Stanzel’s Sports Takeout — BREAKING NEWS: 10.12.26
Monday and Wednesday Takeouts this week, we’ll celebrate MEA break and the fact there’s no local football action this weekend by sleeping in Friday.
Minnesota’s pro football team hasn’t lost in almost 11 months, and it seems conceivable the pro futbol team could go six months or maybe nine without winning a league game.
GWH still unchallenged in four games but that’ll change this weekend when the No. 3 Gophers host No. 2 Ohio State. GMH was off and faces a stiff test at UMD trying to avoid an 0-4 start.
Vikings Hit the Bye 5-0
The Vikings are a flawed 5-0, for sure, but they’re showing signs offensively that they could be a force in the NFC after the break.
Minnesota finished strong yet again, overwhelming a bad Saints team 23-13 on the road yesterday. The Vikings scored the game’s only 10 points in the fourth quarter. In five games, Minnesota has allowed just three points in the final 15 minutes, a big reason they hit their bye as one of two 5-0 teams in the NFC.
Kyler Murray looked better, and he should have considering it was his first full game with Justin Jefferson, who made a miracle catch among three Saints defenders for a TD. Murray misfired on only six of his 30 pass attempts, threw for 29 yards and was sacked just twice. He also ran 10 times for 51 yards, a sure sign he’s feeling more comfortable.
Murray also connected with 10 different receivers, a key especially after T.J. Hockenson left the game after his helmet hit the turf. The week off will do this team some good - Jordan Addison and Christian Darrisaw didn’t play.
Aaron Jones, who is shouldering much of the running game with Jordan Mason out (should return after the bye), ran 25 times for 113 yards. He’s not flashy but punishes the other team’s defense regularly.
And what can you say about Bryan Flores’ defense? Three turnovers, including two of the easiest interceptions of Byron Murphy, Jr.’s career - thrown right at him.
Minnesota has Indy at home out of the break - they’ll be favored - before a wild four-game stretch against Detroit, Buffalo, Green Bay and San Francisco. I doubt both the Vikings and 49ers will be favored come that matchup on November 22.
Gophers Blown Out by Purdue
From Friday’s Takeout:
This is gut check time for Minnesota. How good do you want to be? Beat the Boilermakers, and you’re guaranteed to return Oct. 24 against Iowa as one of no more than seven unbeaten teams in the B10. Lose, and you start thinking here you go again.
Here we go again, indeed.
The Gophers were outmatched in every facet of a bad 41-13 loss at Purdue on Saturday night. They looked like a shell of the team that beat Michigan just seven days ago. Also, how bad do the Wolverines look now.
P.J. Fleck is a fine motivator and head coach, but in game details matter, and the staff wasn’t sharp Saturday. Keep in mind, Fleck’s coordinators are among the lowest paid in the B10.
Minnesota trailed 20-3 at halftime and had no success whatsoever running the ball in the first half. Truth be told, they haven’t had a lot of success running at all this season. They had 15 minutes to come up with a plan, and ran the ball three times without picking up a first down to begin the second half. That was really the dagger.
Additionally, Fleck challenged a spot in the first half. You can only challenge the first down, and it wasn’t close. So even though Fleck got the extra two yards he wanted, it cost him a timeout and he still kicked the field goal, just from two yards closer.
The Gophers defense allowed 464 yards, including 305 on the ground. Minnesota, meanwhile, rushed for only 27 yards. The Gophers had the ball less than 23 minutes.
That schedule out of the break is brutal - Iowa at home, at Indiana and at home against UCLA.
Kaprizov Hat Trick Leads Wild to Road Trip Ending W
Kirill Kaprizov is doing just fine without Mats Zuccarello, thank you very much.
Kaprizov had three goals and an assist, figuring in all the Wild goals, in a 4-1 win Saturday as Minnesota spoiled Florida’s home opener.
Matt Boldy, in the season’s fifth game, scored his first goal in the opening minute. Kaprizov is looking very comfortable with Max Shabanov and Danila Yurov. The Wild also won 63.2 percent of they game’s faceoffs, making them nearly impossible to beat once they get the lead.
Jesper Wallstedt made 29 saves. He’s played in all five Wild games thus far. Minnesota is 3-1-1, and the Wild returns home tonight to take on the Western Conference’s best team in the standings, Vegas. It’s the start of a back-to-back, with Tuesday’s game at a much improved Winnipeg.
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