Smith said Dominique Dawson, the 6-foot-7 walk-on forward from Southwest High School, will likely redshirt this season.
Other than a game against St. Joseph’s of Philadelphia, the Gophers home nonconference schedule could use more fan appeal. Smith said eventually there might be home games against some of the most prestigious programs in the country. He also said Louisville wanted the Gophers to be the opening opponent in its new arena next year but that didn’t work out.
Second year Vikings center John Sullivan, now a starter, learned from veteran Matt Birk last year before Birk left to play for the Ravens. Sullivan said Birk taught him to be a thorough note taker. “I’ve probably been through five notebooks already this year since the start of OTA’s and training camp,” Sullivan said.
After Saturday’s loss at Penn State, the Gophers have now lost eight consecutive trophy games.
Vikings defensive tackle Jimmy Kennedy played for Penn State and legendary coach Joe Paterno from 1999-2002. Last Saturday Paterno, 82, got his 389th coaching win against the Gophers. He’s been an assistant coach at Penn State since 1950 and head coach dating back to 1966. “When I was a player Joe told us that he’s going to die on the field,” Kennedy said. “I believe him.”
Kennedy speaks with praise and admiration about his old coach. Because of Paterno, Kennedy said, “I am able to survive after football.”
After a terrific high school career, Kennedy thought he would only be at Penn State for a short while before moving on to the pros. He learned from Paterno that Penn State emphasizes academics, not just football. “Joe gave me a slap in the face and said, ‘Hey, this is what we’re about. I am about men. I have more doctors and lawyers out there than I do NFL players.’ ”
Gophers special teams coach John Butler describes Troy Stoudermire as explosive and fearless. He said the sophomore kickoff returner, wide receiver and special teams tackler can play in the NFL because the pros want versatile players.
Freshman punter Dan Orseske, who punted for the Gophers earlier in the season before developing mononucleosis, could be redshirted, coach Tim Brewster said.
USA Today Sports Weekly named Twins catcher Joe Mauer and reliever Joe Nathan to its American League post season All-Star team. Former Twin Torii Hunter, now with the Angels, was named the center fielder.
Ted Williams, who played for the AAA Minneapolis Millers, is ranked as baseball’s all-time No. 2 hitter after Babe Ruth in a story at https://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/joe_posnanski/10/14/best.hitters/index.html?bcnn=yes.
A Gopher hockey fan who was in Grand Forks for Friday night’s game against North Dakota estimated that the pre-game presentation and introductions was way overdone, clocking close to 20 minutes. He said: “Wow! Longest I’ve ever seen!”