“Who’s house?  Our house!”  Gopher football assistant coaches have used that cheer to fire up Minnesota fans since head coach Tim Brewster put his staff together over a year ago.  It’s fair to say that as Brewster and his assistants get ready for a second season they are still working on the “house’s” foundation.

Tonight (Friday) the public can assess more of the building process when the Gophers play in their annual free spring game at the Metrodome starting at 7 p.m.  Don’t expect to reach a lot of conclusions, though.  Playing an intra-squad game is a lot different from facing another team in the fall.  Plus, the Gophers’ starting defensive lineup for next season is far from settled with the possibility that incoming junior college and freshmen players will earn regular spots in August and September.

That’s because the Gophers have a strong group of freshmen and junior college players from a recruiting class that focused on defensive players and earned national praise.  The help wanted sign was really out as Brewster and his staff went recruiting after last season’s team was a disaster defensively and largely responsible for a 1-11 record.

Tonight’s game is an opportunity to see some newcomers already here including linebacker Rex Sharpe, defensive back Tramaine Brock and athlete David Pittman, all jucos.  Pittman is an exciting player who will play some at quarterback and other positions.  Look for him to give the Gophers’ a big play running threat at quarterback in special situations next season.

Most fans will focus on quarterback Adam Weber who was a Sporting News third team freshman All-American last season.  His 241.2 yards per game passing was third in the Big Ten Conference and he set school records for pass completions, attempts, touchdown passes and yardage.  Weber has now added muscle and weight that will help him take the pounding required of a passing-running quarterback in the spread offense.  He’s also working to become a more vocal leader.

With improved talent, more familiarity with the offensive and defensive systems, plus a favorable schedule, the Gophers will win more than one game next season.  As usual the non-conference schedule is soft and unattractive to fans, but helpful for winning games.  The Gophers will be favored in home non-conference games with Northern Illinois, Montana State, and Florida Atlantic, and at Bowling Green.  All four of the home conference games–Indiana, Northwestern, Michigan and Iowa–are possible wins. The road will be much more difficult with games at Ohio State, Illinois, Purdue and Wisconsin.

The Gophers could win several games, although the regional and national media will make them a popular choice to finish last again in the conference.  Ohio State is the elite team in the conference, a possibility to play in a third consecutive national championship game.   Wisconsin, Penn State and Illinois may be the next best teams.  Iowa has struggled in recent seasons but Mark May predicted on ESPN2 this spring that the Hawkeyes will be one of the surprise teams in college football next season.  He based his prediction on Iowa returning most of its offensive starters and the skills of head coach Kirk Ferentz.

Big Ten football has been inferior to other conferences for awhile, including the SEC which has five coaches who have won national championships.  Brewster’s opportunity is to consistently recruit such high level players to Minnesota that he passes by the many mediocre Big Ten programs.

Talented players build a strong “house.”

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Newly acquired Vikings’ defensive end Jared Allen has the second most sacks in the NFL since 2004.  His 43 sacks in 61 games are second only to Miami’s Jason Taylor’s 46 in 64 games.  Allen averaged 15.5 sacks last season and was also in double figures in 2005 with 11.

A Sports Headliners reader from southern California e-mailed suggesting the possibility that the San Diego Chargers, instead of the Vikings, may move into the new stadium targeted for opening in 2011 near Los Angeles.  The Chargers are free from their stadium agreement after next season.  Meanwhile, it hasn’t gone unnoticed among worrisome Viking fans that the seats in the proposed new L.A. stadium will be purple.

Twins closer extraordinaire Joe Nathan has been almost perfect in the first month of the season.  He has yet to give up an earned run in eight innings while allowing seven hits and striking out eight.

Center fielder Carlos Gomez has sometimes looked feeble at the plate in recent games.  Tuesday night he struck out four times.  In his last 10 games he has eight hits in 43 at-bats, a .186 average.  He did have two hits yesterday, including his first home run, to raise his average to .230.           .

The Wild released television ratings recently for the Western Conference Quarterfinals against Colorado and they were the best ever for the local franchise in a first-round playoff series. The Wild averaged a 12.2 rating and a 22 share on its three broadcasts on KSTC-TV. On three FSN North telecasts the Wild averaged an 8.2 rating and a 15 share.

In 2003, the Wild averaged a 7.7 rating and a 15.6 share for the first round, a seven-game series against Colorado. Last season, the Wild’s five-game series versus Anaheim averaged a 6.6 rating and a 14 share.

