Coach Tim Brewster said the surprising Gophers, 7-1, “have been the Bear” but the team is becoming the “hunted.”
The Gophers named sophomore safety Kyle Theret the team’s weekly Defensive MVP and Special Forces MVP for his outstanding game against Purdue. The 5-foot-10, 185 pound Theret is an exceptional tackler and smart player. “His heart is as big as his body,” Brewster said.
A source, who requested anonymity, said Northwestern declined to move tomorrow’s game at the Metrodome from an 11 a.m. start to 2:30 p.m. because of airplane arrangements.
Former Gopher wrestler Dave Henry, along with his 90-year-old mother, his daughter, aunt and uncle, two brothers, three nephews, two nieces, and other family rented a motor home and drove from Minnesota to last week’s Purdue game. Henry’s mother has a 1933 Purdue-Minnesota scorecard.
Coach Tubby Smith’s basketball team will hold a free practice and scrimmage open to the public beginning at 4 p.m. tomorrow at Williams Arena.
Former KSTP anchorman Joe Schmit, now president of the John T. Petters Foundation, reports the good news that his lymphoma has “stalled” and he’s not undergoing treatment. Schmit will speak briefly this evening at the fourth annual Lake Minnetonka Monster Mash, a Halloween benefit for the Lymphoma Foundation. The event will be at the Bayview Center in Excelsior and entertainment includes Jimi Jamison, former Survivor lead singer and also Alex Ligertwood, former Santana lead singer. Tickets are available in advance and at the door, with more information available at 952-470-8439.
The Lee County Commission voted 3-1 earlier this week to approve a new spring training baseball home for the Boston Red Sox, according to news-press.com that reports news in the Fort Myers, Florida area where the Twins also headquarter. The proposed new ballpark will seat approximately 10,000 and resemble famed Fenway Park.
Four MIAC football games were decided by a total of 12 points last Saturday. The largest margin of victory was Saint John’s 20-14 overtime win at St. Olaf. During the last two weekends, only one MIAC game has been determined by more than six points. Through the first 24 games of the MIAC season, 17 games have been decided by eight points or less. With three weeks left in the regular season, six of the nine MIAC teams have one or two losses.
Saturday’s big game is Gustavus at Bethel. Both teams are 3-2 in conference games. All-MIAC sophomore running back Logan Flannery leads the run-oriented Bethel offense. Senior running back Ray Wilson set a school single-game rushing record with 258 yards on 28 carries in a 34-31 victory over Augsburg College on Saturday in St. Peter. He was chosen the MIAC offensive player of the week.
Because Saint John’s has a bye this weekend, football coach John Gagliardi will be able to attend his induction into the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame in suburban Chicago on Saturday night. Gagliardi broke former Grambling State head coach Eddie Robinson’s NCAA record for the most games coached (588) earlier this season. Gagliardi’s 60 years of collegiate coaching is the most in college football history.
The 2008 MIAC Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Championships are Saturday at the Como Park Golf Course in St. Paul. The men’s race is set to begin at 2 p.m. and the women’s race starts at 3 p.m. The Saint John’s men and the St. Thomas women are trying to win third consecutive championships.
The NSIC has five schools ranked in the NCAA DII Wrestling Coaches Association top 20 poll. Minnesota State is ranked No. 2 in the country followed by Upper Iowa (10), St. Cloud State (12), Augustana (14), with MSU Moorhead is tied for 17th with Truman State of Missouri. Upper Iowa’s Travis Eggers is ranked first in his 157 pound weight class.