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Raves Roll in for Gophers Offensive Line

Posted on June 24, 2015June 24, 2015 by David Shama

When BTN.com writer Tom Dienhart ranked the Gophers offensive line the best in the Big Ten Conference’s West Division for the coming season it didn’t surprise Zac Epping. “Not at all,” Epping told Sports Headliners. “The group that they have there right now is an awesome group.”

“The Golden Gophers have a deep and talented collection of blockers that is better than even Wisconsin, which has been the measuring stick for offensive lines in the Big Ten for years,” Dienhart wrote earlier this month.

Epping and Tommy Olson are the two offensive line starters from last year’s group the Gophers must replace in 2015 but this looks like the best line coach Jerry Kill and staff have produced in almost five years in Minneapolis. Dienhart wrote that Minnesota has eight linemen who have a combined 88 starts.

Dienhart ranked Michigan State the No. 1 offensive line in the East Division but Epping believes Minnesota will have the best unit in the Big Ten next fall. “I think so,” Epping said. “There’s a lot of potential in that group. Coach (Eric) Klein does a great job in the offseason getting all the o-linemen healthy, stronger and ready for the season. If they stay healthy then that’s going to be a great group and the running backs are going to have a good year running behind them.”

Epping said the quality of Minnesota’s offensive lines has been evolving, and he not only mentioned Klein, the team’s strength and conditioning coach, but also offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Matt Limegrover. “Coach Limegrover has done a great job of getting the o-line ready for the game days and all that,” Epping said. “He’s definitely helped us improve that group.”

The Gophers ranked No. 28 nationally in rushing last season. Among Big Ten teams they were sixth with 2,801 rushing yards, the program’s best total since 3,277 yards in 2005.

Guard Josh Campion, 24, is receiving preseason publicity as a potential All Big Ten offensive lineman. A 6-5, 310-pound senior from Little Falls, he made All-Big Ten Honorable mention last season on teams selected by the media and coaches. He started 13 consecutive games at left tackle but is expected to play guard this year. Epping said Campion’s “great work ethic” and age have contributed to the native Minnesotan’s success and improvement each year.

Former Gophers wide receiver Isaac Fruechte, who is trying out for the Vikings, has lived with Campion. “Sometimes he’s kind of hard to read,” Fruechte told Sports Headliners. “He likes to sleep so we try not to bother him too much. He’s a little bit older than all of us but when he gets out there and wants to play he’ll get after it.”

Fruechte, too, is optimistic about the Gophers 2015 offensive line. “That’s a unit that they should be very confident with over there (on campus) because it’s got a lot of veteran guys, a lot of kids with some experience that really know how to play, and play against big time teams.”

Worth Noting

Collegefootballnews.com recently listed “the 15 best redshirt freshmen going into the season” and the Gophers Jeff Jones was ranked No. 5 in the country. “Academics shelved Jones last year, but he got (out) of the gate quickly this offseason, impressing the staff with his ability as a playmaker and his dedication to the game,” Collegefootballnews.com wrote. The website predicted Jones is most likely to see playing time at slot receiver, not running back.

A source said 6-foot-5-plus wide receiver Sean Engel, who will be a senior at Chaska High School this fall, has added 30 pounds, now weighs 203, is running a sub 4.5 40-yard dash and is receiving increased interest from the Gophers after excelling this month at a football camp on the Minnesota campus. Engel, the brother of former Gophers wide receiver Derrick Engel, has offers from several colleges including North Dakota State and Northern Iowa.

Former Gophers and Vikings defensive back Tyrone Carter held another of his football camps in Minnesota last weekend. He will also assist friend and former Viking Randy Moss at a camp in North Carolina.

Harrison Smith (Photo courtesy of Vikings)

Safety Harrison Smith, who will be in his fourth season with the Vikings this fall, wants to be named All-Pro for 2015. “Yeah, that’s my goal every year. Whether I make it or not, I don’t know. But there’s no reason not to shoot for the highest (goal).”

Although the Vikings have several weeks off until training camp starts in Mankato, players like Smith know they have to continue work outs and conditioning. Back home in Tennessee, Smith will run, lift weights and punch a boxing bag several days of the week.

“As long as you’re in good shape and you’re not going to pull anything in training camp (like a hamstring or groin muscle), that’s the goal,” said Smith who has been told on game days NFL players run close to nine miles including pre-game activity.

