Troy Stoudermire had a sensational spring game for the Gophers and if he could produce anything similar tomorrow against Penn State it will enhance Minnesota’s chances against a Nittany Lions team that is more than a two touchdown favorite.

Stoudermire excited the crowd last spring running 54 yards from scrimmage to score a touchdown, catching three passes for 31 yards and averaging 47.7 and 18.5 yards returning kickoffs and punts.

Stoudermire, who could be used as the main ball carrier in the Wildcat formation or run with the ball on a reverse, has gained 12 yards this season on three rushing attempts. As a wide receiver, he has caught 13 passes for 121 yards, with one touchdown.  Most impressive are his kickoff returns, averaging 28.3 yards per return, second best in the Big Ten Conference and No. 17 in the nation.  Frequently the 5-10, 183-pound sophomore has been close to a touchdown return and his longest run is 54 yards.

The Gophers Mr. Versatile has also been impressive as a tackler covering kicks. “Wherever you utilize Troy, good things are going to happen,” said Gophers coach Tim Brewster.  “He’s a big part of our offense.  We look at different ways each week in which we can throw the ball to him, and we can hand the ball to him, that he can return kicks , that he can cover kickoffs, that he can cover punts.  He’s got his plate pretty full.”

Gophers teammate Eric Decker thinks Stoudermire will play a larger part in the offense in future weeks.  What about Stoudermire in the Wildcat?  “It’s always a possibility,” Decker said.

Decker has made the team’s longest pass reception this season, 53 yards.  Stoudermire’s longest is 19 yards.  Running back Duane Bennett has the longest run at 29 yards.  The numbers say the Gophers haven’t had a lot of long gains this season. Big yardage on a drive dramatically increases the percentage of scoring a touchdown.  The Gophers want more of those.  In six games the offense has produced 10 rushing touchdowns and seven passing.

Minnesota (4-2) can use plenty of points tomorrow at Penn State (5-1) against a team that figures to score at least three touchdowns.  Penn State is ranked No. 13 in the country by USA Today.

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Decker leads the Big Ten in total receptions and yardage.  He expects teams, including probably Penn State, to be physical with him at the line of scrimmage. Decker was asked how he can be even more effective against the physical approach.  “You gotta watch professional NFL receivers to see what they do to get off the line,” Decker said.  “For me, I think I have to use my strength more, my physicality more to win the body position and just get in and out of my routes.  I’ve worked on it all off season and I am going to continue to work on it, and it’s going to get better.”

The Twins announced yesterday that 21-year-old outfielder Ben Revere has been named the 2009 Sherry Robertson Award winner as the organization’s Minor League Player of the Year and righthanded pitcher David Bromberg, 22, has been named the 2009 Jim Rantz Award winner as Minor League Pitcher of the Year.

Revere hit .311 with two home runs, 48 RBI, 75 runs scored and 45 steals in 121 games playing for Class-A Fort Myers.  He won the Robertson award last year, too.  The 6-5, 255-pound Bromberg also played for Fort Myers where he was 13-4, with a 2.70 ERA in 153.1 innings.  The right handed pitcher held opponents to a .224 batting average in 27 games (26 starts).

The St. Thomas-Saint John’s game tomorrow in Collegeville renews a football rivalry that began in 1901. The 15th-ranked Tommies are 5-0 overall and have won seven games in a row, the fourth longest win streak in Division III.  The sixth-ranked Johnnies are 6-0 and the defending MIAC champs.  Both teams share the MIAC lead at 4-0. The last time the teams were unbeaten in the second half of the season was 1942. The Tommies’ most recent win in Collegeville was 1986 and their last win over St. John’s came in 1997. Tommie place kicker Brady Beeson was a backup at Saint John’s last season.

The Gophers have sold about 250 three-game ticket packages consisting of basketball games with Wisconsin, Brown and Stephen F. Austin, according to an email from Jason LaFrenz, assistant athletic director.  About 300 three-game ticket packages have been sold for Michigan State, St. Joseph’s and Tennessee Tech.  A three-game package costs $90 and both packages are still available.

