YOUR GUIDE TO THE TWIN CITIES
Phil Miller is returning to his Big Ten roots to follow Minnesota’s football fortunes for the Star Tribune after a decade of chronicling the NBA and Major League Baseball. The Illinois native began his writing career by covering Utah football for six seasons, and still insists that 12-1 Florida stole the 2009 BCS Championship from the unbeaten Utes.
Email Phil to talk about the Gophers.
UNLV wants to move up football opener
Posted by: Phil Miller under College football, Gopher road games Updated: February 8, 2012 - 7:34 PM
Nevada-Las Vegas has asked to move its season-opening game with Minnesota ahead by two days, a UNLV spokesman said Wednesday, and is waiting for an answer from the Gophers.
The game in Sam Boyd Stadium, the first ever between the Rebels and Gophers, is currently scheduled for Sept. 1, the first Saturday of the 2012 college football season. But that's the start of Labor Day weekend, UNLV director of media relations Mark Wallington said, and the school would prefer to avoid the busy weekend for its fans.
UNLV's athletic department has asked the Gophers for permission to play the game on Thursday, Aug. 30 instead, Wallington said, "and we're waiting to hear back from Minnesota." Moving the game could save Gopher fans some money, too, he pointed out, because Las Vegas fills up during long holiday weekends. Air fares and hotel rates will be considerably lower for a weekday game.
The Rebels have explored television possibilities for a Thursday game -- non-conference games are the property of the home team -- but Wallington said their desire to move the game is not contingent of finding a carrier for the game.
If the game is moved, it would mark the second time in three seasons, and fifth time in a dozen years, that the Gophers have kicked off their season on a Thursday.
Debate looms over Gophers' 25-sport program
Posted by: Phil Miller under Sports, College football Updated: February 8, 2012 - 6:19 PM I wrote a story Tuesday about the changing job description of a Division I athletic director, and included several comments from the longest-serving Big Ten athletic director, Purdue's Morgan Burke.
He told me something else about the job that didn't make it into the story, but that will resonate with Minnesota fans. Judging by my email, and the comments on the story, it's an issue that plenty of fans feel strongly about.
"We are one of 22 Division I universities, according to the Big Ten, that are truly self-supporting -- no taxpayer funds, no student fees, no university support of any kind," Burke said proudly.
That's fairly impressive, I told him, considering Purdue's size, relative to the rest of the conference. Purdue last season drew an average of 42,225 fans to Ross-Ade Stadium, lower even than the Gophers' 47,714 average. The Gophers ranked ninth in the conference, and 49th nationally, while the Boilermakers were 10th and 51st.
So what's his secret?
Among other things, Burke said, "we only sponsor 18 sports. These days, you have to minimize the number of sports in order to control ... your budget. I'd like to add sports, but we have a responsibility to live within our means."
It looks like a similar debate is shaping up at Minnesota, where Joel Maturi considers it one of his signature achievements that he has not had to pare back the Gophers' 25-sport department. Some of Maturi's most vocal critics, however, insist that the money and the department's focus are better spent emphasizing the revenue sports of hockey, basketball and especially football.
University president Eric Kaler said at Maturi's retirement announcement last week that he generally favors offering as many sports as possible -- but he sounded noncommittal about whether the Gophers will be able to afford it.
"The next AD will have an opinion about that," Kaler said. "I do share a commitment to a broad range of sports. We just need to look at the financial viability of doing that. I'm sure that will be an important element that the new athletic director will balance."
Kill adds receivers who "get it and go"
Posted by: Phil Miller under College football, Gopher recruiting Updated: February 1, 2012 - 6:20 PM Coach Jerry Kill was understandably happy with the 27 scholarship players and four walk-ons who formally committed to Minnesota on Wednesday, and especially the speed that the new recruits will add to the Gophers.
Take the quartet of wide receivers who chose Minnesota, for instance. "I tell you what, those are four guys that can get it and go," Kill said of Jamel Harbison, Isaac Fruechte, K.J. Maye and Andre McDonald. "I think people in the Big Ten will tell you that -- they can run, they're athletic."
