Hudson Fasching Commits to Gophers

Recently Hudson Fasching tweeted the words Gophers coach Don Lucia wanted: "Committed to the Minnesota Golden Gophers."

Fasching, 16, plays for the under-17 U.S. national team in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He is 6-3, 190 and was a highly coveted forward.

Fasching's team will represent the U.S. in the World under-17 Hockey Challenge opening Thursday and running through January 4. The U.S. team will play the Czechs in its first game.

Fasching is expected to be a high draft pick in the 2013 NHL draft.

Minnesota Golden Gophers Hot Basketball Games

Here are some of my best guesses for top selling Gopher Basketball games:

1/4 Gophers v Iowa
2/9 Gophers v Wisconsin
2/14 Gophers v Ohio
3/3 Gophers v Nebraska

If you want to go to these games (like I do) you should get your tickets quickly because I'm sure they will either skyrocket in price or sell out!

Gophers Hockey Fight to the Finish

Things really heated up near the end of Saturday's Minnesota-Michigan Tech game. The Gophers were comfortably ahead, 6-2, near the end of the game. Players and coaches were involved when Seth Helgeson (Minnesota) and Carl Nielsen (Michigan Tech) went at it in front of the Gopher's bench.

Both players' helmets were ripped off, and Nielson got many punches in - a major no-no in college hockey. Both players were sent off the ice with penalties and the teams continued to jaw at each other.

The coaches became involved when Tech assistant coach Bill Muckalt walked toward the Minnesota bench and began gesturing at the coaches.

Minnesota went on to win.

Gophers, 10-1, Remain Unranked in Top 25 Poll

The Minnesota Gophers remain unranked in the Associated Press Top 25, though the ranking does have a new No. 1.

The Syracuse Orangeman, 10-0, moved up from No. 3 and took over the Alpha position after the Kentucky Wildcats and Ohio State Buckeyes lost.

In the meantime, the Golden Gophers have won four straight since Trevor Mbakwe, the Gophers star, was lost for the season with a torn ACL. Minnesota is 10-1 overall, but failed to receive even a single vote in either the AP or ESPN/USA Today top 25 polls. In all, 97 voters are polled between the two polls.

Gopher Hockey Sweeps MSU

When the glass shattered behind the Gopher net during pre-game warm ups and then Minnesota moved the net to the corner to continue their prep, it seemed as though something was off at Mariucci Arena. Later in the game Travis Boyd lost the blade off his skate after a collision. The entire game was plagued by questionable calls.

Yet, the Gopher hockey team managed to complete the weekend series sweep of Minnesota State, with a 3-2 win at Mariucci Arena.

The sweep was very important because it keeps the No. 5 ranked Gophers in first place in the WCHA, standing atop the league with 18 points, one point ahead of the surging Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs, currently ranked No. 4 in the nation.

Gophers Hold Three Game Win Streak

With only three games to go before the start of the Big Ten season, Minnesota has already had to endure the loss of Trevor Mbakwe, ankle injuries to Ralph Sampson III and Andre Hollins, and inconsistent play from just about every other 'regular'.

The nonconference season has been full of inferior opponents and the Gophers sit at 9-1. Having Sampson back and Rodney Williams as Mbakwe's replacement, the Gophers seem to be headed for a strong season, carrying a three-game winning streak into Saturday's game against St. Peter's. The Peacocks have yet to win a road game this season. The Gophers are undefeated at Williams Arena (7-0).

Mbakwe Out with ACL, Gophers Win

Some fans, myself included, were a bit nervous as the Gophers headed into the game against Virginia Tech with a makeshift roster. The emotionally drained Minnesota Gophers were expected to crumble. They did anything but.

The Gophers were fueled by players that hadn't seen a starting spot all season, some of which had remained entirely in the shadows until now. However, those same players were able to overcome a late three-point barrage from Virginia Tech and snuck past the Hokies in a big 58-55 victory in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge on Wednesday.

With Trevor Mbakwe out for the season, the Gophers will continue to need emotional showings like the V Tech game. Mbakwe is out with a torn ACL.