While at home, Smith also plans to play golf, a sport he acknowledges he could improve at. “In the 90s is my best day if I am playing by the rules. I just like to play in the scrambles because I don’t feel so bad about myself.”

The early guess is the MIAC football race for the title will involve Bethel, Saint John’s and St. Thomas.

The June 22 issue of Sports Illustrated predicts the Timberwolves will use the No. 1 overall selection in tomorrow night’s NBA Draft to choose ex-Kentucky center Karl-Anthony Towns. Four of S.I.’s top 14 projected picks are former Wildcats.

S.I. has guards and Minnesota natives Tyus Jones and Rashad Vaughn being No. 21 and 25 choices of the Mavericks and Grizzlies. The magazine said Jones isn’t “big or athletic” but the Mavericks would welcome his “high IQ as a playmaker.” S.I. described Vaughn as a “multifaceted scorer.”

Former Gophers and Twins pitcher Cole DeVries is out of professional baseball and working for Edina Realty.

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UM Fed Inquiry Won’t Involve NCAA

Posted on June 22, 2015June 22, 2015 by David Shama

Regardless of the results concerning a federal gender discrimination investigation of the University of Minnesota, the Gophers Athletic Department will not face penalties from the NCAA, according to Sports Headliners sources.

After the men’s basketball scandal of the late 1990s and the stern penalties administered by the NCAA, Gophers supporters have feared another problem with the national governing authority for college sports. Forfeited games, dismissal of coaches, financial penalties and even banishment of a sport can result from NCAA rules violations. Repeat offenders have the potential to be judged particularly harshly.

A gender discrimination investigation at the U began months ago after an anonymous complaint was made to the United States Department of Education Office for Civil Rights, according to news sources. It’s believed that at the core of the complaint and investigation is the future location of the Gophers track for track and field athletes. The present track site will be replaced by a new football facility, part of a $150 million upgrade of facilities that will benefit all sports at the University.

Women’s track and field accounts for a large portion of the female athletes at the University. While there has been considerable discussion for a long time about relocating the track facility to the St. Paul area, Sports Headliners is told sites on the Minneapolis campus are being scrutinized. It’s likely a majority of those involved with track and field at Minnesota prefer the convenience of a track on the main campus, rather than practicing and competing somewhere in St. Paul such as the “farm campus” or Hamline.

The federal investigation could have various conclusions regarding whether the University isn’t in compliance with Title IX, the 43-year-old law banning gender discrimination at federally funded schools. Theoretically, the University could be told to spend more money and create additional opportunities for women, or pay a financial penalty, or have federal funds withdrawn.

But even with the most severe outcome from the Feds, the Athletic Department will not face action from the NCAA. There will be no crossover, according to sources with knowledge of the Gophers’ situation.

The U Athletic Department has a history of supporting equal opportunity. For a number of years there were even separate men’s and women’s departments. When Joel Maturi took over as the head of a combined department in 2002, he made Title IX compliance and support for women’s athletics a high priority.

The truth, too, is there are so many subtleties involving Title IX that probably a vast majority of major college athletic departments could be found—at least minimally or on some technicality—out of compliance. But that doesn’t mean such schools, even when judged by critics, aren’t providing equitable opportunities and treatment to both women and men.

It’s believed the Gophers $150 million project was delayed from a June or July groundbreaking until September because of the federal investigation and track location. But the Athletic Department also will be surer of its construction costs by then, and that may have been a factor, too.

Worth Noting

It won’t be surprising if the Wild don’t re-sign goalie Devan Dubnyk who might accept a deal with another team for $4 to $5 million per year. Sources tell Sports Headliners the Wild’s max is more in the $2.5 to $3 million range.

U.S. Bank will make its first payment to the Vikings next year for the 20-year naming rights for the new downtown stadium opening in 2016. It’s been speculated the total cost of the agreement is $220 million for 20 years.

Mike Wallace, the wide receiver acquired by the Vikings in the offseason, was headed to Jamaica for a few days late last week after the team ended its run of mini-camps. Wallace and the Vikings have several weeks off before opening training camp in late July in Mankato but that doesn’t mean conditioning stops. “I know I am gonna be running a lot when I am at home (Houston),” Wallace said. “I can’t come in looking sloppy. I gotta be ready.”

