Not much has gone right for J.J. McCarthy this season. He missed a month and a half with a high ankle sprain in the early stages, then struggled mightily with his mechanics upon his return to the field.

It hit a potential breaking point a couple of weeks ago when McCarthy looked completely overwhelmed while the Vikings got blown out by the Green Bay Packers. He suffered a concussion in the process as some started to question the viability of him playing the position long term.

That’s why McCarthy’s performance on Sunday afternoon at U.S. Bank Stadium felt so important. He got some swagger back as the Vikings ran away with a 31-0 win over the Washington Commanders.

It wasn’t as sexy stat line for McCarthy by any means. He completed 16 of 23 passes for 163 yards and a trio of touchdowns while leading a wire to wire win. The most encouraging part migth have been the simple fact that he didn’t turn the ball over at any point.

It was a complete effort by the Vikings across the board as the offense moved the ball efficiently throughout the game while the defense forced a trio of turnovers en route to recording a shutout.

Will this go down as a moment everything changed for McCarthy in his career? That remains to be seen. In a campaign devoid of of a lot of bright spots, however, McCarthy will take a win any way he can get it.

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The Gophers will play New Mexico in the Rate Bowl in Phoenix on Dec. 26.

The first meeting between the two programs will kick off at 3:30 p.m. CT at Chase Field and will air on ESPN.

Bowl projections late last week for the Big Ten-Big XII conference matchup was penciled out to be Gophers (7-5) versus Iowa State (8-4), but the Cyclones opted out of the bowl on Sunday due to “lack of healthy players to safely practice and play.”

Iowa State, which is also going through a coaching change from Matt Campbell to Jimmy Rogers, was fined $500,000 by the Big XII for declining a bowl invitation. With Kansas State also opting out, the Rate Bowl picked a Mountain West Conference program.

Under up-and-coming, first-year head coach Jason Eck, New Mexico won six straight games to finish 9-3 overall and 6-2 in conference play. The Lobos lost the season opener to then 14th-ranked Michigan, 34-17, on Aug. 30, but knocked off UCLA 35-10 on Sept. 12.

Eck, who just signed a five-year extension to stay in Albuquerque, produced the program’s first win over a Big Ten school and ended two long losing streaks to Air Force (25 years on the road) and Colorado State (13 straight games). Their overall record was the program’s first wining season since Bob Davie was the coach in 2016.

The Lobos also lost to San Jose State and Boise State to barely miss out on the Mountain West championship game, which Boise State won, 38-21, over UNLV on Friday.

The Gophers had a memorable experience in Phoenix in 2021, beating West Virginia in the then-named Guaranteed Rate Bowl at Chase Field. More than 4,000 Gophers fans attended the game at Arizona Diamondbacks’ home venue.

The Gophers also played in the Insight Bowl three times at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Ariz., and lost all three games to Texas Tech (2006), Kansas (2008) and Iowa State (2009).

This year’s Gophers team reached bowl eligibility with its sixth win in a 23-20 overtime win over Michigan State on Nov. 1, and after losses to Oregon and Northwestern, they improved their position with a 17-7 win over Wisconsin for Paul Bunyan’s Axe in the regular-season finale on Nov. 29.

The Gophers are headed to their seventh bowl game in nine seasons under head coach P.J. Fleck. They failed to qualify in his first year, 2017, and opted out of a bowl game during the pandemic-altered season in 2020.

The Gophers’ eight-straight wins in bowl games is the longest streak in the nation; the U hasn’t lost since the 2015 Citrus Bowl.

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AGRICULTURE

Donavon Stromberg

The Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation announced Donavon Stromberg from Mora received the organization’s Honorary Life recognition for his service to Minnesota agriculture. He will be recognized alongside Greg and Mary Bartz of Sleepy Eye and Roger and Linda Sauerbrey of Mayer.

ADVERTISING/PUBLIC RELATIONS

Rise and Shine and Partners, a Minneapolis independent brand navigation agency, announced Angey Iazzetta, partner and director of Brand Integration, will add president to her title, and Seth Thompson, previously partner and director of finance, has been promoted to partner and chief financial officer. Kevin DiLorenzo remains the agency’s chief executive officer.

ARCHITECTURE/ENGINEERING

WSB, a Golden Valley-based design and consulting firm specializing in engineering, environmental, and construction services, announced the hiring of Randy Hebb as director of financial planning and analysis, a newly created role. Hebb previously spent 22 years in executive roles at Lifetouch.

