David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Bridgewater Chasing Tarkenton Record

Posted on December 1, 2014December 1, 2014 by David Shama

In today’s column why Teddy Bridgewater, who broke one Viking rookie quarterback record yesterday, is on track to break another—and why a Gopher star with remaining eligibility could be gone before next spring.

Bridgewater broke Christian Ponder’s rookie season record of 158 pass completions in yesterday’s 31-18 win over the Panthers. Bridgewater has 173 completions this season, besting Ponder’s total in 2011.

Bridgewater passed for 138 yards against the Panthers. In nine games and eight starts he has 1,827 total passing yards. In franchise history, Frank Tarkenton, with 1,897 yards, holds the club record for passing yards by a rookie quarterback.

Bridgewater, needing only 71 more yards, seems certain to break Tarkenton’s total next Sunday when the Vikings play the Jets at TCF Bank Stadium. Seven times this year Bridgewater has exceeded 150 yards passing, with a season-best 317 against the Falcons.

Ponder is second to Tarkenton among Vikings rookie quarterbacks for most touchdown passes. Tarkenton threw for 18 scores in 1961, while Ponder had 13 his rookie year. Bridgewater has eight touchdown passes and with four games remaining seems unlikely to break Tarkenton’s record.

Known for his slow game starts, and sometimes criticized for inaccuracy, Bridgewater threw two first half touchdown passes yesterday and completed 15 of 21 passes during the game. It was his most accurate performance of the season and his 120.7 rating was the first time he bettered 100.

After the game Bridgewater credited better execution by himself and teammates for the impressive day against the Panthers. He was specific when answering a question about where the improvement has come since his first start back in September.

“I think I’m better at just making quicker decisions,” he said. “…If I’m able to make quicker decisions I’m able to get the ball out faster.”

Has Maxx Williams played his last Big Ten game for the Gophers?

The team’s big play tight end is eligible for the 2015 NFL Draft. Matt Miller, the draft writer for Bleacherreport.com, posted this on November 13:

“The senior tight end class isn’t great for 2015, which is why one area scout I spoke to believes redshirt sophomore Maxx Williams (Minnesota) may come out early. Williams, if he were to declare, would be my top-ranked tight end.”

When asked a couple of times this fall about leaving school early, Williams wouldn’t address the subject other than to say his focus was on the next game. Now the only game remaining is a bowl assignment later this month or early January, with an announcement coming on December 7 or 8 as to where the Gophers are headed.

Williams is one of three finalists for the John Mackey Award, recognizing the nation’s best tight end. Matt Spaeth, a Minnesota native like Williams, won the award in 2006 and he raves about Williams. “He’s got all the tools and does all the right things,” said Spaeth who plays for the Steelers. “His playmaking ability sets him apart from other people. That’s something you either have or don’t have.”

This season Williams has made a couple of catches worthy of storage in the “vault” for best ever receptions by a Gophers tight end. He has shown glue-like hands, body control, speed, toughness, and consistency while establishing himself as the team’s best receiver statistically with 29 receptions for 471 yards and seven touchdowns. His athleticism has even allowed the coaches to use him as a wide receiver.

The word playmaker keeps coming back into the conversation about the 6-4, 250- pound Williams. “The NFL is comprised of playmakers and that’s what he is,” Spaeth said.

But tight ends must block—both on the college and pro levels. For the casual fan blocking is something that can be overlooked with Williams but it’s another of his many attributes. His ability and willingness to block is an important contributor to the Gophers running game, the primary component of the team’s offensive success.

Spaeth didn’t want to offer public advice on whether Williams should leave early for the NFL and the riches that could await. He said, though, another season of college football will “absolutely” help Williams. “The stronger he gets the better off he will be.”

The Mackey Award winner will be announced on December 10. If Williams wins the award, that will heighten his national profile and perhaps encourage him to leave the Gophers for the draft.

