Trivia answers: Carl Pavano shutout the Yankees for six innings but was the losing pitcher in game No. 3 in the playoffs last year, a 4-1 New York win. (Pavano is expected to start game No. 2 on Thursday against the Yankees at Target Field.) Dan Gladden had seven RBI in 1987 to help the Twins win their first ever World Series.
The football Gophers, off to a 1-4 start, look like they’re headed for a final record of 3-9, 2-10 or 1-11. Going back to last season Minnesota has lost seven of its last nine games.
The Gophers will bus to and from Madison for Saturday’s game against Wisconsin. Minnesota last won at Madison in 1994.
Gophers coach Tim Brewster said yesterday that senior Ryan Collado, who has played at both safety and cornerback, won’t start on Saturday. True freshman James Manuel and senior Kyle Theret will start at the safeties, with sophomores Michael Carter and Kyle Henderson at the corners.
Wide receiver MarQueis Gray, who has been troubled with plantar fasciitis, is healthier and will play on Saturday, Brewster said.
Was the University of Washington the marquee BCS school the Gophers were planning to have replace Texas on their schedules in 2015 and 2016? Plans for filling the void are on hold until next year when it’s expected the Big Ten will decide if each league team will eventually play eight conference opponents, or nine.
Bobby Bell, whose jersey number was retired in a ceremony last Saturday during the Minnesota-Northwestern game, is arguably the greatest player in Gophers history, although the best of historians might prefer Bronko Nagurski. Bell was a two-time All-American defensive tackle who was a fierce pass rusher for the Gophers in the early 1960’s. Nagurski, who played for the Gophers from 1927-29, was named an All-American at both tackle and fullback. Bell was a high school quarterback and could have played multiple positions for the Gophers.
St. Thomas, 5-0 and ranked No. 4 in the D3footbal.com poll, ended 12 years of frustration with its overtime 27-26 win against Saint John’s on Saturday. To view the final seconds of the game in Collegeville played before a record Division III crowd, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDbHysKxGG4.
Tommies coach Glenn Caruso told Sports Headliners via email he doesn’t expect an emotional let down for this week’s game against Augsburg. “It’s not too hard to stay focused when you still have five games remaining in the regular season,” Caruso wrote. “This was a big one, sure, but what I love about our kids is that they understand that each week is an opportunity to re-prove ourselves, and that this opportunity is a privilege, not a right. …”
St. Thomas running back Ben Wartman, who rushed for 154 yards, was chosen the MIAC’s Offensive Player of the Week. St. Thomas Cornerback Ryan Deitz, who had a timely interception to force overtime and 10 tackles in the game, is the MIAC Defensive Player of the Week.
UMD’s Isaac Odim is the NSIC Offensive Player of the Week after he rushed 11 times for 169 yards (15.4 yards per carry) and caught one pass for another score in a 56-7 road win over MSU Moorhead Saturday. The five-touchdown game, Odim’s second this year, increased his total to an NCAA Division II leading 17. The 169 yards rushing put him at 4,077 career yards on 566 carries, a 7.2 yards per run average.