A few other comments from the Gophers coach about his first true class at Minnesota:
-- "I feel good about this group and where we need [to be to] compete in the Big Ten."
-- On whether quarterbacks Philip Nelson or Mitch Leidner could play next fall: "I want them to come in and think they're going to play, and work hard. We'll see what happens. ... If a freshman is going to play, he has to handle is academically and athletically." Both quarterbacks, he noted, were recruited by Iowa but chose Minnesota. "I feel like we're getting two of the better quarterbacks in the Midwest. ... They're both smart and they're both talented, and [you] don't worry about it. It will all work out in the long run."
-- "Out of all the home visits I made, I think we lost one kid at the end, a kid named Drew Davis [who] is going to North Carolina State. We all enjoyed Drew on his visits. Smart kid. [N.C. State] offered him last week, [and] that's home, five minutes from his house, and he committed there."
-- "We felt there was some need, certainly, in the secondary, that we needed some immediate help." The Gophers signed seven defensive backs.
-- "We've got to keep the best players in the state. We have to. So we've got to be a little more patient. This is our state. ... The great thing about Andre [McDonald], when I sat at his house, there was no question this is what he wanted to do. He figured out this was what was best for him, and that was good. That's what it comes down to."
McDonald among first to sign Gophers' letter; recruit from Florida not signing here?
Posted by: Michael Rand under College football, Gopher recruiting Updated: February 1, 2012 - 11:46 AM After a year in which he committed to Minnesota, changed his mind, then returned to the fold last week, Hopkins wide receiver Andre McDonald has formally accepted a scholarship with the Gophers.
The university announced, via its @GoldenGopherFB account on Twitter, that McDonald signed his national letter of intent Wednesday morning, becoming one of the first dozen or so high school seniors to complete his paperwork. Also signing just after sunrise: fellow Minnesotans Maxx Williams, Jonah Pirsig, Nick Rallis, Isaac Hayes, Ben Lauer and Duke Anyanwu. The Gophers are expected to sign more than two dozen new players today, the first day incoming freshman can accept scholarships, plus add several more walk-ons, who sign "acceptance of admission" paperwork. (A full list of the projected class is here.) Coach Jerry Kill will discuss his recruiting class at a press conference this afternoon, then attend a booster-club social tonight.
UPDATE: Dinero Moss of Sunrise, Fla., was listed as a Gophers signee by Rivals.com and even had #minnesotacommit on his Twitter bio. But he tweeted about an hour ago that he had switched his commitment and was taking his talents to Iowa.
SECOND UPDATE: Apparently "Iowa" does not mean the Hawkeyes when it comes to where Moss is headed. According to this tweet from Iowa recruiting analyst Todd Worly, Moss is going to Ellsworth Community College in Iowa.
Gophers add DT on final recruiting weekend
Posted by: Phil Miller under College football, Gopher recruiting Updated: January 30, 2012 - 5:53 PM Minnesota waited until the final week before signing day to make their offer, but defensive tackle Yoshoub Timms was eager to accept it, according to Gopher Illustrated, a website that closely tracks Minnesota recruiting.
Timms, a 6-foot-2, 265-pound recruit from Fort Walton Beach in the Florida panhandle, accepted coach Jerry Kill's offer Sunday night, the rivals.com-affiliated site reported, making him the fifth defensive lineman known to have committed to Minnesota. Recruits can sign letters of intent beginning Wednesday.
Timms reportedly had several other schools pursuing him, including Syracuse and Southern Miss. He visited the Minneapolis campus last week, but left without a formal offer. When it came over the weekend, Timms accepted right away.
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recent posts
- UNLV wants to move up football opener with Gophers
- Debate looms over Gophers' 25-sport program
- Kill adds receivers who "get it and go"
- Hopkins' McDonald signs with U
- Gophers add defensive tackle on final recruiting weekend
- Gophers land top football recruit: Hopkins' Andre McDonald
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