CHAMP HOWARD: Welcome to another episode of The Gold Standard Minnesota Daily sports podcast. I’m Champ Howard and I’m here with Andrew Cornelius. Andrew, why don’t you get us started?
ANDREW CORNELIUS: Yeah, it’s been a wild weekend for me personally, but also for some Gopher sports. We have to kick it off with Gopher volleyball. Got a big win against the Wolverines, something we don’t see very often for Minnesota sports against Michigan. They’ve won six straight in volleyball, but I can’t remember the last time I’ve said that about any Gopher team against the Wolverines.
HOWARD: Definitely can’t say this year about the football team. That’s for sure.
CORNELIUS: Basketball is looking rough and, both men’s and women’s in terms of beating Michigan. As well, I think, the women’s team beat them last year, but the men’s team, man, they’re in a rough patch right now.
HOWARD: Yeah, I mean we might as well just get right into that. We just lost to North Texas. Bad game. Less than 20 points in the first half. Defense looked good though, to be fair.
CORNELIUS: Didn’t get much better against the Yale.
HOWARD: No, it didn’t.
CORNELIUS: Free throw shooting did not improve as well.
HOWARD: Yeah, it’s looking like we might be the last in the Big Ten this year for free throw shooting.
CORNELIUS: Washington was worse. I looked at it last game. Washington was like 44%.
HOWARD: Thank goodness because I think without Dawson you might be shooting 30%. I mean, he’s upwards of 90 right now, so.
CORNELIUS: Yeah, I checked that he was 10 for 12, and the rest of the team was like 4 for 13. There was like 43% and I was like, “That is so not serviceable for a Big Ten team.”
HOWARD: It’s looking bad I mean, I’m gonna give the Gophers a little bit of the benefit of the doubt. They’ve been missing Mike Mitchell for the past few games. No word on when he’s gonna come back exactly yet, but hopefully very soon.
CORNELIUS: Yeah, and Tyler Cochran, another one. I think they’re both starting backcourt pairing. They’re their best choice. Those two will play, obviously, when Big Ten play and they’re both healthy comes around. So, they’re playing guys probably Ben Johnson didn’t really want to have to play early on in the season.
HOWARD: Yeah, I think, I think Rigsby’s definitely been kind of surprising, though. I didn’t expect him to come from Oregon and come in and be a starter. He didn’t play good his first couple games, but last night or last game, he really started to pick it up and look like himself.
CORNELIUS: Yeah, he had 33. Led all scorers for the Gophers in those two exhibition games. So it’s like kind of burst on the scene. He’s just three level great scorer. And then you see the first two or three games, he’s like kind of finding his footing at the level cause he didn’t play much. He played some, but he didn’t play much at Oregon. So now becoming an everyday piece that on a team in the Big Ten is a different thing than being a role player.
HOWARD: I agree, and I think the biggest shock of this year has been Asuma. I mean the kid looks like a football player. I don’t know what he’s doing on the basketball court. But, just the way he plays point of attack defense. He’s gotta be our best perimeter defender, for sure.
CORNELIUS: Yeah, and he’s just so fun to watch. He’s such a creative passer. Like, you had one with Elijah Hawkins last year. He’s not even getting as much tick as he was at Minnesota at Texas Tech right now. But, with Asuma here, like, he’s kinda stepped into a pretty big role in his first season. Whereas, Grayson Grove is now redshirting. But, you see what Asuma’s been able to do. It’s pretty impressive for a true freshman.
HOWARD: I think that, honestly, we probably didn’t come into this season expecting him to get all this playing time too. But with like you said Cochran out, it’s been a lot harder for the Gophers guards to find their footing this year.
CORNELIUS: Yeah, and we came into the season, they were a very deep team. Same thing we said about women’s basketball, they’re both very deep teams, but that depth has been very much tested in this non-conference portion of the men’s team schedule.
HOWARD: For sure and Coach Johnson was talking about being comfortable playing nine, 10 guys, but it kind of hurts when you have three of those guys missing time.
CORNELIUS: Yeah, and they finally got Frank Mitchell back. He came over pregame, the first game of the year, Oral Roberts, and he’s like, “I’ll be back in two games.” It’s like, you dislocated your shoulder, brother. I don’t know how you’re going to do that. And lucky enough, he is back playing in game three against North Texas.
HOWARD: That’s what playing hockey will do for you. Played hockey all those years, he’s a fighter for sure.
CORNELIUS: Yeah, I don’t know how the human body is able to. When I watched him injure himself in that first game in the preseason, I was like, bro, he’s screaming on the floor in pain, and it looked bad. And then somehow, I think it’s like a week or two later, he’s back up, fully playing in a division one men’s basketball.