Longtime Underdogs Come to Town

The Minnesota State Mavericks, longtime underdogs in the hockey rivalry, will come to town to play the Gophers. Though the Mavericks have always come in as the underdogs, they have, as of late, left accomplishing the Cinderella story.

Since January 2009, the Mavericks are 5-1-0 against Minnesota. Before that time, the Gophers held a stunning 28-3-6 record against their south central Minnesota rivals.

Will this weekend's matchup be in the bag for the Gophers? Clearly we shouldn't assume so much.

In the five wins since '09, the Mavericks have outscored Minnesota a whopping 17-7, although their two most recent victories held a lesser margin of only one goal.

I look for the Gophers to make a rebound in the Mavericks Gophers series this weekend. The Gophers are atop the WCHA standings with an 8-2-0 record and facing a Mavericks team that is tied for 11th place at 2-7-1. It might not be easy, but it will be a series W.

Gophers Hockey Looks Strong, Future Schedule

The St. Cloud State team deserves a bit of credit for upsetting the No. 1 rates Gophers, 4-3, on Friday. Lucia gave St. Cloud State some props as he highlighted the fact that the Huskies had not lost at their home this year, sitting at 3-0-2.

The Gophers won the second game 5-0 and sit at 11-3 overall.

In December, the Gophers will play six home games. January brings four home games, three road games. In February, the Gophers will have two home games and twice as many road games. March holds only two home games, for a total of 14 home games and seven road games.

Minnesota Picks up Win Over MSM

The Minnesota Gophers have had some close outcomes in their past three games, but the Gophers finally picked up a lopsided 85-56 win Monday over Mount St. Mary's. The win did quite a few things for the Gophers squad.

It gave Minnesota's bench players a chance to get in some extra minutes on the court as well as giving the Gophers a small boost of confidence as they head into the Old Spice Classic in Orlando, later this week.

The Gophers' first game of the upcoming tournament in Thanksgiving Day against DePaul. The squad will head to Orlando sitting at a perfect 4-0.

Gopher Football Travels to Northwestern

The Gophers can beat Northwestern, right?

Northwestern is coming off three straight wins with Ws over Indiana, Rice and Nebraska. Whoa... not so fast. The Huskers? Yes. Recall that Nebraska beat Minnesota 100-0. Well... the Wildcats beat the Huskers in Lincoln.

Still. The Gophers should win, right?

Trevor Mbakwe Exploding

Six NBA (6!) teams have already come in to watch Minnesota's Trevor Mbakwe. Mbakwe is seen as a player that could lead the U of M to a Cinderella-type story in the Big Ten to finish in the top four.

Mbakwe has only missed three shots in two games and leads the Gophers with 17 points and 10 rebounds a game.

I will obviously keep and eye on the big guy and keep you all posted! Congrats to Mbakwe for his outstanding performance so far - keep it up!

Minnesota Gophers 72, Augustana Vikings 60

The Minnesota Gophers picked up a win in an exhibition game against the Augustana Vikings. The Vikings gave the Gophers almost more than they could handle, led by Drae Murray and Cody Schilling.

Schilling graduated from Elsworth, Minnesota in 2008 and is Minnesota's all-time leading high school scorer.

Gopher guard Austin Hollins' spirited play to open the second propelled the Gophers to a 15-2 run. Junior forward Rodney Williams and senior forward Trevor Mbakwe carried the Gophers to the finish line.

Minnesota Gophers and Wisconsin Badgers Fight over Axe

The Minnesota Gophers haven't won Paul Bunyan's Axe since 2003. Jerry Kill, I'm sure, realizes the significance of the battle for the Axe. Kill has faced Wisconsin while coaching at Northern Illinois, but this will be the first meeting of the borders for Kill as a Gopher.

Minnesota has four trophy games against Big Ten foes, and the Gopher won one of them two weeks ago when they beat Iowa. The Gophers were able to keep Floyd of Rosedale in that game.

