases.

In 2015, the sale totaled 27,885 while this year it is 22,785.

The Gophers have played four of their seven-game home schedule so far and have no sellouts. Announced attendance for last Saturday’s rivalry game with Iowa was 49,145 and there were many seats sold but not used. That is the largest crowd of the season in 50,805 capacity TCF Bank Stadium. (Stadium capacity was reduced this year because the Vikings are no longer using the facility).

Minnesota is averaging 44,901 fans per game in announced attendance. Last year the Gophers averaged 52,355 fans per game—the best in seven seasons at TCF Bank Stadium. The 2015 schedule, with high profile football opponents like TCU and Michigan, was more attractive than this fall’s teams. Other factors impacting ticket sales and attendance this year includes price increases in season tickets, lack of excitement about the 2016 team after a disappointing 6-7 record in 2015, and the loss of popular head coach Jerry Kill who resigned last October.

The 2016 total for student season football tickets is 7,006—after a sale of about 8,000 last year. “I think it’s worth noting that this year’s student sections have been quite full and quite energetic, with single-game student ticket purchases supplementing the season ticket base,” an athletic department spokesman wrote via email. “We sold out the student section for the Iowa game and have seen strong student support throughout the nonconference season as well, with good attendance.” …

Jim Carter and other advocates for Gophers football want to see the University Board of Regents approve a resource at their meetings later this week that was originally part of the Athletes Village project. Last year plans were dropped for an area called the lineman center, or also referred to as the lineman facility. This was to be part of the new indoor football practice facility in the Athletes Village but the lineman center was eliminated from plans to save money.

Upgrading football resources at the U to be equal, or better than Big Ten competitors, is a priority of the $166 million Athletes Village project that is still in early physical development. The village will also create new and upgraded facilities to benefit all Gophers men’s and women’s programs.

Carter said the lineman center would likely take up about 40,000 square feet of additional space in the football practice facility. Without the center, according to Carter, offensive and defensive linemen won’t have a large enough place indoors dedicated to improving their skills—a space big enough to accommodate not only the players but also practice equipment including blocking sleds.

Carter was a star fullback on the 1967 Gophers football team that won the school’s last Big Ten championship. He is an outspoken proponent for excellence in athletics and academics at Minnesota. He wants to see all the potential resources for football made a reality in the Athletes Village project. Gophers coach Tracy Claeys has stressed the importance of the lineman center to Carter and others.

Carter sent out an email last week asking for help in contacting members of the Board of Regents—writing that the lineman center will greatly improve the Gophers’ competitiveness. “Tracy has said a number of times that he wants and needs this facility,” Carter said in the email. “The Board of Regents can make the decision to add/include the funding for this project, but we need to let them know we strongly support this happening. Time is of the essence, so we need to be heard now! If we all contact the Board of Regents we will make a BIG difference!”

Carter said more than 20 emails have been sent to regents, and he expects that the lineman center may come up as new business on the agenda for the regents who will have meetings tomorrow and Friday. The indoor football facility, including the lineman center space, would likely be used at certain times by sports other than football, and is projected to have a cost of $6 million, according to Carter.

The overall cost for the Athletes Village is currently at $166 million and Carter sees the $6 million for the center as a minimal price to do things right. It also looks for certain that the $166 million total will be revised upward soon—likely this week.

The regents are expected to vote this week and will likely approve a final plan to place the Gophers track near baseball’s Siebert Field. That means relocating the recreation sports bubble and rec softball field to an area near TCF Bank Stadium. Carter said the track and relocations referenced will cost $19 million.

Carter said last year’s cost cutting for the Athletes Village included not only the lineman’s center but also eliminating two skyways for $2.5 million. Carter believes those skyways could be put back into play, too. If so, the projected cost for the Athletes Village could soon be revised to $193.5 million.

About $80 million has been secured through fundraising for the Athletes Village, with the University committed to borrowing a significant sum to fully finance the project. …

Sam Bradford (photo courtesy of Minnesota Vikings)

Through his first four games as the Eagles quarterback last season, Sam Bradford saw his team lose three times. He threw six touchdown passes and four interceptions, with passer ratings in the four games of 77.1, 65.6, 73.2 and 122.6.