HOWARD: Yeah, and he was huge in that game against Yale, I mean, he’s grabbing these rebounds.
CORNELIUS: Well, he was the fourth leading rebounder in the nation last year at Canisius. Now he’s at a bigger level but the body frame and the size and the Dennis Rodman-esque like finding the ball, nose for the ball is still there.
HOWARD: Yeah, he still looks like the biggest player on the court no matter where he is.
CORNELIUS: Yeah, and then you need Dawson Garcia. He was finally kind of stepping up in every single game they’ve played so far this season in the fourth quarter kind of effort. Obviously, it’s the second half, but the fourth quarter when you’re really leaning on someone it’s always been Garcia.
HOWARD: And he’s been absolutely amazing this year. I mean, I don’t know if he’s still leading the Big Ten. But as of last game he was leading the Big Ten in points, and that’s been huge for our program if we want to go anywhere.
CORNELIUS: Yeah, and then on the women’s side, they finally faced some tough competition. They went to Arizona State’s facilities and played Oregon State and SMU. A newly ACC team now, which is kind of crazy to say that the fact that that conference is just as nationwide as the Gophers’ Big Ten is.
But SMU gave them a little trouble there late in the second half. Just not making shots is what Trenten Gauthier is one of the former SID’s now was helping out on that trip, said they just really weren’t able to hit.
Obviously, there’s no broadcast at an Arizona State facility. They couldn’t put up one camera to let us just watch the game. It’s just like, okay, only a radio broadcast. So I just had to get outside information from inside people. But in the first game, absolutely torched Oregon State 73-38. It’s pretty incredible for two power forward teams, really.
HOWARD: Yeah, it’s amazing to see. I mean, I think Mara is in for a big year this year. Hopefully she can take a jump after missing the mostly a lot of part of last season with that foot injury.
CORNELIUS: And we mentioned like the front court for the Gophers and, I know everyone’s touched on it. But like there’s guys like Fox, Garcia, Mitchell, Trey Edmonds for the men’s team. But then this Gopher women’s team Sophie Hart, Mallory Heyre, Taylor Woodson and Annika Stewart making massive impacts in their first year as the Gophers.
HOWARD: I think we got stay on women’s sports, but switch it up a little bit. The Gophers women’s soccer team just won their first round game against South Dakota State University in the NCAA tournament.
Sophia Boman, the team captain, she’s really come to play the last few games. And I just really think that they have a chance to make a deep run, but they got North Carolina if they win this next game, so.
CORNELIUS: And don’t discount South Carolina. They’re always a tough test as well, but really opportunistic. I think it was the first goal or maybe the second one where she’s in the box, just, the ball floats around right into her path and she’s able to just slide it in.
So the Gophers just taking their chance has been the way all season. Khyah Harper, incredible player. Kind of shown in spurts who she really is in her first few years in her Gopher career, but now finally flourishing.
HOWARD: Yeah, I’ve got to talk to Khyah a lot this year and she really just hasn’t been healthy. That’s been her biggest problem and this is the first time she’s played a full season in her Gopher career. And so, I mean it’s a lot harder to get a flow and be the scorer that everyone has known she’s been when you’re not playing games.
CORNELIUS: Yeah, and they’ll definitely ride her if they want to make a big run in this dance.
HOWARD: For sure. And Boman as well. I mean, Boman has had to deal with a lot with their injuries in the back line. She’s been stepping back from the midfield. She’s been stepping up to score, pass the ball. So she’s really probably been their second best player outside of Harper scoring.
CORNELIUS: Yeah, we’ll take you to our final Gopher sports, and I want to get in some pro talk with you after this.
HOWARD: I love that.
CORNELIUS: Gopher football. Coming off a bye week and a loss from Rutgers the week beforehand, which is just embarrassing, and the fact that they let Athan Kaliakmanis go. He comes back and whoops them. Without his star running back, Kyle Monangai isn’t even playing. They still throw for over 240 yards and 350 as an offense on the Gopher defense.
That came in as one of the best secondaries in the nation in terms of takeaways and yardage. But, it’s incredible what Athan Kaliakmanis was able to do against a team that last year he could just barely lead an offense in the Big Ten.
HOWARD: Yeah, it was very interesting to see him playing pretty much a 180 from what we saw the past season, season and a half. And even the defense too. I mean, we didn’t expect, it was just an off game in general. It didn’t look like what we’ve done all year.