Michigan beat the Gophers earlier this year to lay claim to the Little Brown Jug - which has been out of Minnesota since 2005. Minnesota and Penn State also battle over a trophy, the Governor's Victory Bell. The Nittany lions hold an 8-4 lead in the Battle for the Bell.

Minnesota Gophers Keep Floyd of Rosedale

It's not surprising the Gopher football team isn't ranked as we head into Week 10. They are just 2-6 on the season and have been pounded hard in most of their games. The 21 points they gave up in the victory over the Hawkeyes was the lowest amount since their opening loss to Southern Cal, who scored just 19 points.

The Gophers won't be ranked, but at least they get to keep Floyd of Rosedale for another year. Also, it seems that Jerry Kill is the right man to get this team out of transition and back on track.

TCF Tailgating Pass

I have never been to a Gopher football game before, not even at the new TCF Bank stadium, but I have, as of this past weekend, gone tailgating in the Victory lot outside of the Bank.

Let me tell you, it was tons of fun. My friends and I rolled into the lot around 10:30am and pulled into a spot somewhere in the middle, unloaded our car and cracked a cold one. Eventually we branched out and met some Gopher and Hawkeyes fans, playing a few tailgating games here and there. It was a ton of fun.

I 100% recommend getting a parking pass if you are (or aren't!) heading to a Gopher game in the future. We were so close to TCF and the atmosphere is what you want on gameday. Seriously... get yourself a pass.

Gophers to Announce Tubby Smith Deal

Now that Jerry Kill has signed his contract of seven years, it can be expected that Gopher fans will soon hear about a Tubby Smith / Gophers contract next.

Smith is signed through the 2013-14 season for $1.8 million annually. There has been word that the deal between Smith and the Gophers is basically completed, but that the illness of Smith's lawyer held back the announcement.

Kill will receive $1.2 million a year.

Gopher Basketball is Here!

With the NBA season on hold, many people aren't thinking 'basketball' yet. This is wrong.

What about college hoops?! Exhibition games are here and there are deals to be had! The place I get my tickets, Ticket King, has Gopher basketball tickets for cheap - for some games more than half off!

Sure, it is still football season, but why not catch all the Gopher action you can? Get your Gopher basketball tickets because people realize its basketball season!

Jerry Kill Wants Noise

Jerry Kill is asking Gopher fans to pump up the volume this Saturday against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at the Bank.

He said, "Nebraska goes to the line of scrimmage, and (quarterback Taylor) Martinez calls evey play" from there. The QB uses cues from the defense to call a play. If the stadium is filled with crowd noise on every Nebraska snap, Martinez may not be able to make a check.

TCF isn't know as a loud stadium, but Kill is asking fans to make it happen this Saturday. Let's help 'em out, shall we?

Don Lucia Receives Extension

Don Lucia, the men's hockey coach for the Golden Gophers, was granted a three-year extension. The extension will keep the 13-year Gophers coach in Minnesota through the 2014-15 season.

Last spring, Joel Maturi (athletic director) told Lucia that he wanted him to remain with the school and restore a championship atmosphere in the program.

Looks as though we've accomplished the former. Could the Gophers be on their way to the latter?

The Gophers are 4-0-0 and off to a positive start after sweeping a two-game series last weekend at Minnesota-Duluth, the defending national champion.

Minnesota at Minnesota Duluth

You can't deny how great the Gopher hockey defense has looked this year... on the ice or on paper. They haven't allowed a goal yet!

Few rivalries are more storied or speckled with glory than the competitive rivalry between Minnesota and Minnesota Duluth. The Gophers lead the all-time series with a 129-72-15 record, but the Bulldogs have made a stunning comeback, winning six of the last 10 meetings.

The teams played four really fantastic and close games last season and split the season series 1-1-2.

Minnesota will be heading to Duluth to play the national champion this weekend to begin WCHA play. Since the Gophers won back-to-back national championships in 2002 and 2003, they have played 12 games against the defending national champions. Minnesota is 9-3-1 in those games.

Minnesota Has Bye Week, Then Cornhuskers

Well thank goodness the Gophers have a bye this week. We are sitting at 1-5 and will be hosting the 5-1 Nebraska a week from Saturday, who also have a bye this week.

