The Gophers have won two games by three points each. The team has shown poise in close games and not flinched on defense in the fourth quarter. Before Brewster’s arrival the Gophers preferred a Charmin-soft nonconference schedule but this year’s games were the most formidable in more than 15 years.
The Gophers will bus to Iowa, their only trip not by plane. Gophers athletic director Joel Maturi said most Big Ten Conference teams are busing to at least one game, a policy of fiscal restraint.
Brewster described the change in travel as “refreshing.” The Gophers will ride for about two and one-half hours on Friday, then stop for a short break before continuing the trip.
The outing is favorable compared with California’s round trip bus ride to UCLA earlier this fall. The ride from Berkeley to Los Angeles is about seven hours each way.
Brewster said center Jeff Tow-Arnett, who broke his leg in the Wisconsin game on October 3, was cleared to play against South Dakota State but didn’t. He could play at Iowa and most certainly will in a bowl game. As the team’s starting center, his absence has been one of the challenges faced by the offense.
The Gophers, like all opponents who have used the visiting locker rooms in Kinnick Stadium, will dress surrounded by pink walls. The pink walls were painted at the direction of former Iowa coach Hayden Fry who thought the passive color might give his Hawkeyes an edge. Brewster said when he was a player at Illinois his coach, Mike White, had the walls covered with “meat locker paper.”
The U2 concert on June 27 next year at TCF Bank Stadium will allow the University to earn about $200,000, according to Gophers athletic director Joel Maturi. Capacity for the outdoor concert will be about 58,000. No alcohol will be allowed at the event.
Coaches aren’t the only ones who work long weeks. Maturi said he’s in the office every Sunday and expects to work “11 hours” this coming Sunday.
High hopes: senior basketball guard Lawrence Westbrook said on a recent WCCO Radio postgame show that the Gophers believe they can be a Final Four team.
Gophers assistant coach Saul Smith said forward Rodney Williams could rank with the best freshmen in the Big Ten. He also said the players have been talking for some time about next week’s Thanksgiving night game against highly ranked Butler (No 11 or 10 depending on the poll).
Vikings coach Brad Childress said Tarvaris Jackson, not Sage Rosenfels, is the team’s No. 2 quarterback behind Brett Favre. He told Sports Headliners that unless Jackson is needed in a full game it won’t be possible to totally judge Jackson’s improvement. “You don’t know until you know,” Childress said.
Seattle coach Jim Mora (whose Seahawks play here on Sunday) was asked if Favre’s performance this season has surprised him. “You know what? I don’t know if that guy will ever surprise me. We’ve played him so many times. I have two favorite players since I have been in the NFL and that’s Ronnie Lott and Brett Favre. Those are the two guys that I respect the most. He will never surprise me.”
Larry Fitzgerald Sr. said his son Larry’s Arizona Cardinals, who made the Super Bowl last season, should be included with New Orleans and the Vikings when naming NFC favorites. The Cardinals have won five of their last six games. He said his son’s best friend on the team is quarterback Kurt Warner and among their common interests is a strong religious conviction.
It wouldn’t be surprising if 38-year-old catcher Mike Redmond, who has spent five seasons with the Twins, ends his career soon and joins the organization as a manager or coach. The Twins have three promising catching prospects in Wilson Ramos, 22, and Joe Morales and Sal Butera, both 26. Butera is the most advanced defensively, Morales the best offensively.
Five-year-old Josh Sacco will lead the crowd in “Let’s Play Hockey” prior to Friday night’s home Wild game against the Islanders. Sacco’s rendition of Herb Brooks’ famous speech from the movie Miracle has been viewed nearly 1.9 million times at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CdJTfGiRCI. Sacco, a native of the Nashville area, recited the speech, performed in the movie by actor Kurt Russell, after watching Miracle with his father more than 100 times. The video was originally uploaded to YouTube so extended family could watch it.
Saint Paul native Kyle Okposo had the H1N1 virus but is expected to join his Islanders teammates in tomorrow night’s game. He ranks third on the club with 13 points (five goals, eight assists) in 20 games.
Grand Rapids native Alex Goligoski, who has been leading the Penguins defensemen in scoring, will be out two to three weeks with a lower-body injury.
Senior forward David Martinson had seven points to help Gustavus earn a tie and win in an MIAC series against St. Olaf last weekend. Martinson had two assists in Friday’s 3-3 tie at Northfield, and then scored four goals in the Gusties 5-4 win in St. Peter on Saturday. Martinson, a 2008-09 All-American, has scored five goals and registered seven assists for 12 points in six games this season. He is the MIAC men’s Hockey Athlete of the Week.