With the 5-0 Vikings (Bradford didn’t become the starting quarterback until game No. 2), he has thrown six touchdown passes, zero interceptions and compiled passer ratings of 121.2, 93, 101.9 and 122.1. His overall rating is 109.7 for the season, compared with 84.6 a year ago.

Bradford didn’t join the Vikings until several days before the opening regular season game. “I think the offensive coaches have done a great job with getting him prepared,” said Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer. “The one thing about Sam is that he will communicate the things that he likes to do, and if we have a play in the game plan that he doesn’t like, he’s going to say it. He’s going to tell Norv (Turner, offensive coordinator), and we get rid of the play. So, we try to do things that he’s comfortable with, even though it has been a short period of time.”

The Vikings Andrew Sendejo continues to establish himself as the team’s starting free safety. Against the Texans last Sunday he had four tackles and one interception while playing defense, and two tackles on special teams.

“Before (Sendejo) was even playing much defense, he was our best special teams guy,” said Vikings strong safety Harrison Smith. “He has done nothing but make plays on special teams and defense since I’ve been here (2012). That’s what I know you’re getting out of Sendejo—a guy who going to make plays.”

The much publicized AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas has retracted its roof 17 times for Cowboys games since the facility opened in 2009, according to a pro football source. By contrast, the five pivoting doors at U.S. Bank Stadium have been open for three regular season games and one preseason game since the Vikings began playing there in August.

The same source said as of last week he isn’t aware of any bird-window collisions at the new stadium. The Minnesota Sports Facility Authority announced in July a scientific study to monitor such collisions will be led by Audubon Minnesota, the National Audubon Society, the University of Minnesota and Oklahoma State University. The study will begin in the spring of 2017, with analysis to be released in 2019.

The Big Ten Network will televise the news conferences of all 14 Big Ten basketball coaches tomorrow including the Gophers Richard Pitino who answers questions from the media from 8:10 to 8:20 a.m. Pitino will also be interviewed on BTN by studio hosts from 11:40 a.m. to noon. The league’s coaches will be in Washington, D.C. for Big Ten Basketball Media Day.

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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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Here’s an Optimistic Vote on Claeys

Posted on August 31, 2016August 31, 2016 by David Shama

Tracy Claeys leads the Gophers on the field tomorrow night as the program’s head coach. The game kicks off his first full season in that role after being named coach last November.

Will Claeys be heading up the football program a couple of years from now?

The three-year contract University of Minnesota president Eric Kaler gave Claeys last fall carries a clear message: This is a trial run for the U and the 47-year-old former defensive coordinator who served Jerry Kill for years and then succeeded him as Minnesota’s coach. The U was willing to give Claeys the job as head coach but not make a major commitment in years or money—at a reported $1.4 million in 2016.

Claeys may turn out to be worthy of the long-term, big money deal that many college football coaches earn. To get there he will have to improve his recruiting because the Gophers need better personnel and more depth to annually compete against the Big Ten’s best teams.

Kill upgraded the talent with the six recruiting classes he directed. The arrows on the progress chart will need to move upward under Claeys’ leadership. He and his staff will certainly continue the Kill model of finding overlooked high school players with potential. The coaches have shown an aptitude for developing players at various positions but the Gophers need to sign-up more quality ready-to-play talent.

“I think the recruiting will make all the difference in the world,” former Gophers captain Jim Carter told Sports Headliners. He, too, believes the unknown about Claeys’ legacy is probably recruiting.

Carter is an admirer of Claeys. “Not all coaches are teachers, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but Tracy is,” Carter said. “I’ve watched him for a number of years, since he’s been here with Kill.

“He never yelled much. He always gets people in the classroom after they film all the practices. He teaches technique, and he teaches the kids what to do. That’s unusual. He’s both a coach, but a very good teacher.”