This season has gone terribly and the Gophers could use a break. Don't get me wrong, I think the Gophers are on their way to turning things around and will, in a couple of years, be a football team that can break into contention, but that this is a rebuilding stretch. Coach Jerry Kill knows what he is doing; it just takes time to implement drastic changes.

A suggestion I have would be to work in those lower classmen more. The upper classmen are not getting it done, whether they are afraid or just lacking the talent, its time to get a fresh pair of legs in there. Sorry boys, it's true.

What are your suggestions? Or as Yoda would say, 'what suggestions have you?'

Minnesota Gophers Purdue Boilermakers

The Gophers hit the road and head to West Lafayette, Indiana this weekend to battle the Purdue Boilermakers (2-2). The Gophers will attempt to redeem themselves after a 58-0 steamrolling by Michigan last week.

Minnesota is 1-4 this year and looked completely outmatched in its first Big Ten game under head coach Jerry Kill.

The Gophers played at Purdue last season and were defeated 28-17 in Tim Brewster's final game before he was dismissed.

Purdue has yet to play a Big Ten game this year, but sits 2-2 on the season. They were beat last week 38-10 by Notre Dame.

Coach Kill Returns to Gophers Practice

Coach Kill is back!

After four days of testing at May clinic, Coach Kill is back on the field working with the Gophers again with a more effective medication.

Kill's seizures continued on a regular basis until he spent the four days at Mayo, under the supervision of a branch of doctors who rank with the best epilepsy experts in the world.

The first practice following Kill's returned was closed to all media, despite the normal protocol of having the first 20 minutes open. Apparently Kill was as upset about the Minnesota loss to NDSU as Gopher fans were. Kill gave the team a piece of his mind as well as sitting down with the seniors and urging them to maintain perseverance.

We will see how effective Kill's return to the home base is when the Gophers play at Michigan this weekend.

North Dakota State Bison Know How to Party

With Coach Kill back on the field after a short stint in the hospital following a seizure on the field at TCF Bank, the Gophers are looking to pick up another win at home this weekend against North Dakota.

North Dakota comes to town this weekend and apparently there could be as many as 20,000 North Dakota State fans coming with the team. Holy smokes. There have been more than 1,000 nights at five downtown hotels.

On Friday night, Bison fans will gather at the Depot in downtown, where dueling pianos will take requests. On Saturday morning, those same fans will head to the State Fairgrounds for a massive midday tailgating party.

I don't know who these fans think they are, but I like them a lot. They know how to party.

Let's get our act together Gopher fans.

Kris Humphries, Ex-Gopher

The newly married Kris Humphries has received a lot of press lately... not all of it good.

Turns out the former University of Minnesota star has a long history of bad first impressions dating back to his recruitment process during his senior year in high school. On his official visit to Kansas, as a prospective Jayhawk basketball player, Humphries did anything but impress with his off the court social talents.

In an excerpt from "Beyond the Phog: Untold Stories from Kansas Basketball's Most Dominant Decade," former guard Keith Longford expands on why Humphries failed to become a Jayhawk.

"Kris Humpries came on a visit and tried to commit. He really wanted to come here. But no one on the team liked Kris Humphies. He was arrogant. He told everyone he was going to come in and be the leading scorer as a freshman and that we'd all have to take a backseat to him. We were trying to be respectful and not say anything. But he was an absolute jerk. It was tough, because Roy was really excited about his. Kris Humphries was a big deal. He was a one-and-done or a two-and-done kind of player. Roy wanted him to commit on his visit. But we told him, "Coach, you can't bring this guy in. You can't do it." You'd figure Roy would say something like, "Let's work on him," or "Let's give him another chance." Instead he told Humphries, "Sorry, but can't come.""

After being turned down by Kansas, Humphries eventually chose the powerhouse Duke, but changed his mind and came to Minnesota instead.

Unlike Roy Williams, the ex-Minnesota coach (Humphries coach) hold positive feelings for his former player. Dan Monson was even invited to the Kardashian-Humphries wedding. Bliss.