Worth Noting

A Gophers source said yesterday the most likely bowl destinations for Minnesota are the December 27 National University Holiday Bowl in San Diego, or two January 1 bowls, the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl in Orlando and the Outback Bowl in Tampa. He acknowledged because the Gophers aggressively recruit the Southeast, the two Florida bowls could be preferred destinations. Minnesota hasn’t played in a Florida bowl game since 2000.

Among the many admirers of Gophers football coach Jerry Kill are members of the Minnesota Football Coaches Association, the organization of high school coaches with a long list of activities promoting their sport. Ron Stolski, the MFCA executive director, praised Kill with these words in an e-mail:

“You demand only the BEST from yourself, your staff and the boys you love. Your example of resilience, spirit, toughness and resolve is infectious, and permeates all you do. You are too humble to ever acknowledge this truth, but I am not, and I sing your much deserved praises at every opportunity.”

The winner of the 2014 Mr. Football Award, sponsored by the Minnesota Football Coaches Association and the Vikings, is Hutchinson High School running back and free safety Robbie Grimsley. He averaged 10.7 yards rushing last season and caused 12 turnovers on defense. He totaled five touchdowns on interception, kickoff and punt returns, and rushing and receiving.

Grimsley, who was announced as the Mr. Football winner at a banquet yesterday at the DoubleTree hotel in St. Louis Park, told Sports Headliners he will accept a scholarship to North Dakota State where he expects to play safety for the Bison.

Grimsley was one of 10 finalists for the award and some of those players, including Prior Lake linebacker and running back Alex Hart, may interest the Gophers as walk-ons. Hart’s brother, redshirt freshman tight end Nick Hart, is on the Minnesota roster now as a walk-on.

Kez Flomo, the running back from Totino-Grace and another finalist, has no Division I offers but his coach, Jeff Ferguson, hopes FCS and Division II offers will be coming. Totino-Grace lost to Eden Prairie in the Class 6A state title game and should be better next season. The Eagles had 16 underclassmen starting, including eight sophomores.

Taste of the NFL Founder Wayne Kostroski, the Minneapolis restaurateur and 2010 James Beard Humanitarian of the Year, was recently presented with the Pedestal Award honoring philanthropy. Taste of the NFL, now entering its 24th year, has distributed more than $22 million through its programs and events to help feed 37 million Americans who have turned to local food banks for assistance.

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First Snow Left Gophers Guard Homesick

Posted on November 26, 2014November 26, 2014 by David Shama

Nate Mason, the Gophers 19-year-old freshman guard, has played with exceptional first-year skill and poise during Minnesota’s early nonconference schedule.

Tonight the Gophers play on national TV (ESPNU) and at Madison Square Garden—one of college basketball’s most famous venues. Does Mason expect to be nervous? “Nah, not really,” he told Sports Headliners last week.

The Gophers face St. John’s tonight at the Garden starting at 6 p.m. Minneapolis time as part of the NIT Season Tip-Off Tournament. Mason is excited about playing in the building that has been the site of so many memorable college and professional games.

“I mean, it’s like a dream come true, but we’re going in for business,” he said. “Get this win.”

Among the first players off the bench so far this season, Mason is expected to help if 4-0 Minnesota is to defeat 3-0 St. John’s and play for the tourney title on Friday against the winner of tonight’s second game between Georgia and Gonzaga. The 6-1, 185-pound combo guard has been the most impressive of Minnesota’s four new scholarship players on this season’s roster. His statistics tell part of the story.

In four games Mason is averaging 20.3 minutes and scoring 10.8 points per game—tied for third best on the Gophers. He is making a team-leading 53 percent of his three point attempts. His overall field goal percentage is 50 percent. Despite his small size, he leads the team in rebounds with 19, or 4.8 per game. He has 12 assists, third most on the team.

Playing both point guard and shooting guard, he has only five turnovers. His poise was evident in the season’s opening game when Minnesota played Louisville, a top 10 team. He made his college debut a success with 10 points, five rebounds and two assists in 20 minutes of playing time.

The Louisville game was on national television. A big stage and a prominent opponent but Mason said he wasn’t nervous going into the game. “Actually got me hyped,” he said.

