Hartman: Cassel has played at a high level in the past

Vikings quarterback Matt Cassel only got a chance to start six games last season as the team used three different starting quarterbacks, and there's no question he should perform better given a chance to start the whole season.

If there's one person who knows what Cassel is capable of when given the starting job, it's Mark LeVoir, the Eden Prairie High School product and Cassel's former teammate with the Patriots.

LeVoir was in New England in 2008 when Tom Brady went down in the first week of the season and Cassel had to step in to replace one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history. Cassel responded by throwing for 3,693 yards, 21 touchdowns and 11 interceptions while leading the team to an 11-5 record.

"He just came in and did his job and managed expectations and did a great job," said LeVoir, who played six seasons in the NFL and reached the Super Bowl with the Bears. "He's a great player. It's just kind of hard, you know it's hard, he did an unbelievable job because he stepped up in the shadows of No. 12 out here with Tom, and those are big shoes to fill. He did an unbelievable job, got an opportunity, and took advantage of it.

"I mean, we were 11-5 and I believe we were the first team ever in NFL history to be 11-5 and not make the playoffs. The thing I remember about that year is everyone just kept improving and getting better and better each game, especially the latter half of the season. We just kept improving every game."

Asked if Cassel was performing in that 2008 form in his games with the Vikings, LeVoir said: "It's hard to tell after one game, but so far, yeah. He's a great player. I think a lot of people forgot that he has gone to a Pro Bowl and he's never really gotten a chance [to start] in Minnesota except for spotty play towards the end of the year last year. Now that he has been named the starter and stuff, I expect him to have a really solid year."

LeVoir said while it has only been one week, he likes the way the Vikings have performed, and he thinks the team's balanced attack can really help Cassel.

"You know, the Patriots play the way that they played last game [a loss at Miami], I think they show that they're very beatable," he said. "The Patriots need to get their offensive line — those guys are buddies of mine, but the interior portion of their line better play. If the Vikings play the way they did against St. Louis, they can certainly win."

The 32-year-old LeVoir, who last played in the NFL in 2011, was asked what he thinks the key is for Patriots coach Bill Belichick's continued success.

"Just his attitude, what he demands out of his players and the type of players he gets in and everyone buys in," said LeVoir, who played four seasons in New England. "If you don't really buy into him and his program, you don't last."

The only positive thing about the Gophers' 30-7 loss to Texas Christian on Saturday was the fact that the Maroon and Gold outscored the home team 7-6 in the second half because they didn't turn the ball over five times like they did in the first half, a big reason for the Horned Frogs' 24-0 halftime lead.

"Sometimes you just have games like that," Gophers coach Jerry Kill told reporters after the game. "We faced a tremendous amount of pressure today. It's one of those things. You've just got to compliment them. The speed of the game and the speed they played with caused a lot of that. It made us rush things and push things forward, and things happen."

And the Gophers passing game, which has to improve if they are to equal last year's record, was also a factor in the loss, with quarterback Mitch Leidner, who got hurt again in the fourth quarter, completing only 12 of 26 passes with three interceptions and a fumble.

"He was getting an extreme amount of pressure," Kill said. "He was banged up pretty good. He's a tough kid and I appreciate him playing as hard as he can. But we've got to do a better job of protecting him and giving him better opportunity."

TCU had 427 total yards compared to 268 for the Gophers. The defense, which was slated to be equal or better than last year, has not shown this yet. No doubt the Gophers miss defensive lineman Ra'Shede Hageman and safety Brock Vereen, who are in the NFL. Their best returning defensive player was lineman Scott Ekpe, who, along with four other players who were counted on to play, suffered ACL injuries in the opening two weeks.

The Gophers are playing 10 freshmen, and it's tough to beat good teams with first-year players.

• It's interesting that the Patriots will have to defend agains the great Cordarrelle Patterson on Sunday, and they could have had him on their roster had they not traded their 2013 first-round draft choice to the Vikings to give them the opportunity to draft the great kick returner and wide receiver. The Patriots received four draft picks in the deal, two of which are still with the team: linebacker Jamie Collins (52nd overall) and cornerback Logan Ryan (83rd). In addition, wide receiver Josh Boyce (102nd) is on the practice squad.

• The Timberwolves will host their own version of Midnight Madness, called "Dunkin' After Dark," at 12:01 a.m. Sept. 30 at Taylor Center on the campus of Minnesota State Mankato. NBA TV will televise the event live. The show will feature introductions of the 2014-15 Wolves, player warmups, and a series of short scrimmages to start training camp. Admission is free and open to the public.

• J.D Pride, son of the former Gophers football player of the same name, transferred from Minnesota to Indiana State, but when the Sycamores coach Trent Miles moved to Georgia State, Pride gave up football and re-enrolled at Minnesota, where he is set to receive a communications degree in the spring.