Game 2: UMD vs. Northern Michigan

Here are your lines. Sorry for the lateness.

UMD
Fulton - Connolly (Jack) - Fontaine
Danberg - Akins - Grun
Bordson - DeLisle - Flaherty
Kishel - Hendrickson - Seidel

Olsen - Montgomery
Bergman - Lamb
Olson - Huttel

Reiter - Hjelle - Crandall

NMU
Kaunisto - Butcher - Maltese
Florek - Olver - Gron
Hanson - Brown - Fox
Nugent - Cherniwchan - Pietila

Gustafsson - Macaulay
Follmer - Dorich
Miller - Fernandez

Ellingson - Stewart

Game 1: UMD vs. Lake Superior State

The band is here. Must be time for hockey.

Here are tonight's lines.

UMD
Jordan Fulton - Jack Connolly - Justin Fontaine
Rob Bordson - Travis Oleksuk - Mike Seidel
Cody Danberg - Drew Akins - David Grun
Kyle Schmidt - Dan DeLisle - Keegan Flaherty

Dylan Olsen - Mike Montgomery
Scott Kishel - Brady Lamb
Drew Olson - Chad Huttel

Brady Hjelle - Kenny Reiter - Aaron Crandall

LSSU
Will Acton - Tyson Hobbins - Domenic Monardo
John Scrymgeour - Rick Schofield - Ben Power
Nick McParland - Fred Cassiani - Zac MacVoy
Dan Barczuk - Pat Aubry - Chad Nehring

Steven Kaunisto - Simon Gysbers
Matt Cowie - Zach Trotman
Kyle Haines - Dillin Stonehouse

Brian Mahoney-Wilson - Pat Inglis

UMD Opens Season ... For Real

UMD faces Lake Superior State Friday night at the DECC. Game is set for a 7:00 start, with pregame coverage on The Fan 1490, fan1490.com, and all across Minnesota on the KQ Network.

Lineups will be updated before the game, but it should be noted that UMD sophomore Mike Connolly will miss both games this weekend. He will be out because of a violation of team rules. It's expected that Connolly will be back in UMD's lineup next weekend when they host Minnesota State to open the WCHA season.

Don't forget that UMD will raise a banner to honor the 2009 Final Five title before the game. Sources say that 2008-2009 co-captain Matt Greer will be on hand for the ceremony.

NFL Week 5: Mr. Perfect

You had to figure this was coming. Even though there were only 14 NFL games last week due to the first run of bye weeks, a perfect week is a perfect week.

When you're me, you realize that such a week is unlikely to ever happen again, therefore, you have to relish it.

With that in mind, cue music.



Maybe a little overboard, but I have the right.

Now, on to this week's games.

I wish I could get excited about this week's slate. I mean, it's football, but that's about all it has going for it. The two big games are both in the AFC, as the resurgent Bengals try to take down the Baltimore Ravens, and the mentor meets his student when the Patriots visit Denver.

But coach storylines don't move the needle for me. The Ravens-Bengals game is much more intriguing.

Cincinnati has been a typical "find a way to win" type of NFL team so far. They're not beating anyone into submission, but instead overcoming their own mistakes and making enough plays to end up on the right side of the scoreboard. Yes, the Packers screwed up by not helping on Antwan Odom, but he still had five sacks and the Bengals still had to score 31 points to win. Yes, the Steelers missed a ton of chances, but Carson Palmer had to lead his team on back-to-back fourth-quarter touchdown drives to secure the comeback win. Last week, it probably sucked for Browns fans to watch their offense pay for turnovers and not be able to do anything in overtime, but the Bengals converted a fourth-and-11 with a Palmer run to set up the winning field goal, after the Browns had blocked a short field goal and an extra point in regulation.

The reality is that they're 3-1. It's not as sexy as the Ravens, who are scoring bundles of points and nearly won at New England last week, but 3-1 is 3-1.