Mason admires Chris Paul, one of the NBA’s elite point guards. He played for a summertime team that Paul sponsored. “Actually he (Paul) taught me the poise that I play with,” Mason said. “He taught me always stay under control, don’t let no one speed you up. Just take care of the ball.”

The Georgia native is a long way from home in Minneapolis. Any homesickness? “Yeah, of course, especially when it started snowing,” he said.

Mason, of course, won’t be with his family for Thanksgiving because the Gophers are in New York. “It’s definitely hard for me, but again it’s like family here,” he said.

Mason said he “toughed it out” regarding homesickness and seems happy about the decision to play for the Gophers and coach Richard Pitino. “I knew Pitino would bring the best out of me. You can see that now. He’s bringing the best out of me defensively, offensively, rebounding, everything.”

As a high school senior, Mason averaged 15.6 points, 8.7 assists, 5.1 rebounds and 2.7 steals playing for Arlington Country Day School in Jacksonville, Florida. Colleges that showed interest in Mason, a Rivals.com three-star prospect, included Kansas State, Memphis and Virginia.

It seems safe to say they noticed several attributes about him including his poise.

Worth Noting

St. John’s and the Gophers have both played one common opponent, Franklin Pierce. Minnesota won that matchup 109-57, while the Red Storm had a 94-81 victory.

Pitino said the Red Storm’s starters are “as talented as any team we’ll play.” The regulars include D’Angelo Harrison who is averaging 18.3 points and 10.3 rebounds, and Rysheed Jordan, 17.3 points.

New York-based St. John’s is a program accustomed to playing in Madison Square Garden. “Essentially a home game for St. John’s,” said Gophers senior center Elliott Eliason.

The Gophers, though, did win the postseason NIT Tournament semifinals and finals at Madison Square Garden last spring. Minnesota players are familiar with the court, lighting and basket rims. “Yeah, that’s definitely helpful,” said Gophers junior forward Joey King.

Pitino has improved the athleticism on his roster since taking over as Gophers coach in the spring of 2013. That can translate to better defense and Eliason said “potentially” this is the best defensive team he has played on. “We turn people over a lot. That’s good.”

The Gophers have forced opponents into 87 turnovers. Minnesota’s turnover total is 48.

Saturday’s game between No. 14 Wisconsin and No. 22 Minnesota is the most important football matchup in Madison between the two schools since 1962. That year No. 3 ranked Wisconsin defeated No. 5 Minnesota 14-9 in a controversial game decided in the closing minutes that left the Gophers coaches, players and fans enraged about the officiating.

The winner of Saturday’s game will become the Big Ten West Division champion and play for the conference title in Indianapolis on December 6. The Gophers or Badgers will face Ohio State from the East Division.

The Big Ten champion will not advance to the Rose Bowl unless that team is one of the four schools participating in the first College Football Playoff and is sent to Pasadena (the other semifinal playing site is the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans). The lineup of destinations for all Big Ten bowl-eligible teams will be announced December 7 and the conference champion might play in the Cotton Bowl on January 1 in Arlington, Texas.

Even if the Gophers, 8-3, lose on Saturday they still will receive a more prestigious bowl game invitation than in the recent past. Possibilities, according to a Gophers source, include two January 1 bowls, the Outback in Tampa and Citrus in Orlando—and also the December 27 Holiday Bowl in San Diego and January 2 TaxSlayer Bowl in Jacksonville.

Minnesota is about a two touchdown underdog to the Badgers but what’s interesting is that dating back to the 2013 season Minnesota has five times pulled off upsets when the opposition was a double-digit favorite.

As the college football world knows, the Gophers will have to control Badgers running back Melvin Gordon, a Heisman Trophy hopeful. But Minnesota defensive coordinator Tracy Claeys said Wisconsin also has one of the “better offensive lines we’ve faced.”

The Badgers show variety in their offense before the ball is snapped. “They’ve ran more formations and shifts than we have room on our whiteboard for,” Claeys said.

