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.