Everything about this game skews toward Baltimore. They're at home, appear to have a bit more balance and consistency to their game, and their defense is begging for a breakout game. Even though I'm taking the Ravens, beware of this Cincinnati team. They might not have the look of an elite team, but they're clearly a much better group than they've had there in a while.
The pick: Baltimore

New England at Denver: You can only beat the teams they put in front of you, but the Broncos are still looking to prove themselves against a realistically good team. Yes, they beat the Bengals, but they did it with the biggest fluke play the NFL's seen in years. We know Oakland is better, but they're still not very good, and Cleveland is wretched. As for Dallas, well ...

New England is coming off consecutive home wins over Atlanta and Baltimore. Tom Brady appears to have recovered nicely from the beating he got from the Jets. They're going to miss Fred Taylor, but if Bill Belichick can squeeze 11 wins out of the team while Brady was sidelined, I'm sure he can handle Taylor being out.

Josh McDaniels has successfully won over most of his team's fanbase, after an offseason full of people begging for Mike Shanahan back and referring to their young head coach as "McDummy" (or worse). Mike Nolan was a brilliant hire on defense, and the Broncos are getting measurable (and positive) contributions out of Brandon Marshall.

It's the classic "show me something" game, but it's the Patriots who usually win road games like this. Then again, the last time they faced an aggressive 3-4 on the road, they looked lost. Ah, let's not bet on that happening again.
The pick: New England

Atlanta at San Francisco: Can you believe this is a 4:05 Eastern kickoff? This game should be going to half the country. Instead, maybe 15 percent of America gets this game on FOX. Meanwhile, more than half the country will watch one of two games involving winless teams playing at home in Missouri. Congratulations!

The Falcons have a strong offense, as quarterback Matt Ryan has so far avoided a sophomore slump. The 49ers play great defense, but their offense isn't quite as advanced, and they will struggle defensively to make plays against Ryan and his skill players.
The pick: Atlanta

Other games (home team in CAPS)
BUFFALO over Cleveland
Pittsburgh over DETROIT
Dallas over KANSAS CITY
Minnesota over ST. LOUIS
N.Y. GIANTS over Oakland
PHILADELPHIA over Tampa Bay
CAROLINA over Washington
Jacksonville over SEATTLE
ARIZONA over Houston
Indianapolis over TENNESSEE
MIAMI over N.Y. Jets

Last week: 14-0
Season: 44-18

Meetings on New DECC Arena

Courtesy of UMD:

The University of Minnesota Duluth Athletic Department will hold two meetings this week covering the Bulldogs' transition to the new DECC hockey arena next December. UMD athletic administrators will discuss the various seating options and the priority points system which will be used in the move to the new facility.

The events, which are open to the public, will be held this Sunday (Oct. 11) at 6:15 p.m. at the DECC's Paulucci Hall and on Monay (Oct. 12) at 5:30 p.m. at the Skyline Lounge in Hermantown. For more information, please contact the UMD ticket office at 218-726-8595.

Obviously, there are questions that linger about how things will work in the new arena. If you have some questions, this is a great opportunity to get them answered.

College Football Weekend Preview: Time to Pay Attention to Wisconsin

Don't worry, Big Ten haters, because these days of two unbeaten teams in the league are going to end very soon.

After all, neither Wisconsin nor Iowa are any good, right? They can't be. Iowa had to block two (!) field goal attempts to beat Northern Iowa. Meanwhile, Wisconsin survived potential defensive meltdowns against Michigan State and Minnesota, and also needed double overtime to beat Fresno State (though they did have something like 45 guys affected by the flu).

Iowa doesn't dazzle you with anything offensively. Quarterback Ricky Stanzi has been mistake-prone, including a potentially deadly pick-six against Arkansas State last week, and the lack of playmakers on the outside really hurts the Hawkeyes' ability to stretch the field. However, they have a crazy-good defense, tough special teams, and the always-sound running game.

Wisconsin, meanwhile, could be as well-equipped on offense as they've been in years. Scott Tolzien has been a real find at quarterback, to the point that athletic sophomore Curt Phillips can't get on the field anymore, and Tolzien was the one ripping off a huge run against the Gophers. Meanwhile, John Clay is a monster in the backfield, and Zach Brown is also capable of making plays. Receivers Nick Toon and Isaac Anderson have developed nicely, and the Badgers have another top tight end in Garrett Graham.