The Badgers alternate two quarterbacks in their games, Joel Stave and Tanner McEvoy. “You know, they do have good quarterbacks, but they’re not the ones that are going to beat you,” Claeys said. “Wisconsin is Wisconsin. You’ve got to stop the running game… .”

Gophers quarterback Mitch Leidner, a redshirt sophomore, expects to earn his degree in kinesiology a year from this fall. He has about a 3.3 GPA and is interested in a coaching career.

All-time Gophers career rushing leader Darrell Thompson, now the team’s radio color analyst, celebrated his 47th birthday on Sunday.

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No More Joking When Vikings Lose

Posted on November 24, 2014November 24, 2014 by David Shama

Notes from Mike Zimmer’s news conference this afternoon:

The Vikings first-year coach expects professional conduct by his players and he will act if he doesn’t see it. “There was a situation earlier this year that we got beat and there was some joking going on afterwards,” Zimmer said. “I put a stop to it pretty quickly.”

The Vikings, 4-7, have lost two consecutive games but Zimmer said the players are “taking the losses hard.” His players are developing the “mindset” he wants.

“The way we work in the weight room—intangible things a lot of you don’t see,” Zimmer said. “We’re on time. We act like professionals in a lot of different ways. We need it to show up more on Sundays with wins and that’s really where we’re at. But I don’t have a problem with the football team and the way they do things.”

Zimmer confirmed reports from earlier in the day that starting offensive tackle Phil Loadholt is out indefinitely with a pectoral tear. Loadholt will probably have surgery on Friday and reserve lineman Mike Harris, who hasn’t started a game this season for the Vikings, will likely be the replacement.

“I think Phil is a great person,” Zimmer said. “He’s very conscientious (and) works hard. He’s got a great heart. Obviously we’ll miss him but we’re not going to let it hold us back from what we’re trying to get done.”

Zimmer’s other starting tackle, Matt Kalil, is struggling with his performance on the field. After yesterday’s loss to the Packers, Kalil declined to talk with reporters after the game and then confronted a fan outside the stadium, reportedly knocking the person’s hat off.

“He was wrong in what he did,” Zimmer said. “We appreciate 99.9 percent of the fans. They’re great for us and he should have conducted himself in a better manner. I know in the past there have been times I’ve been upset with people, too, but they pay money to go watch us play and watch us perform so they have a right to express their opinion.”

At times yesterday Zimmer was disappointed with quarterback Teddy Bridgewater’s accuracy in the loss to the Packers. But Zimmer also had praise for Bridgewater.

The coach said Bridgewater has had slow starts in games but makes adjustments and he likes the rookie’s composure. “Maybe the biggest thing is when the game is on the line, he seems to make a lot of plays,” Zimmer said.

With a wintry forecast this week, the Vikings may practice both indoors and outdoors in preparation for Sunday’s home game against the Panthers at TCF Bank Stadium. “If we can get out, we will get out,” Zimmer said.

With this being Thanksgiving week, the coach was asked what he is thankful for. “I’m thankful for the guys that I get to work with every single day. I’m thankful for my family and the coaches that we have. I’d be more thankful with some wins.”

Worth Noting

Gophers coach Jerry Kill makes $300,000 more than the $1.8 million average pay for the head football coaches at FBS schools, according to the November 20 issue of USA Today. The newspaper annually reports on compensation for college coaches including in the Big Ten where Kill’s $2.1 million pay is less than rivals at Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Northwestern, Ohio State and Wisconsin.

Michigan State’s Mark Dantonio is the highest paid coach in the league at $5,636,145, while Ohio State’s Urban Meyer is second at 4,536,640. Nationally, Dantonio’s compensation ranks behind only Nick Saban at $7,160,187, according to USA Today. The publication reported Alabama pays a $32,395 annual premium on a $6 million term life insurance policy for Saban.

Gophers defensive back Briean Boddy-Calhoun is Big Ten Co-Defensive Player of the Week today along with Northwestern safety Ibraheim Campbell. Calhoun forced and recovered a fumble in the closing minutes of Minnesota’s upset win over Nebraska on Saturday. He leads the Gophers in interceptions with four and ranks third in the conference.