Carter has been close to the Gopher program for years. He’s been impressed with what Claeys has done in a short period as head coach. That includes the bold move Claeys made after last season when he dismissed longtime colleague Matt Limegrover who was the offensive coordinator and line coach. Claeys replaced Limegrover with new offensive coordinator Jay Johnson and line coach Bart Miller.

“As far as hiring Miller and Johnson, the people that I talk to over there—which includes many of the players—are very optimistic about them,” Carter said. “They’re encouraged about the planning with the offense. They’re encouraged about the aggressiveness of Miller with the offensive line. He’s a tough guy and he’s getting toughness to rise up out of some of those offensive linemen. I see it as very, very positive, those moves that Tracy made bringing those two guys in.”

Johnson is expected to direct an unpredictable offense that is more likely to take risks than the play-calling of the Kill-Limegrover era. Claeys directed a defense under Kill that was the backbone of the program’s success, but for the Gophers to have winning records year after year in the Big Ten the offense must get much better. Over 100 teams ranked ahead of Minnesota in scoring offense last season.

Fans are taking a wait-and-see approach with Claeys. There’s not much hype about Gopher football and that is part of the reason there will be a lot of empty seats in TCF Bank Stadium for tomorrow night’s nonconference opener against Oregon State. But program insiders already see a lot they like about Claeys including his devotion to the job. The 47-year-old bachelor is all about football and the people who work and play for him.

There is no pretense with Claeys. He’s straightforward with people inside and outside of his program. He is a high I.Q. guy who has already shown he will take action when he sees problems. He not only made the coaching staff changes referenced above but he brought in two junior college transfers in the offensive line after recognizing the vulnerability in talent and depth with that unit.

The Gophers have a quality person and teacher leading their program. Now all Claeys has to do is go out and win a bunch of games, and keep the arrows on that recruiting chart going “north.”

Gophers Notes

Although he isn’t expected to be coaching, Mike Sherels might be at tomorrow night’s game sitting with other coaches in the press box. Carter heard Sherels could be in the press box all season after recovering from surgeries earlier this summer for an undisclosed medical issue.

Sherels has recently been in the football office, although Keith Jordan is the acting linebackers coach. “The news is fabulous compared to where he was a couple weeks ago where I had real serous concerns about life-threatening problems he went through,” Carter said last weekend.

Among their offensive starters, the Gophers have only three players in their last season of eligibility—the lowest number in major college football. The three are quarterback Mitch Leidner, offensive tackle Jonah Pirsig and receiver Drew Wolitarsky.

Minnesota has 13 total players on the roster in their last season of eligibility. That’s the third lowest total in the nation after Kentucky with 11, and Baylor and Penn State with 12 each.

The Gophers’ position chart released this week has defensive tackle Andrew Stelter listed as a starter ahead of Steven Richardson who earlier this month talked about his goal of becoming All-Big Ten. Both are juniors.

Among the 22 starters on offense and defense, five are from Texas, and four each from Georgia and Minnesota. The Minnesota products are Leidner, Pirsig, Stelter and safety Adekunle Ayinde.

True freshmen and Minneapolis natives Phillip Howard and Tyler Johnson are listed as wide receivers on the No. 2 offense. Redshirt junior Conor Rhoda from Eagan is Leidner’s backup.

The Gophers will have two more nonconference games after tomorrow night before starting their Big Ten schedule October 1 at Penn State. Big Ten teams will play a nine-game conference schedule for the first time since 1984. Big Ten players will have the opportunity to compete against all the other teams in the conference at least once during a four-year period.

Teams from the East Division will host five conference home games during even-numbered years, while teams from the West Division will have five home games during odd-numbered years. The Gophers, part of the West Division, play four home league games and five on the road in 2016.

Texas Lutheran University has hired Mike Wacker as men’s basketball coach. He is the son of former Gophers football coach Jim Wacker who also coached football at TLU.

Congratulations to longtime Gophers donor Lee Sundet and his wife Louise who had their 65th wedding anniversary last Friday.

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