#-1: Gopher football (Last Week: -3). They had to hold on for dear life, but they outlasted Western Michigan, 28-23, to start off the season 3-0 for the first time in four years. Sure, one of those victories is against second-division New Hampshire, but you take your victories where you can get them.
But in the wake of the win may be a quarterback controversy. MarQueis Gray was knocked out late in the first half. Max Shortell replaced him and led two touchdown drives to give the Gophers a 21-10 lead at the half. His pass to Tight End Drew Goodger in the third was the winning score.
MRI is coming for Cray, but he was seen on the sideline with a wrap on his left knee and a boot on his left foot. For a "mobile" quarterback, you can't effectively come back from that quickly. Till then, what can Shortell do? The controversy is based on that old pro-style vs. mobile QB debate that never dies. Gray probably is the most dynamic player on the team, yet he has never been a good fit for the system that has been deployed for him, first by Tim Brewster and now by Jerry Kill. It doesn't help that he isn't as talented an overall QB like Cam Newton was, but that may be moot now that he's hobbled, probably for a few weeks. The offense probably has to orbit around Gray, but can they score more now that they have Shortell, who seems to be better equipped to be a pocket passer?
We'll see next Saturday night. Syracuse isn't a great team, but they are in a BcS conference (for now they're in the Big East; next year they'll be in the ACC), so I still think this is a step up in competition. My goodness, could the Goofs actually go 4-0?
#-2: Vikings (Re-Entry!). I was working the season opener against Jacksonville Sunday. Both teams suck, so I had a feeling the game was going to be close.
I was out running an errand, and I was listening to the game on the car radio. I pulled up just as the Jaguars made that Hail Mary late in the game, and I was able to see the successful two-point conversion that put them up by three. "Well, another collapse for the ViQueens," I said to myself.
So understand my surprise when Christian Ponder was able to throw two long passes to get the team in field goal range with seconds left in regulation. And when Blaine Walsh nailed that long FG to send the game into overtime, it forever shut the door of Ryan Longwell coming back to Minnesota. Good thing, too, because he was able to make good on the winning field goal.
By the way, it was interesting to see the new OT rules in play, and it was fun to be the first game ever to implement its use. The game did not end with a score, but instead with a busted fourth down incompletion by Jacksonville QB Blaine Gabbert. Closing the deal on that, by the way, was less good Viking defense than the Jaguars just being horrible.
But hey, they got the win. And they could go 2-0 today (Sunday) at Indianapolis. Andrew Luck will be good, but not this year. Plus the Colts have a below-average Wide Receiver corps and very weak line play. In fact, there's a good chance they could lead the NFC North Division by the end of the day!
#-3: Gopher soccer (Last Week: -2). At the same time the Vikes were trying to outlast the Jaguars, the U. soccer team had little trouble handling DePaul in the back game of their Minnesota Gold Classic tournament. Well, maybe it was just one player handling the Blue Demons: Taylor Uhl, the striker who accounted for all the scoring in a decisive 3-0 victory. Those are her 9th, 10th and 11th goals of the young year, after tallying 15 all of last year. Is it preposterous to think that Uhl should at least get a tryout with the U.S. Women's National Team?
So the U., who are currently at 5-3, start Big Ten play at Ohio St. today (Sunday). And they will do it wearing new uniforms -- horizontal-striped jerseys, with home maroon and road white shorts. It was supposed to come before the season began, but because Mikki Denney Wright "left" the school, they held off on a uniform change until after the university decided to name Stefanie Golan Head Coach. They come home to face Michigan Friday.
#-4: Gopher volleyball (Last Week: -1). I am worried. The Goofs participated in the Golden Hurricane Classic, probably the best tournament of what was a relatively weak weekend, but it featured three ranked teams. And although they were the highest-ranked of those teams (reaching tenth in the AVCA poll on the strength of their split at Texas) they lost to one of them, 19th-ranked Kansas St. It was a tight five-setter, but that they lost to not only a lower-ranked team but the only one in a BcS conference, means that they will drop in the polls. It also adds credence to my belief that they are in a tier of really good teams that are in no way a championship contender. And so the Gophers, 9-2 overall, start their conference schedule at Illinois Friday
#-5: Twins (Last Week: -4). Hey Liriano, was it too fucking much to fucking ask you to pitch as well as you did against the Twinks Saturday more consistently when you here? Trevor Plouffe broke up his no-hit bid with two outs in the sixth, but he still picked up the win, going seven innings and striking out nine. Another loss in a week where they went 3-4, two of those victories by only one run. On the bright side, they need to win only three more times to avoid 100 losses. They try to avoid being swept at home today (Sunday) in the final game of their homestand, then travel to Cleveland and Detroit.
#-6: Wild (Re-Entry!). Because last night (Saturday) at 11, the National Hockey League is in a lockout. Which means that the season won't start on time. Which means that Mild fans will not get to see their shiny new players, Zach Parise and Ryan Suter, until December or the New Year -- if at all. Minnesota is one of those teams that cannot afford a work stoppage because a) Craig Leipold still has to pay these guys money without getting any sort of production or return on investment on them, and b) this team could use all the momentum they can get. They come in with a huge amount of buzz, but that has just be flooded over by off-the-ice issues.
By the way, this is the third lockout in Gary Bettman's tenure -- a black mark, if you think about it. Worse yet, the NHL Players Union is being headed by the notoriously bellicose Donald Fehr, a man who has no hobbies beyond getting players to strike (and eating; my God, he's a fatass). Two intractable personalities means a long wait -- and thus no team for the State of Hockey.
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