The winner of the 2014 Mr. Football Award, sponsored by the Minnesota Football Coaches Association and the Vikings, will be announced at a banquet Sunday morning at the DoubleTree hotel in St. Louis Park. The 10 finalists for the prep award are: Dalton Elliott, Nicollet; Jackson Erdmann, Rosemount; Kez Flomo, Totino-Grace; Robbie Grimsley, Hutchinson; Alex Hart, Prior Lake; Will Rains, Eden Prairie; John Rumpza, Blooming Prairie; John Santiago, St. Francis; Ryan Schlichte, Mankato West; and Michael Veldman, Becker. Information about the banquet is available by contacting Jim Dotseth, dotsethj@comcast.net.

In the state football semifinals coach Cory Larson from Dawson-Boyd High School earned his 100th career victory, but on Saturday he saw his team lose the Class 1A state championship game to Minneota. His career record is 100-47-3 in 13 seasons of high school coaching—all at Dawson-Boyd, his alma mater.

WCHA Commissioner Bill Robertson is pursuing additional teams including Arizona State for the 10-team league. ASU announced its intent last week to play Division I college hockey. Robertson, a St. Paul native with West Coast relationships, is also working on other Pac-12 and West Coast schools as potential WCHA members.

Michigan Tech head coach Mel Pearson, who played for Willard Ikola at Edina East High School in the mid-1970’s, has his Huskies off to a 10-2 start, although the team did lose consecutive games last weekend to Minnesota State. Pearson’s father, George Pearson, played with the Minnesota Fighting Saints of the World Hockey Association.

The Gophers basketball team will visit Ground Zero in New York tomorrow. The Gophers are in New York to participate in the two-game NIT Season Tipoff tournament at Madison Square Garden. Wednesday night the Gophers play St. John’s and Friday they will have a second game against either Georgia or Gonzaga.

The Minnesota players will eat their Thanksgiving meals at a New York hotel.

Former Gophers wide receiver Lewis Garrison has a busy schedule officiating college basketball and football games. Last week he refereed the Iowa-Texas basketball game and was part of the officiating crew for the Illinois-Penn State football game. Tonight he will referee the Indiana-Eastern Washington basketball game.

ESPN will debut a “30 for 30” documentary next year about former Timberwolves forward Christian Laettner who starred at Duke and is famous for his buzzer beating shot against Kentucky. The film is titled “I Hate Christian Laettner.”

There is already anticipation about the Gophers women’s basketball team playing at home against Maryland on January 11. The Terps are led by former Gophers coach Brenda Frese and ESPN2 will televise the game—Minnesota’s only ESPN appearance of the season. Maryland is ranked No. 24 in the Associated Press poll.

New Gophers coach Marlene Stollings once coached a men’s club team in Europe, although initially she wasn’t sure the invitation was “serious.”

If the Twins make a deal with free agent Torii Hunter to rejoin his old team it’s a sure sign new manager Paul Molitor wants a vocal veteran leader in the locker room. Hunter, the 39-year-old outfielder who left the Twins after the 2007 season, was outspoken when he was here. With his quotes and personality, he’s a media favorite.

The Twins increased their roster to the 40-man limit with the recent additions of right-handed pitcher Alex Meyer, left-handed pitcher Jason Wheeler, outfielder Eddie Rosario and infielder Miguel Sano. Meyer, Rosario and Sano will be closely watched by fans in spring training because they have been hyped as prospects for awhile but Wheeler is an unknown.

Wheeler, 24, pitched at Single-A Fort Myers, Double-A New Britain and Triple-A Rochester last season. He overall record was 11-9, with a 2.67 ERA (158.1 innings pitched, 47 earned runs). He walked 37 batters, with 115 strikeouts, two complete games and one shutout in 26 starts. The 6-foot-6, 251-pound left-hander was originally drafted by the Twins in the eighth round of the 2011 First-Year Player Draft out of Loyola Marymount University.

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