The statistics support Gopher coach Tim Brewster’s statement that his team needs to “get more explosive playmakers.”  In five games the Gophers have 32 plays of more than 20 yards.  Wide receiver Eric Decker has 11 of those plays, kickoff returner Troy Stoudemire eight.  Running backs Duane Bennett and DeLeon Eskridge, and defensive backs Marcus Sherels and Kyle Theret, have two each.

The Gophers need other wide receivers to become down field threats.  True freshman Da’Jon McKnight might be first in line.

He caught a 22-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Adam Weber last Saturday against Ohio State, his first catch as a Gopher.  The 6-foot-4 Dallas native not only has size but Brewster said that McKnight has a 40-inch vertical jump.

The coach also said that McKnight was a basketball player earlier in his athletic career and didn’t play football until his junior year of high school.  Although McKnight is second team on the Gopher depth chart, it won’t be surprising to see him play tomorrow against Indiana.

The Gophers, 4-1, play an Indiana team, 2-2, that is going on the road for the first time this season.  The Hoosiers have an impressive offense with big play guys in quarterback Kellen Lewis and running back Marcus Thigpen, but an unimpressive defense that is giving up 25 points per game.  The opposition, except for a 42-29 loss to Michigan State (4-1), has been suspect, too.  The Hoosiers defeated Western Kentucky (2-3) from the Sun Belt Conference, Murray State (0-4) from the Ohio Valley Conference, and lost to the Mid-American Conference’s Ball State (5-0), 42-20.

The Gophers lost 34-21 to Big Ten Conference title favorite Ohio State last week but Weber said the game showed that his team “can play with the big boys.”  Theret  believes the Gophers could beat the Buckeyes in a rematch.

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Another explosive receiver the Gophers are hoping to move into the lineup at times is wide receiver and junior college transfer David Pittman who hasn’t been playing because of a hamstring injury.  Brewster is hopeful about receiving help from Pittman this season.

Brewster said defensive back Traye Simmons leads the country in the interceptions and pass break ups with totals of two and nine.

Brewster said it’s unlikely the Gophers will recruit a junior college quarterback for next season even though they have two seniors behind Weber in Tony Mortensen and Mike Maciejowski.  Ineligible MarQueis Gray may qualify academically and be in school next year as a freshman quarterback.  Quarterback Moses Alipate of Bloomington Jefferson has verbally committed to the Gophers.

Wisconsin saw a 19-0 halftime lead at Michigan turn into a 27-25 loss last Saturday.  Vikings head coach Brad Childress told Sports Headliners that when he was an assistant coach at Illinois in the early 1980s the Illini were ahead in Ann Arbor 21-0 at the half.  Then Illinois lost the game to Michigan by a score of 70-21.

Childress and Brewster are friends and text message each other frequently.

The Big Ten is the only BCS conference with its own daily TV network. That’s a plus for recruiting because high schoolers in various parts of the country can keep up on Big Ten teams.

Tubby Smith and the Gopher men’s basketball program will host its second annual Coaches Clinic on Saturday, October 25 at Williams Arena.  The clinic will also include on-court demonstrations from former Gopher player and ex-Timberwolves coach Flip Saunders, plus high school coaches John Hedstrom of Minnetonka and Matt Cordes of New London-Spicer. The pre-registration fee is $75, or $100 at the door on October 25.  Registration begins at 12:30 p.m. at Williams Arena.

Timberwolves coach Randy Wittman will be able to watch his son Ryan, a star player for Cornell, compete against the Gophers on December 6 at Williams Arena.  The Gophers play Cornell in the afternoon, while the Timberwolves have a night game in Target Center against the Los Angeles Clippers.

Harvey Mackay, the former Gopher golfer and New York Times best selling author, wrote about ex-Gopher football player Sam Richter in his syndicated column earlier this week.  Richter is the author of “Take the Cold Out of Cold Calling,” a recommended read for anyone who wants to use the Web more effectively in business.

Media and Western Collegiate Hockey Association coaches predict that Minnesota and Wisconsin will tie for fourth place in the WCHA this coming season.  In preseason polls released on Wednesday the media and coaches also voted Colorado College to win the league with North Dakota second and Denver third.

The media and coaches didn’t agree on Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year selections. Aaron Ness and Jordan Schroeder from Minnesota each received five of the 25 media votes for Rookie of the Year with Denver’s Joe Colborne earning a league-high seven votes.  Ness and Schroeder each received two votes from the coaches for Rookie of the Year, while North Dakota’s Jason Gregorie and Minnesota Duluth’s Jack Connolly each received three votes.

The Wild will unveil the team’s first-ever mascot on Sunday at about 4 p.m. during a on-ice event at Xcel Energy Center. The mascot will be targeted toward young fans, families and community events.  Hot Tamales Wild Kids Club members will have a chance to skate and all fans attending the event will have the opportunity to take a picture with the new mascot. Other activities will include floor hockey, face painters and a movie. The public is welcome with doors opening at 3:30 p.m.

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Timberwolves rookie Kevin Love received a compliment earlier this week when NBA legend Jerry West told a Memphis newspaper (commercialappeal.com) he would have kept the former UCLA star in Memphis rather than trading him here on draft night.  West, the former Memphis Grizzlies’ president of basketball operations, was the front office boss of seven NBA championship teams in Los Angeles and is regarded among the most savvy talent evaluators in the NBA for the last four decades.

Love, 20, impressed the local media on Monday afternoon in Minneapolis when he answered questions with humor, clarity and detail.  He hopes to average double figures in points and rebounds for the Wolves.  He also said making the all-rookie team is a goal.

Timberwolves assistant general manager Fred Hoiberg thinks the 6-10, 255-pound power forward could compete for Rookie of the Year.  “I am very excited about Kevin Love,” Hoiberg said.  “I think he’s a guy that just makes everyone around him better. …”

Love ranks with the better rebounders and passers who have played collegiately in the last several years.  He can also shoot outside with a nice touch and post up near the basket.  At UCLA he averaged 10.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 17.5 points per game.  “He’s more athletic than people think,” Hoiberg said.  “He tested very well at the combine (for rookies) in Orlando this year, and had the 12^th fastest lateral footness drill out of everybody, not just bigs. …”

Love will have to adjust to the pro game.  Like any rookie he will go through challenges as he competes to earn a starting position.  Hoiberg believes Love’s “high basketball IQ” will help him adjust more quickly than many rookies.

Love led the NBA summer league in Las Vegas in rebounding at 13.5.  That was a test providing further confidence in the rookie who played only one season at UCLA.  Assuming Love plays 25 minutes or more per game, Hoiberg said he could average double figures in rebounds.

Many of Love’s defensive rebounds in college were quickly turned into outlet passes.  His strength and quick releases have drawn college comparisons to basketball hall of famers Bill Walton and Wes Unseld.  In fact, Love’s middle name is Wes, named after his dad Stan’s former NBA teammate.

“It’s a weapon, there’s no doubt about it,” Hoiberg said.  “That outlet pass is a weapon. …”

Hoiberg said the Wolves can put in special plays to take advantage of Love’s outlet passing that can lead to lay-ups by his teammates.  Hoiberg’s former coach at Iowa State, Tim Floyd, now at USC, had to compete against UCLA last season in the Pac 10.  “He said you had to put the game plan around Kevin Love,” Hoiberg said.  “You had to sprint guys back (to defend).  You couldn’t crash the offensive boards the way you did against other teams. …”

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