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The Gopher football team heads to Iowa this weekend to close out the 2009 regular season. The campaign opened with great fanfare as the team's new on-campus home helped energize a dormant fan base (for at least one game). Offensive struggles and injuries to senior WR Eric Decker and on the offensive line quickly sent the season spiraling toward mediocrity and fired up the critics of coach Tim Brewster. The low point was a two-game stretch in which the Gophers lost games at Penn State and Ohio State and were out-scored 58-7.
With all of this as background, the Gophers are bowl-eligible going into the Iowa game at 6-5. Seven Big Ten teams are eligible for post-season play, and only Michigan can qualify next week, and all they have to do is beat Ohio State. This year's schedule was certainly tougher than last year's campaign which saw the Gophers sprint out to a 7-1 start, only to lose their final five contests. The 2009 edition featured the SDSU game, but Syracuse, Air Force, and California was a much tougher non-conference slate than last year's version with Northern Illinois, Bowling Green, Montana State, and Florida Atlantic. The Gophers' win at Northwestern looks pretty good now, but the loss at home against Illinois looks even worse than it did a week ago. If the Gophers had won that game, going to Iowa City 7-4 instead of 6-5 may have silenced a critic or two. The team is erratic, yet athletic, and there is progress in this program. Still, without a victory in the season's final game, the season will be viewed as one of mediocrity.
Iowa will not win the Big Ten this season after losing last weekend at Ohio State. The Hawkeyes have enjoyed a Cinderella season in 2009, winning all nine of their games in come-from-behind fashion. However, a loss two weeks ago at home against Northwestern and last weekend's at Ohio State turned the season into a pumpkin. Starting QB Ricky Stanzi is out for the season with an ankle injury, but the Hawkeyes still have much for which to play this weekend, even if a berth in the Rose Bowl is no longer at stake.
The UMD Bulldogs made an improbable run in the post-season last year, thanks largely to the play of one man.
The Gopher basketball team survived a slow start and blew the Lumberjacks of Stephen F. Austin off the Williams Arena floor Monday night with an 82-42 victory in the team's second non-conference game of the season.
With the Gophers down one point with just over nine minutes remaining in the first half, the Gophers started a 33-5 run which concluded midway through the second half and never looked back. The Gophers closed the first half with a 12-2 run and opened the second half by scoring the first 16 points.
Minnesota shot a pedestrian 45.5% in the first half and then a sizzling 61.3% in the second half, including 8-12 from beyond the arc. The tough defense held the Lumberjacks to 30% shooting for the game and forced 19 turnovers. Coach Tubby Smith cannot be happy with his team's 15 turnovers' however.
The Gophers had four players reach double-figures for the game, led by sophomore Devoe Joseph, who continued his fine start with 15 points on 5-7 shooting (3-3 on three-point attempts) and senior Lawrence Westbrook also with 15 (6-10 shooting, including 3-5 from three-point range). Freshman Rodney Williams pitched-in 14, including 2-3 on three-point attempts. Senior Damian Johnson had 11 points.
Stephen F. Austin qualified for the NCAA Tournament one season ago, but was no match for the athletic Gophers. Next up for Minnesota is Utah Valley at Williams Arena on Thursday night. After that game, the Gophers head west for more stiff competition and the "76 Classic" Thanksgiving tournament, in which Minnesota will face Butler in the opening game and either UCLA or Portland in the next. It will be a good test for a team which has shown a staggering amount of athleticism in this early season.
The Gophers headed into their weekend series with #7 Bemidji State as the underdog - at least if one looked at the national rankings. The unbeaten Beavers were ranked seventh in both national polls, while the Gophers could not crack either one. With tough weekend series ahead in November, Minnesota desperately needed two good efforts against BSU to give them some confidence. They received one decent effort and one total collapse.
Saturday night's opener featured the Gophers seemingly lulling themselves to sleep. However, they came alive late in the second period and killed off four consecutive penalties and used the momentum to score a 4-1 victory. On Sunday night, the Beavers took advantage of some Minnesota turnovers and defensive lapses, and notched three goals in 1:28 in the third period to skate away with a 6-2 win.
After the disappointment on Sunday, it's time for the Gophers to right the ship as the high-scoring UMD Bulldogs come to town for a weekend set. The Bulldogs feature four of the five top scorers in conference play, with Justin Fontaine, Mike Connolly, Rob Bordson, and Jack Connolly each recording at least 10 points. It'll be a tough draw for the Gophers who are struggling - and are thin - on the blue line.
Elsewhere in the league over the weekend:
The Gopher football team defeated South Dakota State on Saturday. But then again, they were supposed to do this, so it's not newsworthy that the Gophers won. How they won deserves some scrutiny and will fuel the angst of Gopher Nation for the entire week leading up to next weekend's season finale against Iowa.
Eric Ellestad's field goal with 2:22 remaining in the fourth quarter gave the Gophers a 16-13 lead, and they stopped SDSU on four consecutive downs on the ensuing possession to preserve the victory. Still, a crowd which huddled together seemingly intent to boo at the slightest provocation was not impressed - nor should they have been.
Consider the following:
- 231 total offensive yards against a FCS (formerly 1-AA) team
- 3-16 on third downs
- Gopher QB Adam Weber was 10-21 for a paltry 94 yards, no TDs, and one pick which was returned for a TD by South Dakota State. He threw a pick which went the other way last weekend against Illinois as well
- The game featured no offensive touchdowns from either side - first time since 1964 that this has occurred
- The offensive line allowed four sacks to SDSU on Saturday
- The special teams allowed SDSU an average of 37 yards on kickoff returns and 14 yards on punt returns, including one long return in each situation
The offense is struggling to put it mildly. The Gophers ranked 106th of 120 FBS teams going into the game, and that will drop after Saturday's performance. Adam Weber was bad again on Saturday, but not all blame needs to be put his way. The offensive line play was putrid on Saturday and was so last weekend in the loss to Illinois. Weber did not help his cause by his indecisions, his short-hopping of receivers, and certainly by his pick-six to SDSU's Derek Domino which was returned 22 yards to give the Jackrabbits a 10-6 lead in the second quarter.