Ok. Who cares? I just lost a million brain cells.

Minnesota Gopher Football Games

Head coach Jerry Kill has been increasing efforts to get U of M students to Minnesota Gopher home games.

He has passed out free tickets around campus, allowed for students to ling up in the corridor and cheer on the Gopher Men as they storm the field and has campaigned to close off a street for student tailgating four hours before the game.

Let's help the guy out? Get your butts to some Gopher football games! Heading into the weekend, the Gophers are picked as the favorites. Don't miss your shot to catch the Gophers' first win of the year! See ya at TCF!

Minnesota Gophers Picked As Favorite Heading into Saturday

The Minnesota Gophers are heading in to the weekend as the favorite. I'm not lying.

After a 0-2 start, losing to USC on the road and at home to New Mexico State in a game where Coach Kill was taken to the hospital for seizing, the Gophers are heading into their third game as the outcome favorite.

Miami (OH) has only played one game and sit at 0-1, but it their first game was against Mizzou. The Gophers are heading in to Saturday favored by a wide margin (for the Gophers at least) over Miami.

What is going on?

Miami is a solid team with a good coach that is out of Michigan State and could easily win Saturday's game IF the Gophers don't come out and play a strong four quarters. This weekend the Gophers really need to play tough all game to pull out a win at TCF Bank.

Gophers to Use Max Shortell and Marqueis Gray

The Minnesota Gophers started Marqueis Gray against USC, but it was true freshman Max Shortell who brought the team within striking distance on Saturday. Gray got injured in the 4th quarter and was treated and told he could go back in the game, but head coach Jerry Kill elected to keep the true freshman in the game. Shortell looked pretty mobile for being 6-6 and he looked very comfortable in the pocket. He threw an interception that ended the game, but he looks like a confident signal caller who has a ton of ability. It'll be interesting to see how Kill uses the two quarterbacks during the season going forward.

Minnesota Golden Gophers Lose to USC

The Gophers lost to the USC Trojans in the Colliseum 19-17 last Saturday on ABC. They honestly looked like a competitive football team out there and that's what made that game so weird for me. I can't remember the last time I watched a Gopher football team where the team looked so competitive. This team is going to win some Big Ten games and they definitely won't quit on Jerry Kill this year. I'm really excited to see what kind of team he has in 2-3 years.

Golden Gopher Basketball Non Conference Schedule Announced

The Golden Gopher's basketball team recently announced it's non conference schedule for the upcoming season. It's lacking the big time opponent that Tubby Smith annually schedules, but that should be okay for this young team. Here's the entire non conference schedule.

Nov. 1 -- Bemidji State (exhibition);
Nov. 7 -- Augustana (exhibition);
Nov. 11 -- Bucknell;
Nov. 14 -- North Dakota State or South Dakota State;
Nov. 17 -- Fairfield;
Nov. 21 -- Mount St. Mary's;
Nov. 24-27 -- Old Spice Classic (Orlando, Fla.; opening game vs. DePaul followed by Texas Tech or Indiana State);
Nov. 30 -- Virginia Tech;
Dec. 3 -- USC;
Dec. 6 -- Appalachian State;
Dec. 10 -- St. Peters;
Dec. 13 -- Central Michigan;
Dec. 22 -- North Dakota State or South Dakota State.

Gopher Volleyball Team Ranked 12th in Coaches Poll

The Coaches poll for college volleyball was released earlier this week and the Gophers are ranked 12th to start the season! Can't wait to watch them win it all and hoist the National Title trophy! Here's the poll in its entirety from the American Volleyball Coaches Association's website.