FINANCIAL SERVICES

Merchants Bank, Winona, announced that Brian Hokanson has been named market president in Cannon Falls. Hokanson previously was a senior vice president and ag/commercial banker at Merchants Bank from 2008-2023. He and his family have owned and operated Hokanson Family Farms in Cannon Falls since 1967. … Ameriprise Financial, Minneapolis, announced that Liane J. Pelletier has been appointed to its board of directors, effective Nov. 12. Pelletier previously served as chairwoman, chief executive officer and president of Alaska Communications Systems Group and also served as senior vice president for corporate strategy and business development for Sprint Corp.

GOVERNMENT

Ramsey County announced the appointment of Jaime Wilkins as director of Housing Stability. Wilkins most recently was associate vice president of Economic Opportunity & Youth Support at Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota and also served as the senior director of Housing Services for LSS.

HEALTH CARE

Allina Health, a Minneapolis-based metrowide chain of hospitals and clinics, announced that Dr. Ram Sankaraneni has been named president of the Allina Health Neuroscience, Spine and Pain Institute. Sankaraneni joined Allina Health in October 2023, most recently serving as director of the Abbott Northwestern Hospital Adult Neurology Residency Program.

HONORS

Hormel Foods Corp., Austin, Minn., announced it has been named on Military Times’ Best for Vets employer list for the 13th consecutive year. … Deluxe, a Minneapolis-based financial services and data company, announced that President and CEO Barry C. McCarthy has received the Technology Association of Georgia Lifetime Achievement Award. Deluxe’s Technology Center is in Atlanta.

LAW

Nationwide employment law firm Jackson Lewis announced Paul J. Lukas has joined the firm’s Minneapolis office as a principal. Lukas previously was with Nichols Kaster, where he served as co-leader of the ERISA Class Action Litigation Team. … Fredrikson, Minneapolis, announced the addition of the following  associates: Danielle F. Heine, Mallory M. Marolt, Taryn M. Reichow Kriese, Ian Y. Sheppard, Ellen T. Stojak, Jacob G. Vander Weit, Monica Villanueva-Nelson, Frederick A. Yates and Hannah M. Zimmerman. Marolt is based in Mankato.

MANUFACTURING

Niron Magnetics, a Minneapolis developer of rare earth-free permanent magnets for industry, announced the appointment of Jon Olson and Eric Stang to its board of directors. Olson serves on the boards of Advanced Micro Devices, Rocket Lab and Kulicke & Soffa and previously held senior executive roles at Xilinx and Intel; Stang serves as chairman and CEO of Ooma and previously served as CEO of Reliant Technologies and Lexar Media.

MILESTONES

IN Food Marketing & Design, a Minneapolis-based food marketing communications agency, announced it is celebrating its 30th anniversary.

OPENINGS

New Hope-based Taco Bell franchisee Border Foods announced the opening of its 100th Minnesota location at 14751 Armstrong Blvd. NW, Ramsey; it is the company’s 254th location in the Upper Midwest.

ORGANIZATIONS

GF Building Flow Solutions Americas, an Apple Valley-based manufacturer of Uponor-branded indoor plumbing products, announced that Chrissie Walsh, its regional head of Environmental Sustainability, at has been named to the Minnesota Chamber Environmental Sustainability Foundation board of directors.

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EMAIL ITEMS to businessnews@pioneerpress.com.

SUPERIOR, Wis. — A police officer was shot Sunday during what authorities described as “a multi-jurisdictional response to an active incident.”

The Superior Police Department confirmed in a Sunday morning news release that one Superior officer is in stable condition at Essentia-Health in Duluth after the incident at the Superior Middle School, North 37th Street and Tower Avenue.

One person is in custody. Authorities did not identify the suspect early Sunday.

“We are asking residents to avoid the area while we resolve this situation,” Police Chief Paul Winterscheidt said in a statement. “We appreciate your patience and support during these critical hours.”

Superior Mayor Jim Paine said in a social media post that the officer, who was first on the scene, showed “tremendous valor” and wished them a speedy recovery.

In an email to parents, the School District of Superior said the incident was not related to school operations or students. “However, we have confirmed that the incident resulted in significant damage to the Superior Middle School building,” the district reported.

The district will communicate directly with families and staff with plans for the Monday school day.

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