There are unobstructed single game seats in Williams Arena remaining for all games, according to LaFrenz.

St. Thomas senior basketball guard Joe Scott was named a second-team Division III preseason All-America by the Sporting News magazine.  He’s the only Minnesota collegian among 45 players named to the Sporting News’ All-America teams in Division I, II, III or NAIA.

The Gopher hockey team, which defeated British Columbia in an exhibition game a week ago Sunday, opens its season in Grand Forks tonight as part of a two-game series with North Dakota.  The Sioux returns 16 letter winners from last year’s WCHA championship team and has 10 freshmen on the roster.  The Sioux won two games last weekend against Merrimack.  Freshman forward Michael Cichy had a goal and two assists in his collegiate debut series and was named the WCHA Rookie of the Week. Brad Eidsness played both games in goal, finishing with 15 saves on Friday and 16 saves on Saturday. The sophomore was a third-team all-WCHA selection last season.  Senior defenseman Chay Genoway was last season’s WCHA Defensive Player of the Year and was named to the Inside College Hockey preseason All-American team.

The Wild has two of the NHL’s 50 best players, according to Sporting News NHL. Goaltender Niklas Backstrom is No. 40 and right wing Martin Havlat ranks No. 43, https://www.sportingnews.com/nhl/article/2009-10-14/sporting-news-nhl-top-50-nos-11-30

Former Gopher Thomas Vanek may be able to play within days for his Buffalo Sabres team after sustaining an upper body injury earlier this week.

Former Gopher hockey assistant Mark Mazzoleni is an assistant at St. Norbert College.

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A players’ council that meets frequently with head coach Brad Childress has helped improve communications and morale, contributing to the team’s 5-0 start, according to offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie and kicker Ryan Longwell.  Both are council members who spoke to Sports Headliners about the group that meets with Childress and then reports back to the team.

The council has more than a dozen members, has grown larger since last year and brings various discussion items to Childress including practice times.  In an interview with McKinnie last week, he was initially asked if Childress’ 14-4 record in the last 18 regular season games was a vindication of the much criticized head coach who has been the Vikings’ boss since 2006.

“A combination of that and then everybody finally I think is on the same page, and is going in the right direction to win a lot of football games and try to get to the Super bowl,” McKinnie said.

Longwell answered the vindication question this way: “I think it is a little bit of a vindication of all of us.  We’re all part of it.  There was a lot that had to be done when coach Childress came in here beyond the X’s and O’s and the 53 guys on the field.”

Off the field player behavior problems somewhat characterized the Vikings when Childress arrived in 2006.  Initially he didn’t have the council and Longwell was asked what the impact of it has been.  “I think it’s been really good because when coach first came in here he kind of drew a hard line, which you have to do to change the culture and get it the direction that he wanted,” Longwell said.

McKinnie and Longwell were both with the Vikings in 2006.  McKinnie is in his eighth NFL season, Longwell his 13^th.

McKinnie said the players appreciate the communication opportunity provided by the council.  Longwell said the “give and take” is good, acknowledging there are times Childress says “no” to suggestions.

Longwell also said this is the “best group we’ve had” while describing his teammates and the locker room atmosphere of the 2009 team.  He said the players aren’t satisfied with just winning, they want to keep improving, and they’re also able to enjoy one another’s company.

Longwell said the attitude and relationship is what winners are about. “I think you can have the greatest scheme, you can have the best talented players, and you can have the greatest coaches, but if there is a disconnect in the locker room, you’re not going to win football games,” Longwell said. “So the locker room and everybody in the locker room being on the same page is vitally important.

“You can look at teams where roster against other rosters are not as talented, but their chemistry is better, and they win more football games because of it.  And they win championships because of it.  I think that’s what the players’ council has given coach (Childress); a direct pipeline to the heartbeat of the locker room and what guys are thinking, feeling, doing.  Guys are a little bit more banged up than he thought, or fresher than he thought.  It’s a direct pipeline for that and that’s a good situation to have.”

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