1	Penn State (54)	1486	32-5	1
2	Southern California (5)	1424	29-5	3
3	California (1)	1354	30-4	2
4	Texas	1313	27-6	4
5	Nebraska	1221	29-3	7
6	Stanford	1150	27-4	5
7	Washington	1112	24-9	6
8	Illinois	1066	24-9	9
9	Florida	1031	29-2	8
10	Hawai'i	976	29-3	13
11	UCLA	903	22-9	12
12	Minnesota	810	26-9	10
13	Purdue	739	24-11	11
14	Northern Iowa	619	30-3	14
15	Colorado State	533	26-5	16
16	Oklahoma	485	23-11	21
17	Duke	465	27-7	18
18	Iowa State	430	20-9	25
19	Dayton	334	28-4	15
20	San Diego	315	24-6	17
21	Ohio State	256	24-12	19
22	Long Beach State	234	25-8	NR
23	Tulsa	193	31-3	20
T-24	Michigan	170	23-10	NR
T-24	Tennessee	170	25-7	24

Gophers Attempting to Rebuild Pass Rush

The Minnesota Golden Gopher team had pretty much no pass rush this past season. They recorded only 9 sacks, which ranks for the worst in the nation among FBS teams. New defensive coordinator Travis Claeys has made it one of his top priorities to get that sack total way up next season. It will be really interesting to see how he does that exactly.

The team returns three starters from the defensive line, but Anthony Jacobs led the starters who are back in sacks with only 2 in 2010. Here's how returning linebacker Mike Rallis sees it all playing out:

"The main thing is, this staff isn't going to pigeon-hole guys into one thing. They're going to mix it up, put different guys in position to make plays," said Rallis, who has been doing speed work this summer in preparation. "If everyone can blitz, the offense doesn't know who's coming."

I'm really interested to see how this works. If Claeys can get that defensive line to generate any pressure on the quarterback it will say a ton about Jerry Kill's coaching staff because this group didn't do anything last year.

Jerry Kill Brings New Attitude to Gopher Practices

I was reading an article in the Startribune the other day, and I saw something really interesting about the way new head coach Jerry Kill runs his practices. He described the style of his practices as "controlled chaos." Although that is an oxy moron, I like that Kill has the team practicing with urgency and at a fast pace.

The team has three different huddles of offense and defense huddle before each play. They have three little games going and the practices go at a never ending pace. Here's why Kill says he believes in the system:

"You learn a lot more by doing something than by standing and watching," Kill said. "We'll get everyone moving, then look at the film later."

It's a good thing they are moving at a quick pace, because these players will need to have learned a whole lot by the time they play at the colliseum against USC September 3rd.

Golden Gopher Football Team Looks Stronger

Golden Gopher assistant Eric Klein oversees the football team's strength and conditioning program. He has been so successful with his program over the years while he was an assistant with Jerry Kill that the new Gopher head coach calls Eric Klein "the reason for my success."

It will be interesting to see how much bigger and stronger these players are this year. Starting quarterback Marqueis Gray said that he weighs 245 pounds when he played at 225 pounds last season.

It's reasonable to believe that Klein will have a much easier time getting even better results from the gopher athletes than he did with the Northern Illinois players because the Gophers have bigger and stronger athletes to begin with, who have a lot more potential.

Trevor Mbakwe Bounds Toward Team USA

Trevor Mbakwe, after a controversial year off the court, has maintained his talent on the court as one of the best players in the Big Ten and the best player on the Gophers basketball squad. Mbakwe is now continuing his legacy as one of the 14 finalists in the competition to make the 12-man Team USA roster for the 2011 World University Games that will take place in China.

Under Tubby Smith, Mbakwe's averages were all on Big Ten leaderboards with 13.9 points per game, 10.5 rebounds per game, 1.5 blocks per game and a .582 field goal percentage.

If Mbakwe can make the Team USA roster, he will continue his progression towards an elite player in the country.

Mbakwe is one of two players on the potential roster that is from the Big Ten conference.

Gopher QB Adam Weber Signs with Broncos

The Denver Broncos picked up Minnesota Gophers quarterback Adam Weber as an undrafted rookie free agent on Tuesday morning.

Weber was a four-year starter for the Gophers from 2007 through 2010. Weber completed 57% of his passes and had a 72:51 touchdown-to-interception rate.

Weber will be greeted by current Broncos wide receiver and former Gopher, Eric Decker.