Of course, they pretty much stink on defense, but they can score, and they usually will.

Odds are that one of them -- if not both -- will have a loss on their record when they clash next week in Madison. Iowa hosts Michigan Saturday night, while the Badgers visit Ohio State for a late afternoon game.

Michigan can spread the Iowa defense out, something Penn State struggled with. The Wolverines have the perimeter speed and weapons to attack the Hawkeyes, who are tough but do not have the fastest defense in the league.

Of course, Ohio State is a heavy favorite against Wisconsin, who has not seen a defense as big, strong, fast, or flat-out good as tOSU's. Of course, it could also be argued that tOSU, with heavyweights like Toledo, Navy, Indiana, Illinois, and shockingly one-dimensional USC on the schedule so far, has not seen an offense with the multiple weapons and quarterback play of the Badgers.

In the end, you have to give the advantage in this kind of game to the defense. They're at home, so they can rely on the crowd to throw the line play off a tick, and Wisconsin doesn't overwhelm you.
The pick: Ohio State

As for Michigan's offense, they were slowed down considerably by an average Michigan State defense last week. Let's not underestimate the ability of a performance like that to motivate young men, but the Wolverines were shown to be a pretty inconsistent team against Sparty. It has to be a worry, as they head into a potentially more hostile environment.

Iowa isn't flashy, but they find a way to win. Kirk Ferentz is known for the occasional resourceful team like this, and the Hawkeyes are a legit contender in the Big Ten. Should they be? Probably not, given how they had to hold on for dear life against Northern Iowa and Arkansas State. But they are. And they're going to be at Michigan.
The pick: Iowa

Nebraska at Missouri (Thursday): Missouri is unbeaten, while Nebraska lost a heartbreaker to Virginia Tech. This game should be awesome, as the Cornhuskers try to be the first team to truly shut down Blaine Gabbert, who has been awesome since taking over for Chase Daniel as Missouri's starting quarterback. The Tigers get this game at night and at home, which should serve as a major advantage, and they're probably going to have plenty of motivation, since they're ranked behind a one-loss division rival. Yes, the rankings are meaningless, but it's a virtual guarantee that this card gets played if Missouri wins. The Tigers have a good offense, but there's no question Nebraska is a better defensive team than the one Missouri ran over, under, around, and through last year in Lincoln. This year's matchup should be closer than last, but Missouri is still too strong for improving Nebraska.
The pick: Missouri

Boston College at Virginia Tech: For the Eagles, this is a chance to cement themselves as a contender in the ACC, but they may have picked a bad time to play Virginia Tech. The Hokies had a classic road letdown last week, barely beating an inferior Duke team one week after a 31-7 curbstomping of Miami. Tyrod Taylor is improving as a passer every week, and there's no reason to think the Hokies will stumble again.
The pick: Virginia Tech

Alabama at Mississippi: These are the kinds of games Houston Nutt thrives on. His team has already disappointed everyone with a poor performance, virtually ending any hope of a national championship. Now, they get Goliath on their home field, and no one thinks they have a chance. Of course, what hasn't been mentioned yet is that Nutt's Rebels don't really have a chance. The Tide will roll along.
The pick: Alabama

Florida at LSU: There are reports that Bionic Tim Tebow will miss this game. However, if you've seen LSU's defense and their roller-coaster performances this season, you'd understand that Tebow's status doesn't matter much. Les Miles finds a way to get his teams up for big games, and that defense will perform under the lights Saturday the way Tiger fans have been expecting all year. LSU will shut down Florida and win a close game. If the Tigers had more consistent quarterback play of their own, this could become a blowout.
The pick: LSU

Other games (home team in CAPS)
Auburn over ARKANSAS
MINNESOTA over Purdue
Georgia over TENNESSEE
Oklahoma State over TEXAS A&M
Georgia Tech over FLORIDA STATE

Last week: 9-4
Season: 41-22

Video: Raymond Turns on the Jets

Bulldog fans are probably quite familiar with the lightning speed of former UMD hockey star Mason Raymond. In his two years with the Bulldogs, Raymond developed into one of the top players in the WCHA, and he is now working to improve his ability in the NHL.

