Sid's jottings

October 3, 2020 at 10:41PM

JOTTINGS

• Pro Football Focus on Vikings rookie receiver Justin Jefferson's breakout game in Week 3: "Jefferson was the highest-graded wideout of the week and should be in line for a much bigger season now that he has earned added responsibility in Minnesota. The prospect that he can, in fact, replace what they lost in Stefon Diggs all of a sudden doesn't seem crazy."

• There are going to be 31 NFL teams, including the Vikings, who kick themselves for not drafting Gophers safety Antoine Winfield Jr. before he went No. 45 overall to Tampa Bay in April. Winfield was named NFL rookie defensive player of the month for September. In three games, he had 23 tackles, two sacks, three QB hits, two passes defended and a forced fumble, playing all but one defensive snap.

• Brian Anderson served as Gophers running backs and wide receivers coach under Jerry Kill and Tracy Claeys from 2011 to '16 and is now the running backs coach for Kansas State, which shocked No. 3 Oklahoma in a 38-35 victory in Norman last weekend.

• Speaking of Kill, he is now at TCU as special assistant to head coach Gary Patterson, in charge of offense, though Sonny Cumbie remains the offensive coordinator. The Horned Frogs had 457 yards of offense Saturday in their 33-31 victory at No. 9 Texas, a week after they finished with 512 yards of offense in a 37-34 home loss to Iowa State. … Claeys is in his first season as linebackers coach at Virginia Tech, briefly rejoining Kill last December before Kill left the Hokies a month later. Virginia Tech won its opener vs. N.C. State and faced Duke on Saturday.

• Former Bemidji State All-America defensive back Gunner Olszewski is in his second season with the New England Patriots but is on injured reserve. Olszewski, who has been converted to a receiver and punt returner, is only the third Bemidji State alum to appear in an NFL regular-season game.

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about the writer

Sid Hartman

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Former sports columnist Sid Hartman.

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The Gophers football team is riding a four-game winning streak, and Rutgers has dropped four in a row. With familiar faces on both sides, Rutgers will be at home, coming off a bye.