#-1: Gopher volleyball (Last Week: Positive Numbers). They were above -1 the past couple weeks, but they have done nothing wrong to get docked back into negative numbers. I just believe that at some point reality has to set in, and reality is that even though they beat Purdue Sunday afternoon in four sets, are still ranked fourth in AVCA Top 25, and actually received two first-place votes this week, they haven't won the NCAA title yet. Time for a wake-up call, an arbitrary one -- the kind my parents prefer.
At any rate they now have a record of 19-3, 11-1 in the Big Ten. They have won their last ten matches and haven't lost since Sep. 26. And they finish up a four-game homestand this weekend against the Michigan schools ... which should pose little problem.
#-2: Vikings (Last Week: 0). They are beating the teams they should beat; that, in and of itself, is a positive. Beating division opponents, something this squad had trouble doing, is even more important. Beating them on the road, like they did against Chicago Sunday and Detroit the previous weekend, is also a momentous step. Put it all together and, even though I don't think they're going to the Super Bowl, this constitutes progress.
Teddy Bridgewater remains a work in progress, though a tantalizing one. His offense remained quite somnambulant through the first three quarters. With the help of a rapidly improving defense, the Vikings remained in the game. And then, in clutch time, Bridgewater showed the poise and toughness in the pocket that makes him stand out from many other young Quarterbacks. First, he stepped up in the pocket and hit Stefon Diggs, who came in and then spun and zoomed past his defender into the end zone to tie the game. Then, after Jay Cutler flamed out on a three-and-out late in the fourth quarter (serves you right for torpedoing my fantasy football team last year, you bum!), Bridgewater was able to assemble a two-minute drill, something I have yet to see from him. That jump ball from the quiet (and underperforming for this season; yes, I had him on my fantasy team, too) Charles Johnson was a testament to Chicago's poor defense, Johnson's ability to wriggle free and jump high, and Bridgewater's vision and perseverance. It's times like this where I'm glad the Vikes drafted him, and yet I (and I think many other fans) want something more from him.
I use to think that this stretch of the schedule was where the team could make hay. But the season can change as quickly as the leaves. The next two opponents were once pushovers but are now very formidable teams. Next week they travel to Oakland and face the Raiders, who have somehow stumbled into competency. (That QB of theirs, David Carr, can ball, and he has the arm strength Vikings fans secretly lust for in Bridgewater.) And this week come The Bastard Cleveland-By-Way-Of-Los Angeles Rams, who now have an awesome defense and Todd Gurley, who is shaping up to be the heir apparent as The Next Great NFL Running Back, and will be sharing the field with the man he's about to take that crown from, Adrian Peterson. This seemed like a game where only the local areas would be forced to see; now it's become a very tantalizing intra-conference skirmish where one team will be firmly in the playoff chase.
#-3: Wild (Last Week: -2). The trend of this squad dominating at home but struggling on the road continued unabated this past screening week. In a stunning back-and-forth where they were up for a regular season game against the team that eliminated them the past two years, the Wild finally outlasted rapist Patrick Kane and the Chicago Blackhawks 5-4 Friday at the X. They had to travel to St. Louis and play the Blues the next night, Halloween night, and in the brand-new three-on-three Overtime that I hear is basically a shootout with three skaters on at the same time, the Blues won, 3-2.
So right now the club is 2-4 on the road, 5-0 at home. Good thing then that the three games they play this week are at the Xcel Energy Center. Too bad the three teams seem to be pretty good: Nashville Thursday/tonight, Tampa Bay Saturday, Winnipeg Tuesday.
#-4: Timberwolves (Last Week: -3). Well, the season started promising. They won their second straight game to begin the year, and their second straight game on the road, by trouncing the Denver Nuggets Friday, 95-78. That seemed to set a good table for their first home game of the season, where they would begin with a video tribute to Head Coach Flip Saunders, who died of cancer just before the season started.
I don't know if losing was supposed to be a part of the tribute, but hey, Saunders did lead the team to eight consecutive first-round playoff losses. They couldn't finish against a Portland Trail Blazers club that lost four of their five starters from last year and lost to Portland, 106-101. If they lose tonight (Thursday) at Target Center against Miami, well, that would make the Wolves the anti-Wild. They will then travel to Chicago and Atlanta before coming back home Tuesday to face the Charlotte Hornets.
#-5: Gopher football (Last Week: -5). The narrative was being set up this way, and maybe they allowed their heart and the spirit of the moment to do something that they might not otherwise do. The football team had a prime-time game, against a revitalized opponent and long-time brand name in the sport (Michigan) and the most visible coaching hire in the sport during the off-season (Jim Harbaugh), at home. Jerry Kill had to step down for health reasons, and Tracy Claeys had to rally the team to win one for the Gipper, so to speak.
And it worked, for nearly the entire game. They led the Wolverines 16-14 and managed to respond to each punch with a punch of their own. And when Ryan Santoso kicked a 47-yard Field Goal to extend the Gophers' lead to five (26-21), fans in the stands and I at Hooters thought they, hey, they have a chance to win this. And when Michigan scored a Touchdown and converted a Two-Point Conversion with five minutes to go, we didn't hang our heads. Because, like they had all game (they racked up 461 yards on the Wolverines), they marched down the field. Hey -- they were going to win this!
But then the Golden Gopher became the Golden Gophers. First of all, on the third-to-last play, the squad let about 16 seconds wind down before the next play, which took 17 seconds to complete before they took a Timeout at the Michigan 1. They could have kicked a chip shot FG to take the game to OT; the adage says that you play for the win on the road and the tie at home. But they seized the moment and believed they could win the upset right then.
I totally agree with the decision to go for it. I just disagree with the play of Mitch Leidner doing a Quarterback sneak. Of course I say that only because he didn't get in, but yeah, roll out and do a bootleg, or give it to Rodney Smith off-tackle, or do play-action and hit Brandon Lingen deep in the corner of the end zone. Anything but a QB sneak. As such they lost., 29-26, to a team whose starting QB got knocked out to a concussion.
Hey, what can you do? Since they lost their Head Coach in an extraordinary circumstance, this entire year is now a mulligan. Oh well. Hey, maybe they'll spring a surprise at #1 Ohio St. this Saturday. That game is also on prime time, and it's on free TV (ABC), too!
#-6: Gopher soccer (Last Week: -4). Well, this is a sputtering end to what was a promising season. In the Quarterfinals of the B1G Soccer Tournament, they got trounced at Rutgers, 4-1 Sunday afternoon. Their spot in the NCAA Tournament is probably assured because of the roll of wins they notched earlier in the year. But being able to host games is gone, as is the belief that they are definitely in the field. And because they have finished the regular season on a five-game winless streak, their form is shit. So this side, led by Big Ten Forward Of The Year and All-Conference First Teamer Simone Kolander, is a ripe candidate for losing their first tournament game. Great. Where did the team of old go? What happened?
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