Babatunde Aiyegbusi, the free agent from Poland who the Vikings signed as an offensive tackle earlier this year, is receiving an introduction to not only football but American culture including food. “I’ve got a lot of food I shouldn’t eat,” the 6-9, 351-pound Aiyegbusi said in his Polish accent. “From the worst I shouldn’t eat is cornbread. That made my day in the restaurant.”

Aiyegbusi, 27, has experienced different cultures having lived in England, Germany and Poland. He has visited many more European countries.

A number of other Vikings will try to make the roster as free agents when the club is in training camp including former Gophers wide receiver Isaac Fruechte. He plans to work out in coming weeks with other pro players including Bills tight end MarQueis Gray and Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen.

A player who might surprise among free agents is linebacker Brian Peters who is with the Vikings after playing in the Canadian Football League for the Roughriders the last two seasons. In 2014 he led the team in tackles with 78 and also had three sacks.

Former Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman was reportedly in town recently, and he dates a woman from Maple Grove who now lives in the Dallas area. Aikman is friends with Vikings offensive coordinator Norv Turner who was his presenter at Hall of Fame ceremonies in 2006.

Turner is a horse racing fan and was recently at Canterbury Park with Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer.

How much are major corporations willing to pay for NBA Finals courtside seats? The answer is a lot when prime seats are needed to entertain prime customers. A source told Sports Headliners mid-court tickets on the floor were priced at $12,500.00 each face value but sold on the secondary market for $25,000.00 per ticket for last Tuesday’s championship game in Cleveland between the Cavs and Warriors.

The Twins announced consecutive sellouts on Saturday and Sunday with the Cubs playing at Target Field. The Friday, Saturday and Sunday attendance total of 117,156 was the largest for a three-game series this season at Target Field, and the most since the Twins drew 118,227 against Detroit June 26-28, 2011.

Twins rookie center fielder Byron Buxton stole his first major league base yesterday in an 8-0 loss to the Cubs. Buxton had one hit and is batting .120 with the Twins, three hits in 25 at bats.

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‘Sky’s the Limit’ for Vikings Defense

Posted on June 17, 2015June 17, 2015 by David Shama

Notes on the Gophers, Twins and Vikings.

The Vikings ranked No. 14 in total NFL defense last season. Minnesota was No. 25 among 32 teams in rushing defense and No. 7 in pass defense. This week the team is finishing mini-camp for the spring and veteran defensive end Brian Robison likes what he sees.

“I think the sky’s the limit for us (defensively),” Robison said yesterday. “I think we’ve got an opportunity to do some really special things around here.

“I think our DBs are playing tremendous right now. I think they’re even better than what they were last year. Defensive line wise, I think we’re rushing very well. Linebackers, having Chad (Greenway) back and having a few of those guys back in there doing the things they’re doing. Fifty-four (rookie Eric Kendricks) is doing some great things out here.

“Yeah, we’ve got very high expectations for our defense and now it’s just about going out there and doing it. We can always have high expectations but if you don’t put it on tape then it doesn’t matter.”

Contrary to a published report earlier this spring, J.D. Spielman hasn’t verbally committed to the Gophers. Vikings general manager Rick Spielman told Sports Headliners yesterday the Gophers remain on the list of possible college destinations for his son who will be a senior football player at Eden Prairie High School next season.

Spielman said he and his son visited Michigan and coach Jim Harbaugh two weeks ago. Additional college visits are planned later this month but Spielman declined to identify the schools. J.D., who just finished his lacrosse season for Eden Prairie, has football offers from Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota and Nebraska. Spielman said his son is being recruited as an “athlete,” meaning he could play collegiately on offense, defense or special teams.

Zac Epping, the former Gophers guard, is working with Minneapolis-based agent James Selmer and drawing interest from several NFL teams including the Titans. Epping, who has lost weight since his Gophers days and feels quicker, now weighs 310 pounds and hopes to have a deal soon with an NFL club.

Teams are looking at Epping as either a guard or center. The 6-2 Kenosha, Wisconsin native impressed during his Gophers career with his work ethic and passion for competition. As a young college player, former Gopher offensive lineman Matt Carufel made an impact on Epping. “He kind of taught me, don’t take any crap from anybody,” Epping said.