CORNELIUS: Yeah. And then now you’re preparing for one of the best teams in the country in Penn State coming into your house. Fleck really wants a great atmosphere, but it’s kind of a tough transition. It’s going to be, it’s a November game. It’s your last home game, and it’s senior night, so that builds into that mojo. But you’re already bowl eligible, the Gophers fans have been through this before.
It’s probably not going to be the bowl game they really want it to be, unless they win these last two games against Wisconsin and Penn State, and not many people are going to want to travel to Detroit again.
HOWARD: Yeah, I definitely know that I won’t be going, but it would be a great win if we can. Penn State’s looked amazing this year, but you never know with the Gopher defense. They just, sometimes will have a game.
CORNELIUS: Yeah. And well, they got to stop just every part of that offense is very good. Whether it’s Tyler Warren, whether it’s Drew Allar, the quarterback.
Whether it’s their running back Singleton as well as an absolute stud right next to Allar. So it’s, you got to handle all these pieces when there’s probably half, if not more than half, are going to be in the NFL at some point in their careers for a Penn State Nittany Lions team.
James Franklin, Coach Fleck mentioned it, like, he does an incredible job recruiting. Like, you want to be that premier program, which they can’t seem to get over the hump to beat the Michigan and Ohio States, but they are right up there in terms of the talent they produce.
HOWARD: And Franklin is one of the best coaches in the nation. I mean, he’s consistently had Penn State as one of the best programs. I think before we go on to the pro and while we’re on college football, who do you got as your highest win this year?
CORNELIUS: Right now I’m Jeanty. I’m on the Jeanty train. I think if Travis Hunter had put up better numbers this year in terms of offense and defensive statistics, I think he’d no doubt win it. But when you have a guy running the way Ashton Jeanty is, and they’re 9-1, mind you, only losses to the number one team in the country in a dogfight.
Like, he has carried that team into the position where they’re gonna be a college football playoff team probably come the end of the season.
HOWARD: Yeah, and I saw a stat today that said, certain amount of people in the box. He didn’t get under three yards per carry until there’s nine people in the box. I mean, and those are probably on like goal line rushes, third and ones, fourth and ones. So his ability to not really care about who’s in front of him. Whether it’s 11 guys or zero guys, it’s just insane.
CORNELIUS: Well, when they have no threat of a receiving back either, like he will maybe catch one, maybe two passes in a game for like five to six yards. So they have no worries about him releasing into the flat. Like it is only him running and he just stands back there. Like they’re saying Michael Myers and just torches defenses.
HOWARD: I think it’s been very interesting because he was, he led the nation in receiving the previous year. So, I mean, when he gets to the NFL, is that something that he just shows again?
CORNELIUS: Well, he’s put on some pounds, let’s say that. Like, he is now a stocky build and hard to tackle. Like, he will run through, as Marshawn Lynch, a word we cannot say or face on here.
HOWARD: He’ll run through him. What do we got on some pro sports?
CORNELIUS: Yeah, I know you saw it, the Jordy edit. Shooter with a left hand. Julius Randle. Game winner.
HOWARD: Yeah, I got that written down, too. But the problem is, they’ve just had a couple bad losses lately.
CORNELIUS: Yes, the Timberwolves have been a very Minnesota sports team-esque to start this season. It’s been a struggle for them to get going, but they finally have. And that’s the way it goes. Julius Randle, everyone’s hating on the signing of the trade, and then he comes and hits a game winner, now everyone loves him.
HOWARD: Yeah, it doesn’t help the K.A.T.’s over there putting up 40 point games every other week, but I think Timberwolves fans will take a game winner over a good basketball team.
CORNELIUS: Well, and they will take the fact that his contract is significantly less, and they’ll probably be able to sign him for significantly less if they choose to. But they can also let him go at the end of this year or next year, and go get another star to put Edwards next to.
HOWARD: Yeah, the DiVincenzo been, a little off this year. He’s only shooting about 30% from the field, which isn’t what you expect from the guy who was top three in 3’s made last year. But you just gotta think, it’s coming. I mean, shooters know how to shoot at the end of the day, so I think he’ll find it pretty soon.
CORNELIUS: Yeah, this has been, it’s just so odd. I don’t know. This team was so incredible last season, and they hit a wall against the Mavericks, and now they’ve kind of continued that wall hitting, if you want to keep going with that phrase in this start to the season. But obviously it’s early.
Regular season, really, at this point to them, doesn’t matter. They’re just hoping to get a, not an easy draw, I should say, in the first round. But outside of that, when you’re in the West, you’re going to play a good team every round.
