#-1: Gopher volleyball (Last Week: -1). OK, I was wrong: The Minnesota volleyball team was able to sweep all three games (Duquesne, host Toledo and IPFW) at the Toledo Tournament. I don't know if this means that the club has turned things around or finally found the key to banish their early season struggles, but I expect them to crush low-major programs like the three above, and although I would've hoped for greater margins of victory, they never seemed to be in any danger of going 3-0 thrice over the weekend.
So they finish the non-conference season 10-1, against what I consider to be a lackluster slate of opponents. Tonight (Wednesday night) they begin Big Ten play against Ohio St. I am thinking about going to the game, although the season premieres of The Middle and Law and Order: SVU will be on the TV. The Buckeyes don't have a single vote in this week's AVCA Top 25 (the Gophers are still in the high teens), but if this squad still isn't as sound as I think they are not, the game should be a competitive one. Come Saturday is the Big Kahuna, Penn St., the best volleyball program today.
#-2: Gopher football (Last Week: -4). You know, at least Jerry Kill is killing teams beneath the U. They defeat the San Jose St. Spartans 24-7 at Das Bank Saturday despite the fact that Quarterback Chris Streveler (filling in for a hurt Mitch Leidner, still dealing with his turf toe) attempted only seven passes all game and, get this, completed only one of those passes for seven yards. On the local news he was talking about getting razzed by classmates: "Congratulations on that one pass!" Congratulations indeed, Chris -- now, this Saturday at Michigan, let's go for two!
Seriously though, the Gophs didn't need to pass because David Cobb ran 34 times for a total of 207 yards on the ground, the second time this season he's run for more than 200 yards. And Streveler ran 18 times for 161 yards. Guess he's a "mobile" quarterback. But really, when you can roll up 380 yards rushing and win, why pass? Kill said as much in his weekly press conference.
And going back to Michigan, and I'm serious when I say this, they may not have as good a chance of beating the Wolverines and getting back the Little Brown Jug than this year. Head Coach Brady Hoke is basically a dead man walking after getting blown out at Notre Dame and losing at home last week to Utah. Fan apathy among students has gotten so bad that Coke ran a promotion giving out two tickets to Saturday's game with the purchase of two Coke products. You could buy $3 worth of Coke and get two tickets to the game -- that's how bad it is trying to fill up the 100,000-seat Big House. In other words, this is not a good team and there is no home-field advantage for the Gophers to worry about. If they don't allow Michigan's offense to come out of its doldrums and if they can continue to run like the dickens. ...
#-3: Twins (Last Week: -3). The season is winding down, and for the fourth year in a row the Twinks will lose at least 90 games. And it appeared that the whole roster has laid down and mentally checked out. But that long losing streak I envisioned was only three games long, and in fact they finished this screening week at 3-3. They actually wound up taking two-of-three from Detroit, and despite losing the weekend series at home vs. Cleveland and the first game in the home finale against Arizona, they beat the Diamondbacks Tuesday. In that game, Kyle Gibson won his 13th game. Along with Phil Hughes, who rejuvenated (if not saved) his career getting out of the American League East, the Twins at least have the semblance of 2/5ths of a rotation. I can't point out too many bright lights in the lineup, but they've been hitting and scoring a lot better in the second half of the season, so there's that. Beyond that ... well, Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano should both finally be healthy and ready for The Big Show. And that's all we got.
The final week of the regular consists of this (Wednesday) afternoon's home finale against Arizona, then the final four games in Detroit.
#-4: Vikings (Last Week: -5). It was a listless 20-6 loss in New Orleans, a defeat many of us expected. After all, this is still a bad team, and my rule is you have to give a mulligan to the first season of a new Head Coach. I place these guys above the University of Minnesota soccer team because the team seems to have bottomed out and turned a corner. The spectre of Adrian Peterson may still loom over the team's head, with conflicting reports of him trying to come back this season or not coming back to the Vikes at all, but the decision (albeit from pressure from the public) was taken out of the team's hands (for the most part) and now they can't do anything, they say, until Peterson sorts out his indictment on child abuse charges. Till then, the team plays. And loses, but again, the big controversy over Peterson is behind him.
The other big turning point is starting Quarterback Matt Cassel suffering broken bones in his foot in the game against the Saints. That ushers in faster than expected the Teddy Bridgewater Era, and even though they never reached the end zone, I have to say that Bridgewater looked pretty good being pressed into service unexpectedly. Hopefully with a full week with the first team they can put a touchdown drive together. Now, do they have a chance to win against Atlanta at TCF Bank? My gut says no. But at the very least this team is starting with a young rookie QB and fresh blood in the backfield in the wake of a legend who was nearing the end of his tenure in Minnesota. They may not be good yet, but at least they're not old, and that means Vikings fans have something to look forward to.
#-5: Gopher soccer (Last Week: -2). Is it possible that this team's hopes for reaching the NCAA Tournament have slammed shut due to Saturday night's 1-0 defeat at home to Iowa? It seems so. I don't think the Hawkeyes are a good team, so if you lose to them at Robbie, you might as well be screwed. A tally in Minute 33 was the decider.
Worse yet, this is the only home game for 28 days for this club. The good news is that means the back end of their schedule is loaded with home games (six-of-seven, although their season finale is at Northwestern), but they may be buried so deep in the bottom of the B1G standings that their fate would have already been sealed. In the meantime they have another weekend on the road, this time to the Hoosier State -- Purdue on Friday, Indiana Sunday afternoon.
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