The Vikings and U.S. Bank officially announced a 20-year naming rights deal on Monday for the new downtown domed stadium. U.S. Bank Stadium has long been rumored to be the name for the facility that opens next year. Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal reported Monday the deal is for $220 million.

If an $11 million per year figure is accurate, the deal is by far the largest of its kind for a Minnesota sports venue. Target Field naming rights have been estimated in the $5 to $6 million range annually with Xcel Energy Center perhaps worth half that, and Target Center and TCF Bank Stadium under $2 million each.

Dave Mona is looking for auction items for the sixth annual Camden’s Concert on July 13 at the Hopkins Center for the Arts. Among items already secured are prime seats at Lambeau Field for the Packers and Vikings game. The concert features the Wright Brothers and is named after Dave and Linda Mona’s grandson Camden Mona. The event raises money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Anyone with ideas for auction items can call Dave Mona at 952-944-5344.

Phil Steele’s College Football Preview and Athlon Sports have named Gophers punter Peter Mortell first team preseason All-Big Ten, according to a June 1 Gophersports.com story. Both Steele and Athlon included Minnesota defensive backs Briean Boddy-Calhoun and Eric Murray on their All-Big Ten second teams. Defensive end Theiren Cockran made Steele’s second team and offensive tackle Josh Campion was on Athlon’s second unit.

Former Gophers associate athletics director Tom Wistrcill has resigned as Akron athletics director to become an executive with Learfield Sports, the national company that works with colleges and conferences developing sports related revenues including for broadcasting.

Whether 21-year-old rookie center fielder Byron Buxton goes back to the minor leagues will have a lot to do with if he can hit breaking ball pitches. Buxton debuted on Sunday, struck out twice and was hitless in four at bats. He saw plenty of breaking balls. He is hitting .200 in three games with the Twins.

Breaking balls are a challenge to most young hitters, and whatever the reasons the Twins organization is working on a string of promising prospects who have floundered early in their MLB careers. The list includes Oswaldo Arcia, Aaron Hicks, Danny Santana and Kennys Vargas. All but Hicks impressed with early hitting only to stumble later.

Part of hitting success is confidence and the Twins didn’t allow Arcia, Buxton, Hicks, Santana and Vargas to play and excel for a full season in Triple-A, baseball’s highest level in the minors. The suspicion here is Buxton will be dispatched back to the farm system in a couple of weeks if he doesn’t impress at the plate. No doubt that would be a good move for this highly scrutinized athlete who is rated among the top prospects in baseball.

Buxton is a social media hit with over 24,000 Twitter followers. Decades ago Buxton’s rookie trading card would have been a hot item but now sports memorabilia, including card collecting, has much less interest. The value of old baseball cards for the bigger names is still impressive, though. Harmon Killebrew’s rookie card could command $250, with Rod Carew’s at $150. Mickey Mantle’s rookie card still is the gold standard with a price that might exceed $25,000.

St. Thomas men’s basketball coach John Tauer has authored a book on youth sports and parents. “It’s a combination of psychology, motivation research, anecdotes from the playgrounds to the pros on how and why kids excel or get burned out on sports,” Tauer wrote in an e-mail to Sports Headliners. The book is titled Why LESS is MORE for WOSPS (Well-Intentioned, Overinvolved Sports Parents) and more information is available at Amazon.com. Dr.Tauer, a St. Paul native, has his doctorate in social psychology.

The Warriors likely wouldn’t have earned an NBA title if high scoring guard Klay Thompson had been traded last summer to the Timberwolves. There was interest inside the Warriors organization in sending Thompson—the son of former Gophers All-American center Mychal Thompson—to the Wolves in a deal involving disgruntled power forward Kevin Love who was later traded to the Cavs. But Warriors consultant Jerry West insisted Thompson not be traded and was ready to resign if the deal was made, according to a SI.com story last Thursday by Chris Ballard.

West is a brilliant talent evaluator, perhaps the best in NBA history. He played a major administrative role in the Lakers winning eight world titles in Los Angeles and more recently helped turn around both the Grizzlies and Warriors. The legendary West was drafted as an All-American guard out of West Virginia in 1960, the same year the Lakers left Minneapolis, so he never played here. Ballard wrote that West’s drive for perfection is still present and he can shoot his age, 77, on the golf course.

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