HOWARD: It’s hard to get an easy draw in the West. When there’s, seems like there’s 14 teams that can make the playoffs over there. But, Anthony Edwards, the Timberwolves have changed the way they’re playing. They’re shooting a lot more threes this year. At one point, Anthony Edwards hit 50 3’s in, I think, the 10th game of the season.
CORNELIUS: They’re following my team, the Celtics’ mantra.
HOWARD: They are. The Celtics are doing a lot of good things over there in the East, too.
CORNELIUS: Hopefully beating the Cavs for the first time in the, in the NBA this season.
HOWARD: I just keep looking at the NBA app, and I just keep seeing the Cavs keep winning. It’s crazy. I mean, I don’t know how they’re doing it, but they have virtually the same team they did last year, but Atkinson, Kenny Atkinson came in and it’s just been a great coach.
CORNELIUS: Just get hot at the right time. And obviously we’re only 15 or so games in, depending on how many teams have played and back to backs and all that. But there’s a long season to go. There’s 67 more games to play. And just as you hit the hot streak, you can hit a lull. So yeah, it’s a grind. The NBA season is a grind.
HOWARD: It is. I definitely think that they’re gonna be a team to watch this year. I mean, you don’t go 15-0 and you’re not at least considered a contender, so.
CORNELIUS: Yes, definitely and that’s also they were last year as well obviously. They have to compete with the Celtics, the Knicks who added a crazy amount of talent this offseason. Like Bridges and K.A.T. to a team that was already one possession away because that Nembhard three in that game. Like they go up 3-1, they’re not losing that series, so.
HOWARD: It’s crazy, I think, I mean, I don’t think they’re too worried about their bench because I don’t think Thibs is going to play him in the playoffs anyway, so.
CORNELIUS: Celtics took that mindset. Just had basically Pritchard, Horford and Hauser off the bench, and they even cut that short because then Horford had to start in the playoffs when Porzingis was down, and it works.
HOWARD: Yeah, it does, especially once the playoffs come, there’s only 16 games you got to win so.
CORNELIUS: And the way Thibs runs practices they’re already run into the ground already, so they’re able to play the game just fine.
HOWARD: They’re used to it. I mean we got to talk about a little bit of football, too. The Vikings are finally back after their two game slide they had a couple weeks ago. They just there’s won again. It’s great to see.
CORNELIUS: Well, it’s great to see but it’s been rough sledding against three mediocre to subpar teams. The Jaguars was one of the ugliest games of football I’ve watched from the Vikings possibly in my life. They’re playing Mac Jones. Sam Darnold looked like the Jets Sam Darnold, and then he comes back and plays his best game in the NFL according to PFF, against the Titans.
So I’m just like, you have the two polar extremes and then he looked, he did the exact, he did both of them in one in that Colts game. He threw for three touchdowns to lead them back, but he also put him in the hole cause he had that many interceptions as well.
HOWARD: Exactly. Exactly. He’s, but at the end of the day, he’s got Justin Jefferson. So I don’t think, O’Connell is too worried about Sam Darnold.
CORNELIUS: My main problem is you lost your stud left tackle, the second most important player on your team in Christian Darrisaw that lost to the Rams. So you’re winning these games right now. You’re clawing through, maybe you’ll make the playoffs. Maybe you’ll go with 10 wins, 11 wins.
But then when you get to have to face the Eagles, or you have to face the Jayden Daniels, like, Commanders where they’re scoring every single drive. Like, is this offense with Sam Darnold going to be able to put up the numbers to stay in those games?
And it’s like this is the time you’d want Kirk Cousins, but also you wouldn’t be able to have an incredible defense that you have with all the pieces they added if you had to pay Kirk Cousins.
HOWARD: Exactly. You kind of just got to hope that Sam finds his footing again that he found in those first five weeks and Flores finds his footing as well because I mean the defense has been a little more subpar than it was when we started this season.
CORNELIUS: They have found themselves against bad opponents, yes. They have been struggling whenever they’ve played a good opponent on the late stretch. But yeah, they’ve at least shown up like, shutting down Mac Jones and Will Levis is not something that should be applauded.
I think, like, the Detroit Lions absolutely dominated them, 52-6. And they don’t even have their best pass rusher in Aidan Hutchinson. Their lead linebacker got hurt as well on that game, so.
HOWARD: Exactly. There, that Lions team is just different. I mean, they’re playing like it’s the 2000s again with two running backs and just running down your throat.
And that was another episode of the Gold Standard. This episode was recorded by Champ Howard and Andrew Cornelius, and produced by Ceci Heinen and Kaylie Sirovy. We hope you enjoyed.