Former Golden Gopher John Hoese Signs with Green Bay Packers

Former Golden Gopher running back John Hoese has finally signed an NFL contract with the defending Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers. Hoese was not drafted in April's draft so he had to wait for the NFL lockout to end in order to sign with a team.

Hoese walked on to the Gopher football team as a safety. He was converted to running back during the 2008 off season. He went on to start 7 games last season as the starting full back for the Gophers. What a guy.

Good luck to you in the NFL, John and go Gophers!

Golden Gopher Football Team Projected to Finish Last in Big Ten

The Minnesota Gophers were overwhelmingly chosen to finish last in the Legends division. 23 of the 24 members of the media who voted on it believed the Gophers would finish dead last in the division next year.

Nebraska and Wisconsin were chosen as the heavy favorites to win the first ever Big Ten Championship game. Nebraska received 12 first place votes while Wisconsin received 11 first place votes. Michigan State received one.

I've got a feeling the Gophers won't finish dead last this season. Jerry Kill is such an established coach who can get the most out of these players. Tim Brewster brought in a lot of talented players, but he also didn't discipline them enough with their style of play. I can see Kill transforming some of these players and getting them to play football the right way.

Adam Weber Signs with Denver Broncos, Reuinites with Eric Decker

Former Golden Gopher quarterback Adam Weber was unable to sign with an NFL team for five months, but made a quick decision Tuesday morning. This morning, at 9 am, Adam Weber signed with the Denver Broncos. Here's what Weber had to say about signing with the Broncos:

"It's really crazy. I had a few good options, and I had to look at them really quickly and make a decision so I can get to work," Weber said. "Teams have different motivations that you have to figure out -- like some are just looking for an extra arm for camp -- but it wasn't hard. When I looked at the Broncos, it was kind of a no-brainer."

Weber started every single game during his four years as a Gopher. He performed admirably in his first two seasons, but struggled mightily through the last two seasons. A lot of that success in the beginning of his career had to do with Eric Decker, so hopefully he can rediscover what made him great by reuniting with Decker.

Tyus Jones Impreses at Peach Jam Tournament

With tons of college coaches in attendance, Tyus Jones had an unbelievable performance at the Peach Jam Day 3.

Jones scored 31 points on 13-19 shooting. This was huge for Jones. Duke coach Mike Kryzeski and Syracuse coach Jim Boehim were in attendance. Duke is said to be extremely interested in Jones. He solidified his status as the top point guard in the class of 2014 with his performance.

Tubby Smith, you better start recruiting this guy like never before. He is going to be a stud. If you don't get him to commit soon, he is so going to go out of state and play for a powerhouse like Duke. Hopefully the Gophers can sign him.

U2 Playing at TCF Bank Stadium

U2 is playing in front of 58,000 at TCF bank stadium this saturday. Wow, that is going to be nuts! This is the first big outdoor concert in the Twin Cities in 33 years. They usually have these types of big concerts at the Metrodome.

TCF Bank Stadium probably won't see more than one big concert a year. They have to book talent that can fill that entire stadium. Luckily they found U2, who is clearly able to do that. U2's 360 tour is a stadium only show that costs 85,000 to produce. When it's all said and done, the tour will have made 717 million dollars.

That's so cool.

In-State Players Take a Liking to Jerry Kill

Minnesota Golden Gophers head coach Jerry Kill has done an unbelievable job keeping in-state talent in Minnesota. Four in-state seniors to be have already committed to play for the Gophers, including Phillip Nelson, who as a Sophomore at Mankato West said this to his father "There's no way I'm going to be a Gopher. "Ruled them out right away."

Jerry Kill is putting together a really nice recruiting class. He has gotten some of the state's top in state talent to stay home early on in the recruiting process. If he can keep his players away from Wisconsin, Iowa, and Ohio State, then we could be watching the beginning of a very good era of Golden Gopher football. Keep bringing in those recruits Jerry and go Gophers!

