Gophers and Bison Stay Undefeated, Twins Top Mets in Game Two

The Gopher and Bison football teams both earned big week two wins, and the Twins slipped away with game two against the Mets, while the SJU football team stumbled late, losing to Whitewater on the road Saturday. On Sunday, the Lynx will take the court in Indiana for their regular-season finale, and the Vikings will kick off their season at home against Tampa Bay.

RECAPS:

- After a bit of a slow start, the Gophers found their feet and beat Eastern Michigan 25-6 at home Saturday. Neither team scored in the opening quarter, but UMN hit a field goal in the second to take the lead. EMU responded with a field goal of their own to tie it up 3-3. Minnesota finally found the endzone with just under four minutes to go in the half. The Eagles closed the gap to 10-6 right before the break with another field goal as time expired. Minnesota continued their momentum in the second half, scoring on both sides of the ball. The Gophers scored a field goal and a touchdown in the third quarter, and a safety and another field goal in the fourth to seal the win. Athan Kaliakmanis completed 10 of 15 for 117 yards, no touchdowns, and one interception. He also had six carries for 13 yards and one rushing touchdown. Dragan Kesich went two for two on PATs and three for three on field goals. The Gophers improve to 2-0 and will hit the road for the first time this season to face North Carolina on Saturday. Pre-game coverage starts at 12:30 p.m. on AM 1390 and 93.9 FM KXSS.

- The no. 2 Bison nearly shut out Maine, winning 44-7 in their home opener. NDSU put up six points on two field goals in the first quarter. The home team extended their lead to 16-0 in the second quarter with another field goal and their first touchdown of the day. The blowout continued in the third quarter. The Bison found the endzone twice to make their lead 30-0. NDSU ran in another touchdown early in the fourth to extend the lead to 37-0 before the Black Bears finally got on the board. Maine scored their only touchdown of the day with just over six minutes remaining in regulation to cut the deficit to 37-7 and avoid the shutout. The Bison ran one more in before time expired to conclude their monster win. Cam Miller completed 14 of 19 passing attempts for 152 yards. He also tallied 15 carries for 68 yards and two touchdowns. Cole Payton added eight carries for 105 yards and two touchdowns. The Bison improve to 2-0 and will look to remain undefeated when they host Central Arkansas (1-1) on Saturday. Kick-off is set for 2:30 p.m. in Fargo.

- The Twins used a late push to outlast the Mets in game two at Target Field on Saturday. Brandon Nimmo hit a lead-off homer to put the Mets on the board first. Combined with an RBI single, the hits gave New York a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Minnesota did not have an answer until the bottom of the second when Donovan Solano hit a two-run single to tie the game 2-2. The Twins took their first lead of the day in the bottom of the third with an RBI single from Kyle Farmer. That one-point lead remained for the next three innings. In the bottom of the seventh, Minnesota caught fire again, scoring four with a three-run triple from Max Kepler and an RBI double from Farmer, to extend the lead to 7-2. New York knocked two home runs out of the park in the top of the eighth to cut their deficit to 7-4. The Twins responded with a solo home run from Willi Castro to secure the win 8-4. Kenta Maeda fanned two and allowed two runs on five hits in the first five and one-third innings. The bullpen combined for seven strikeouts, and two runs on two hits in the remainder of the game. The Twins improve to 75-67 and will look to earn the series sweep against New York (64-77) in game three on Sunday. Pre-game coverage begins at 12:00 p.m. on AM 1390 and 93.9 FM KXSS.

- The no. 4 Johnnies let the no. 8 Warhawks slip away in the final quarter of the game, losing 56-28. Whitewater scored first, putting up a touchdown in the first quarter before St. John's tied it up 7-7. The second quarter was more of the same with UW scoring two touchdowns before SJU rallied to leave things tied up 21-21 at the half. The Johnnies took their first and only lead of the game in the third quarter, scoring their fourth touchdown to gain the 28-21 advantage. After that, it was all Whitewater. The home team scored five additional touchdowns to earn the win. Aaron Syverson completed 27 of 45 passing attempts for 261 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception while being sacked three times. Dylan Wheeler had six catches for 92 yards and one touchdown. The Johnnies fall to 1-1 and will have next weekend off. The team will return home on September 23rd, kicking off MIAC competition against Bethel at 1:00 p.m.

PREVIEWS:

- The Lynx (19-20) will close out the regular season on the road against the Indiana Fever (12-27) on Sunday. Minnesota is currently sitting in the no. 6 seed but could hop up to no. 5 with a win and a loss for the no. 5 Atlanta Dream. The Lynx are 1-2 this season against the Fever who have been eliminated from the postseason. Tip-off is set for noon.

- The Vikings will finally make their long-awaited return to U.S. Bank Stadium for their season and home opener against the Buccaneers on Sunday afternoon. Both teams saw significant roster changes during the off-season with Tom Brady retiring in Tampa, and Adam Thielen and Dalvin Cook leaving Minnesota for other opportunities. Two players are listed as questionable for the Bucs including Calijah Kancey with a calf injury and Cody Mauch with a back injury. The lone questionable Viking is Marcus Davenport with an ankle injury that just popped up on Friday. Minnesota is 33-23 overall against Tampa Bay. Pre-game coverage kicks off at 11:00 on AM 1240 and 95.3 FM WJON.