On the positive side of the ledger - and it's all defense-related:
- Held SDSU to 229 total yards, including just 46 net rushing yards
- Michael Carter's sack of South Dakota State QB Thomas O'Brien led to a fumble, which was returned by D.L. Willhite to put the Gophers back on top in the second quarter
- Held SDSU to 3-16 on third down
- Forced three turnovers
The defense performed as should have been expected against inferior competition. The offense, on the other hand, dipped to the level of competition. Simply put, Jedd Fisch's offensive unit is really reeling right now. One can easily blame the loss of WR Eric Decker, and his loss cannot be discounted. However, they were struggling with Decker in the lineup. Fisch has not been able to get a cohesiveness of his charges all season long and it has shown up in the scoresheet.
Coach Tim Brewster will catch his share of heat this week in the lead-up to Iowa. The Gophers should have defeated the Jackrabbits by two touchdowns, given the way SDSU played offensively. The critics will point to this game and make comparisons to the games against North Dakota State in 2006 and 2007, and they won't be happy about having to squeak out a win at home against the Jackrabbits. They also will point to how the Gophers should have defeated Illinois a week prior instead of being in their current predicament. Illinois was defeated by Northwestern on Saturday and is now 2-6 in the league. If the Gophers had played a complete game against the Illini, they'd be heading into Iowa at 7-4 and have their sights set on a much better bowl game than the one currently staring at them.
The Gophers are now 6-5 and are bowl-eligible heading into the season finale with Iowa. The Hawkeyes will face the Gophers with a backup QB under center and no chance at the Big Ten title after losing to Ohio State on Saturday. The Gophers should theoretically be up for this game. If they need any sort of motivation, keep the following two points in mind.
- The Gophers should be looking to avenge last season's 55-0 thrashing in the last Gopher football game played under the Metrodome
- A win at Iowa City next weekend will likely keep the Gophers out of any bowl game played in the city of Detroit.
The nationally-ranked Gopher basketball team put aside its off-court difficulties Friday night and overcame a somewhat sluggish start to close strong in an 87-50 victory over Tennessee Tech in the 2009-10 season opener at Williams Arena.
The Gophers used a 9-1 run to close the first half with a 15-point advantage and then proceeded to out-score TTU 50-28 in the final 20 minutes.
Senior Lawrence Westbrook paced the Gophers with 22 points on 9-of-13 shooting, including 4-for-7 beyond the arc. The 22 points were Westbrook's highest total since his 29 in last season's improbable comeback victory over Wisconsin in Madison. Freshman Rodney Williams was the only other Gopher to hit double-figures, and his athleticism was prominently displayed Friday night.
Williams dazzled the Gopher faithful with some spectacular dunks and also picked up two steals and blocked two shots. His enthusiasm and hustle on both ends of the court will endear himself to the partisan crowd all season long if Friday was any indication.
Coach Tubby Smith played his entire squad Friday and freshman Justin Cobbs was the only one not to break into the scoring column. Senior Damian Johnson, junior Paul Carter, and sophomore Ralph Sampson III each had 9 points in a balanced scoring attack.
The Gophers also played solid defense on the other end, holding Tennessee Tech to 28.3% shooting from the floor and forcing a staggering 27 turnovers. The Gopher defense may be the most under-rated aspect of this team, and they certainly displayed quickness and athleticism on the defensive end all night long.
Next up for Minnesota is Stephen F. Austin on Monday night at Williams Arena, as the Gophers look to move to 2-0 on what promises to be a solid season for the maroon and gold, off-court issues aside.
Bemidji State will come to Mariucci Arena for a non-conference series against the Gopher hockey team this weekend as a ranked team. In fact, they are the higher-ranked team by a long shot.
The Beavers have flown out to a 7-0-1 start this season and are ranked #7 in this week's USCHO.com and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine polls. BSU is fresh off an unlikely appearance in the 2008-09 NCAA Frozen Four, has a brand new arena in the works up in Bemidji to replace the aging Glas Fieldhouse, and will join the WCHA as a full member next season. Like is good for the Beavers.
BSU plays in the lame-duck College Hockey America (CHA) conference, which is shutting down after this season. Only four teams call the CHA home, with Bemidji State joining Alabama-Huntsville, Niagara, and Robert Morris. The Beavers are 4-0-0 in CHA play this season, which is now unexpected. However, the Beavers are an impressive 3-0-1 outside the conference with wins over Air Force (two) and Northern Michigan. BSU will also play non-conference games against major conference teams such as Miami, UMD, Ohio State, Minnesota State, and Nebraska-Omaha.
The Gophers' offense has struggled to get its bearings thus far, but senior co-captain Tony Lucia is red-hot, compiling 4-5-9 in his past four games after starting the season scoreless in his first four games. Sophomore forward Jordan Schroeder has yet to light the lamp this season, but has compiled 0-5-5 in his past four games. Freshman forward Zach Budish has had a fine last two weekends, compiling 3-1-4, including his first collegiate two-goal game last Saturday at Wisconsin. Still, the Gophers expect the offensive production to be more robust, and the loss of Barriball hurts that notion.