New Power Conference in Hockey Gets Name

The new super conference in College Hockey has a name, finally: National Collegiate Hockey Conference. The new conference consists of Miami (Oh), Denver, Colorado College, Nebraska Omaha, North Dakota, and Minnesota Duluth. All six teams run highly successful programs that have won a combined 17 National Championships. These teams all have very successful programs and want to get a lot of national exposure.

Don't worry Gopher fans, the Gophs are still the Yankees of college Hockey. The Big Ten is still a really good hockey conference with power teams such as Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan. I wouldn't be too worried about the Gophers having any trouble in this conference.

Golden Gopher Basketball Target Loves Tubby Smith

Minnesota's elite AAU basketball team played Iowa's elite AAU basketball team yesterday. It was a really good chance for Tubby Smith to watch one of the top Gopher targets in the class of 2012 in Iowa's Adam Woodbury. Woodbury is a 7-1 prospect who scored 9 points and grabbed 8 boards in the 69-64 win over Minnesota's Howard Pulley. Highly touted Apple Valley's Tyus Jones is on the Howard Pulley team. Here's what Woodbury had to say regarding Minnesota:

"Tubby's a great guy. I have a lot of respect for him. They're definitely up there on my list."

There's nothing wrong with getting another 7 footer. Get this guy Tubby and go Gophers!

Mike Guentzel Back as Associate Head Coach

Don't worry everyone, Mike Guentzel is back as the Associate Head Coach of the Minnesota Golden Gopher Men's Hockey team. The University of Minnesota rehired him today after a three year absence.

The team relieved him of his duties in 2008, although publicly he said he resigned. During his time away from the Gophers he coached a USHL team in Des Moines and was an assistant coach over at Colorado College.

Prior to his three absence, Guentzel had coached for the Gophers for 14 seasons. He also played for the Gophers as a defenseman ffrom 1981-1985. Guentzel will replace John Hill who was let go a few weeks ago.

Nebraska is in the Big Ten Now and I Can't Wait

To beat the Huskers!

Nebraska has a storied program and it should be a ton of fun to watch the Huskers compete with the Gophers for years to come. Personally, I like Nebraska much better than I like Ohio State or Wisconsin.

The Huskers come to TCF Bank Stadium this year. It's Jerry Kill's first year, but he does have some talent on this team. Tim Brewster, with all of his flaws as a coach, was a great recruiter.

I can't wait to watch the Huskers and the Gophers this year! Buy Gopher Husker football tickets from Ticket King today!

Defensive Tackle Josh Tauefa Leaves Team

Josh Tauefa was granted release from the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers football team. This move was confirmed on Thursday. The 6 foot 4 280 pound redshirted last season as a freshman.

Tauefa is the third player to leave the program this month. DeLeon Eskridge and Tiree Eure are the other two.

New President Eric Kaler: Who He is And How He Effects Maturi

The University of Minnesota has a new President! Eric Kaler took over for Robert Bruininks on Friday and talked to the media for the first time as well. Kaler was named to the position in November. He graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1982.

Kaler hasn't decided the fate of athletic director Joel Maturi. He had this to say about Maturi:

"I'm going to take the first 100 days of my time to evaluate, and I'm not going to make any personnel decisions," said Kaler, the former provost at Stony Brook University in New York. "I have met Joel, great guy."

Interestingly enough, he might not have to fire Maturi since he has already turned down contract hours on two occasions. He turned down a one year and two year extension.

What Malcolm Moulton Brings to the Gophers

As I wrote about earlier, Malcolm Moulton is a new wide receiver for the Minnesota Gophers. One of new Gophers head coach first courses of action was to get Moulton on the team. Moulton came to the gophers from Fort Scott Community College in Kansas. He hails from Georgia and has blazing speed. Here's what Jerry Kill had to say about going after Moulton:

"I knew once I got here and saw the morning workouts that we didn't have a lot of speed and guys who can make some plays," Kill said. "We certainly hope [Moulton] can establish some things. He can run. Hopefully he can adapt to our system."

Hopefully Moulton provides the Gophers with a game changer who can make some big plays for a team that was seriously lacking in big plays last season and during the Tim Brewster era.