The Gophers have lost two straight and the offense has produced just one touchdown in those games but coach Tim Brewster told Sports Headliners not to expect trick plays or other gimmicks when Minnesota plays Wisconsin in Madison on Saturday.  “It’s not about creativity, it’s about blocking and tackling,” Brewster said.

Quarterback Adam Weber has been sacked six times in the last two games.  He’s been under pressure many other times.  The “wrinkle” for Saturday needs to be protecting the quarterback, Brewster said.

The Gophers’ offense needs improved play from the offensive line and that includes better pass and run blocking, plus eliminating penalties.  A group of 10 interior offensive linemen who have played this year consists of four redshirt freshmen, two sophomores and four juniors.

The Gophers also have inexperienced offensive players at other positions including wide receiver and running back.  Brewster is emphasizing fundamentals with them and is looking forward to working with all his players at the extra practices that a post-season bowl game will provide.

He said the Gophers may recruit a junior college offensive tackle to help next year’s line.  Notre Dame transfer Matt Carfuel, who will either play tackle or guard as a redshirt junior, is also expected to help.

While the results of the last two weeks have been losses, the Gophers are 7-3 on the season and recently received verbal commitments from highly rated prospects including Washburn tight end Ra’Shede Hageman and junior college wide receiver Hayo Carpenter.  Hageman drew interest from some of the nation’s best programs including Ohio State, and Carpenter is reportedly among the top junior college players in the country.  And for the first time in a long while, it looks like the Gophers may get everyone of the top in-state prep players.

The Gophers have lost six straight at Wisconsin and the Badgers (5-5 overall, 2-5 in the Big Ten Conference) have won two of their last three games, but look for the Gophers to play an inspired game on Saturday.  Brewster said yesterday that wide receiver Eric Decker, who has 892 yards in receptions in 10 games, will not play on Saturday and will rest his high ankle sprain (right ankle).

Viking defensive end Jared Allen played with a harness on his injured right shoulder against Green Bay last Sunday. Teammate Ellis Wyms, a reserved defensive tackle, told Sports Headliners he wasn’t a doubter about Allen playing.  “Always expect Jared to play,” Wyms said.  “He’s one of the toughest guys in this league.  I never doubted for a minute.  …The type of person he is, his arm would have to be falling off for him not to be out there helping us win today.”

Bud Grant, 82, remains an active outdoorsman, still hunting in Minnesota and elsewhere.  The former Viking coach has 22 grandchildren including Ryan Grant who is a redshirt linebacker with the Gophers.  Long passionate about ice cream, Grant still eats it for dessert every night.

Ralph Sampson II and Bill Walton are the only men to have won the Naismith award as national player of the year three times in college.  Sampson’s son, Ralph III, is a freshman with the Gophers and dad has been at both Minnesota games this season.  The 7-foot-4 former Virginia center told Sports Headliners that when he was in high school Gopher coach Tubby Smith, then an assistant at Virginia Commonwealth, tried to recruit him.  Sampson lives in Atlanta and said he will attend as many Gopher games as “possible.”

Congratulations to Gopher associate athletics director Phil Esten and wife Dani on the birth of son Cooper, their second child.  Cooper, born Sunday, was 21 inches long, nine pounds, six ounces.

A Timberwolves spokesman reported via e-mail that about 2,000 tickets remain for the November 21 game at Target Center against NBA champion Boston.  The Wolves marketers recently announced a “Star Studded Six Game Package” that includes Boston (Kevin Garnett), the Lakers (Kobe Bryant), Orlando (Dwight Howard), Portland (Greg Oden), Phoenix (Shaquille O’Neal) and New York (Zach Randolph). Starting at $108 for upper level tickets, fans can save up to 10 percent off the price of individual tickets by purchasing the package.

Phoenix is in St. Paul to play the Wild tomorrow night and the Coyotes’ roster includes rookie center Kevin Porter, the 2008 Hobey Baker award winner from Michigan.  Porter has four points on one goal and three assists in 11 games.

The Wild (tied for third in the Northwest Division) has won the last eight games against Phoenix (third in the Pacific Division), including five straight at Xcel Energy Center.

Former Gopher Thomas Vanek, playing with Buffalo, leads the NHL in goals with 12.

Last Thursday quarterback Gus Frerotte stood near his locker in Winter Park before practice and talked about the importance of him minimizing mistakes to give the Vikings opportunity to win.  Yesterday on a day when he threw three interceptions leading to two Green Bay touchdowns and one field goal, the Vikings used a 192 yard rushing performance by Adrian Peterson and a dominant defense to win 28-27 and move into a first place tie with Chicago in the NFC North.

Frerotte, now 5-2 as a starter since replacing Tarvaris Jackson, was almost prophetic about the game when he said this on Thursday: “I think right now the key thing for me…is being smart with the football.  We’ve had some mistakes in the past.  Some of those have hurt us and put us in bad situations. If you look at the stats, when we do turn the ball over we haven’t won games.

The Vikings led 21-10 in the third quarter when Frerotte threw the third of his interceptions, a ball intercepted by Packer safety Nick Collins who ran 59 yards for a touchdown.  Less than two minutes later Green Bay’s Will Blackmon ran a punt back 65 yards for a touchdown and the Packers had a 24-21 lead.

Peterson, though, ran 29 yards for a touchdown to give the Vikings a 28-27 lead with about two minutes to play in the game.  The Vikings defense, that had been led all day by a relentless pass rush, wouldn’t let the Packers score and Green Bay failed on a desperation 52 yard field goal attempt by Mason Crosby.

Ellis Wyms, a Vikings’ reserve defensive tackle, tipped an Aaron Rogers pass on the Packers’ last drive that he thought was going to be intercepted by Minnesota safety Madieu Williams but luckily landed in the arms of Green Bay receiver Donald Driver.  The play went for 19 yards, but on three other plays on their final drive the Packers gained a total of just eight yards.

What was said just before the defense went on the field for the last time?  “We gotta win the game,” Wyms said.  “Particularly we’ve gotta win it up front.  We got a bunch of Pro Bowl players up front. …That’s why they brought all of us here.  To win that game for us. …I talked to Donald Lee (Packers tight end) after the game and he said, ‘I just didn’t expect you all to bring that much heat today.  I didn’t expect you all to bring that much pressure…’  The pressure probably won the game for us.”

The Vikings had four sacks and numerous hurries on Rogers.  The defense held Green Bay to 110 net yards passing, 74 rushing and allowed just one touchdown.

Wyms called it a “big” game and one the Vikings had to win to take that “next step.”  For now the 5-4 Vikings have stepped into a first place tie with 5-4 Chicago while the Packers have reverse numbers, 4-5.  And Frerotte, who was 15 of 28 passing            with two touchdown passes and able to keep his composure in managing the offense, is no doubt happy his prophecy wasn’t perfect.