One of his great assets is his speed. Raymond was one of the fastest players in the WCHA, and he is definitely among the upper tier of NHL skaters.

Wednesday night, Raymond flashed his world-class speed, scoring an awesome goal against the Montreal Canadiens.



Vancouver would go on to win easily, 7-1, for their first "W" of the young season.

Twins Pull Off Impossible

(Photo from Wednesday's Star Tribune)

Shortly after ten Wednesday morning, I flipped on ESPN and was watching SportsCenter. Josh Elliot and Hannah Storm had baseball insider Buster Olney on, and they were about to show highlights of Tuesday's AL Central tiebreaker game.

Sometimes, you can watch something a dozen times, and still have difficulty believing everything that happened. This was one of those times.

The Tigers and Twins played an epic tiebreaker Tuesday at the Metrodome, going back and forth for almost five hours before Alexi Casilla won the game with an RBI single to right field. Carlos Gomez flew across home plate with the winning run in a 6-5 game, and the Twins are off to get killed by play the Yankees in a best-of-five starting later Wednesday in New York.

Since the Yankees won the season series 7-0 and have dominated most everyone in the American League this season, no one thinks the Twins can win. Then again, Minnesota had no business winning the division. They trailed by seven games a month ago, and it was hardly an epic choke by the Tigers that allowed them to win this thing. Instead, the Twins took the division away by finishing 17-4, winning four of their last seven against Detroit, and getting a few bounces along the way.

In the playoff game, Minnesota blew some golden chances to win. However, we also saw why this game was even necessary. A Detroit team that (arguably) has superior hitting, power, and starting pitching found a way to kick away valuable runs, while the somewhat undermanned Twins kept founding ways to get on base, manufacture runs, and even got a couple long balls thrown in.

The Metrodome even chipped in when all looked lost in the tenth inning. Leadoff hitter Michael Cuddyer hit a blooper to left field. Detroit's Ryan Raburn lost the ball in the roof/lights, and then tried to make a shoestring catch. Instead, the ball hit the turf just in front of his glove, bounced up and over the glove, and somehow eluded Curtis Granderson, who had come from center field to back up the play. Cuddyer had a triple, and he scored the game's tying run before Casilla's gaffe cost the Twins a potential win later in the inning.

The Twins are unlikely to get by against the Yankees by missing countless scoring opportunities, as they did on Tuesday. They're also unlikely to win if they have to get a bunch of innings from their bullpen, because it kind of stinks.

However, they are more than capable of getting lucky a couple times, and this team -- believe it or not -- is good enough to beat the Yankees straight-up once in a five-game series. That's all it would take.

No one is going to be silly enough to call the upset, but at least they've given themselves a chance.

Get to the DECC Friday!

Last year was awesome for UMD men's hockey. They made a great run in the WCHA playoffs, and nearly made the NCAA Frozen Four.

That WCHA playoff run brought UMD the Broadmoor Trophy, signifying the WCHA playoff champion. That trophy and the playoff title will be commemorated before the Bulldogs' home opener Friday at the DECC, against Lake Superior State.

Before it officially ushers in the 2008-09 hockey season, the University of Minnesota Duluth has one final bit of old business to tend to.

This Friday night (Oct. 9), the Bulldogs will recognize their conquest of the WCHA Final Five playoff championship last March by unveiling a banner and presenting the Broadmoor Trophy to the University in a special pre-game ceremony before taking on Lake Superior State University at the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center. UMD became the first play-in game participant to claim the Final Five title in the 17-year history of that event, capping the tournament off with back-to-back shutout wins over a pair of Top 10 clubs -- the University of North Dakota and the University of Denver.

This is a chance to help honor a great accomplishment by UMD, so do what you can to get your butts in the seats early Friday night.

Pardon the Pessimism

It's not that I don't believe in my team.

It's that I don't believe in my team.

Vikings, 30-20.

Prove me wrong, Packers. Please.