Nielsen Media Research measures the size of a TV audience in household rating points.  Those points are a percent of a household that viewed a program. Each rating point represents one percent of a target audience reached. Share is the percentage of households in the market watching TV. For example, against Colorado on Thursday, April 17, 13.8 percent of the Minneapolis/St. Paul market watched the game, while 23 percent of the households in the market with their televisions on viewed the contest.

The Wild’s Derek Boogaard is the second worst skater in the NHL according to a Sports Illustrated players poll published in the April 28 issue of the magazine.  Derian Hatcher of Philadelphia was first in the poll.

Former Gopher Jason Giannini, who a year ago was competing with Joel Monroe for the placekicking job, would have been in his last season of eligibility in 2008 had he stayed on the team.  A Gopher spokesman said Giannini, still on scholarship, is attending classes at Minnesota.  He will be remembered for kicking the winning field goal against Michigan in 2005.

The Twin Cities Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame will honor former Gopher coach Murray Warmath, 95, with its Distinguished Minnesotan award on Sunday at a dinner at the University of St. Thomas.  Warmath, the Gopher coach from 1954-1971, won the 1960 national championship and took two Minnesota teams to the Rose Bowl.  Minnesota coach Tim Brewster will be the keynote speaker.

Djorn R. Buchholz, Minnesota Thunder general manager, said he will be “extremely disappointed” if the team doesn’t qualify for the USL playoffs.  The Thunder hasn’t made the playoffs since 2004 but has a mostly new roster.  The Thunder opened their season on the road last night losing 2-1 to Portland.

Saint John’s University senior Matt Bohlig and Gustavus Adolphus College sophomore Kali Griggs are the MIAC men’s and women’s golf athletes of the week as chosen by conference coaches. Bohlig shot a four under par 67 to tie for medalist honors at Monticello CC in a dual between Saint John’s and Saint Cloud State last Friday. He followed that up with his first college win at the Bobby Krig Invitational hosted by Gustavus April 21-22. Bohlig shot scores of 70-73-and a three under 69 to win the event by two strokes and help Saint John’s to the team title.

Griggs finished first with a 36-hole total of 76-73–149 at the Minnesota Women’s Collegiate Golf Association Invitational (MWCGA) at Pebble Creek Golf Club in Becker, Minnesota last Saturday and Sunday.  Gustavus, ranked third in the nation, topped second place St. Thomas by 41 strokes and scored an 18-hole total of 297 on Sunday which set a new school record.

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Count former Vikings’ assistant coach Dean Dalton among those enthusiastic about the  team acquiring defensive end Jared Allen from Kansas City. Dalton, who now analyzes the NFL in the media, told Sports Headliners on Monday that Allen’s impact on the Vikings will be dramatic.  Today the Vikings and Chiefs are expected to announce a deal that will bring Allen here in exchange for draft choices.

“That could be the type of move that could put the Vikings over the top,” Dalton said. “If I were coach (Brad) Childress I would be lobbying hard to make that deal happen.”

Allen, 26, led the NFL in sacks last season with 15.5.  Not only was pressure on the quarterback a Vikings’ deficiency last year but the team lacks both depth and quality at defensive end.  Dalton said the addition of Allen means the pass defense becomes a lot better including the secondary which receives a “tremendous boost.”  The Vikings have perhaps the NFL’s best defense against the run, but gave up more passing yards per game than any team in the league last year.

It’s believed the Chiefs will acquire the Vikings’ No. 1 draft choice and other picks in the deal.  Dalton said acquiring Allen is “worth the cost” of the picks.

The Vikings’ need for a speed rushing defensive end was expected to be settled by Saturday night.  By then it was expected a deal for Allen would either materialize or flop.  If the trade didn’t come off, then the Vikings could have been in position to choose sack specialist Derrick Harvey of Florida with their first round pick, the 17^th choice in Saturday’s college draft.

Dalton describes Harvey as a “pure speed rush guy.”  If Harvey wasn’t available, the choice could have been defensive end Philip Merling of Clemson, a player Dalton describes as “not just a situational guy” like Harvey.  Merling is a bigger body than Harvey, making him a more versatile defensive end, although not as dazzling a pass rusher.  “They (either player) can make the Vikings better right away,” Dalton said.

Dalton hosts a show on Sirius Satellite Radio on Saturdays from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. Minneapolis time.  He will be talking about the draft Saturday with former Denver general manager Ted Sundquist.

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