Motivation? Stakes low for 2-win Big Ten teams
Associated Press
Minnesota has had its last two games canceled because of COVID-19 issues, more than 20 players will be unavailable for this week’s game and the Gophers’ best player has opted out.
It begs the question: How motivated are the Gophers to play Nebraska on Saturday and next week’s game against a yet-to-be-announced opponent?
P.J. Fleck understands why he’s asked. His Gophers are among 10 Big Ten teams sitting at two wins in this abbreviated season, and the question could be asked of any of the 10.
Uncertainty about whether there would be a season, stoppages during the season and daily COVID-19 testing and strict safeguards put in place to avoid the virus have made the last 10 months a grind. One might wonder if players, many of whom are mentally and physically beaten down, would just like to get the season behind them and move on to next year.
Fleck said it doesn’t work that way. “Anybody who’s here cares, period,” he said. “It’s too hard of a game not to invest as much as you do and not care. I think there have been challenges that have challenged every single one of us, of how much it matters to all of us and what truly matters to us.”
Like Fleck, Nebraska coach Scott Frost isn’t worried about a dwindling care factor among his players.
“I think we have more guys on the team now that love football, that certainly helps,” he said. “I think we’ve got guys that care about each other more. They still feel like they’re having fun playing and have something to prove.”
Half the two-win teams have fallen well short of preseason expectations.
Penn State was No. 7 in the preseason Top 25 but once the Big Ten season started in late October lost its first five games for the first time in program history. Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota also went into the season ranked, and Nebraska expected to make a jump in Frost’s third year.
Penn State coach James Franklin spoke openly about his job performance being affected negatively because he’s been separated from his family to help protect his immunocompromised daughter from the virus.
The Nittany Lions also have had quarterback issues, as have Michigan, Purdue, Illinois and Nebraska.
Northwestern’s Pat Fitzgerald, whose team has clinched the West Division title, empathizes with his coaching brethren. The Wildcats went 3-9 last year and had two quarterbacks split time.
“I think it’s hard when you have to play multiple guys,” Fitzgerald said. “The locker room is kind of, ‘Who’s our leader, who are we following?’ Do they exude confidence, do they make everybody around them better, and do they drive and score touchdowns? If that’s not happening, it’s hard to get confidence offensively and that kind of erodes the confidence in the locker room. I don’t want to speak for other teams because I’m not with them, but that’s what happened with us.”
The possibility of achieving bowl
Marion Harding ...................... 1-0 River Valley ........................... 1-0 Clear Fork .............................. 0-0 Shelby .................................... 0-0 Ontario ................................... 0-0 Marion Pleasant .................... 0-1 Galion .................................... 0-1
Friday’s Games
Saturday’s Game Firelands Conference
Conf
Norwalk St. Paul .................... 1-0 Crestview ............................... 1-0 New London .......................... 1-0 Mapleton ................................ 0-0 Western Reserve ................... 0-0 South Central ........................ 0-1 Plymouth ................................ 0-1 Monroeville ............................ 0-1
Friday’s Games
Western Reserve at Plymouth Crestview at Norwalk St. Paul South Central at Mapleton Monroeville at New London
Saturday’s Games
Monroeville at Mapleton
Norwalk St. Paul at New London 3-1 1-1 1-2 0-1 0-1 2-2 0-4
Marion Pleasant at Shelby, postponed Clear Fork at River Valley
Galion at Marion Harding
Mansfield Madison at Ontario, postponed
Over
2-0 1-1 1-3 2-1 0-1 2-3 1-2 0-1
Boys Basketball
Mid Ohio Athletic Conference
Conf Over
eligibility is a carrot that can keep a sub-.500 team from just playing out the string. That doesn’t apply as much this year because the NCAA is not requiring a minimum number of wins for a team to be selected.
Ten bowls have been canceled to date because of the pandemic, leaving seven possible slots available to the Big Ten.
Marion Harding at Shelby Clear Fork at Galion Ontario at River Valley
Firelands Conference
Conf
South Central ........................ 2-0 Crestview ............................... 1-0 Norwalk St. Paul .................... 1-0 Monroeville ............................ 1-1 Western Reserve ................... 0-0 Mapleton ................................ 0-1 Plymouth ................................ 0-1 New London .......................... 0-2
Wednesday’s Game
Thursday’s Games
Saturday’s Game
Monroeville at Mapleton 3-0 3-0 2-0 2-2 1-1 0-2 0-3 0-2
Norwalk St. Paul at New London, postponed
Crestview at Norwalk St. Paul, postponed
South Central 56, Mapleton 40 Monroeville 60, New London 46
Editor’s note: Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic scheduled games can be quickly be postponed, canceled and rescheduled. All attempts will be made to keep the standings as up-todate as possible.
N.Y. Giants ...... 5 7 0 Washington ...... 5 7 0 Philadelphia ..... 3 8 1 Dallas ............... 3 9 0
Green Bay ....... 9 Minnesota ........ 6 Chicago ........... 5 Detroit .............. 5
L.A. Rams ........ 8 Seattle ............. 8 Arizona ............ 6 San Francisco .5
South
x-new Orleans10 2 0 Tampa Bay ...... 7 5 0 Atlanta ............. 4 8 0 Carolina ........... 4 8 0
North
3 6 7 7 0 0 0 0
West
4 0 4 0 6 0 7 0 .417 .417 .292 .250
.833 .583 .333 .333
.750 .500 .417 .417
.667 .667 .500 .417
x-clinched playoff spot
Thursday’s Game
Sunday’s Games
Monday’s Game
231 265 264 260 253 307 268 393
347 241 344 280 311 302 280 300
379 299 319 329 246 284 286 358
301 243 353 321 332 296 285 288
New England at L.A. Rams, 8:20 p.m.
Arizona at N.Y. Giants, 1 p.m.
Dallas at Cincinnati, 1 p.m.
Denver at Carolina, 1 p.m.
Houston at Chicago, 1 p.m.
Kansas City at Miami, 1 p.m. Minnesota at Tampa Bay, 1 p.m. Tennessee at Jacksonville, 1 p.m. Indianapolis at Las Vegas, 4:05 p.m. N.Y. Jets at Seattle, 4:05 p.m.
Atlanta at L.A. Chargers, 4:25 p.m. Green Bay at Detroit, 4:25 p.m.
New Orleans at Philadelphia, 4:25 p.m. Washington at San Francisco, 4:25 p.m.
Pittsburgh at Buffalo, 8:20 p.m.
Baltimore at Cleveland, 8:15 p.m.