Even diehard Gophers football fans are more likely to know the man who mentored the U safety who had two interceptions in Saturday’s 27-0 win over Nevada than the playmaker himself.

Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Edgerrin James helped coach Minnesota redshirt freshman safety Kerry Brown as a youth player in south Florida.

“1 of my Pop Warner Kids…” James posted in a comment on a Gophers Instagram post of Brown on Saturday.

Brown became more of a household name with two first-half interceptions that led to 10 points in the U’s shutout win in their final nonconference game this season at Huntington Bank Stadium.

“I knew him since I was a little kid,” Brown said of James postgame. “Me being able to learn from him and him teaching me to be a bigger man today helps a lot.”

James hails from Immokalee, Fla., and went on to rush for 12,246 yards and 80 touchdowns in 11 seasons in the NFL, while Brown attended nearby Naples High School and was a three-star recruit in the 2023 class.

Brown played only five defensive snaps during the 2023 regular season, but was in for 60 plays in the season-ending Quick Lane Bowl last December. He came off the bench Saturday, but started against Rhode Island and has played 86 snaps through three games this fall. None of the snaps were bigger than the two that led to interceptions Saturday.

Brown’s first interception was a diving grab and the second included a 17-yard return. Brown thanked his defensive line for providing pressure: Jah Joyner had a quarterback hit on the first pick, and Antony Smith pressured on the second one.

Even head coach P.J. Fleck said Brown, who is listed at 5-feet-10, 190 pounds, wouldn’t be considered a Big Ten player if spotted on the street.

“Kerry Brown is an electric player,” Fleck said. “He is not the biggest guy. … But he practices so hard. He is an unbelievable person.”

The Gophers have a stunning seven interceptions through three games, which is second-best in the nation so far this season. Cal has nine.

All of the U’s picks have come from defensive backs. Brown leads with two, while it’s one apiece for Jack Henderson, Ethan Robinson, Justin Walley, Aidan Gousby and Koi Perich.

Coming into the season, the Gophers safeties were asked to step up with the U’s all-time leader in interceptions, Tyler Nubin, now with the New York Giants. Nubin had a career 13 interceptions, including two in the 2023 season opener against Nebraska.

Brown is the first Gophers player to have two picks in a game since Nubin and is the first Gophers freshman to have two INTs in a game since at least 1990.

“You know why Antoine Winfield Jr. is as good as he is?” Fleck asked. “Because he smiles all the time. He loves playing the game of football. You know why Tyler Nubin is so good? He loves playing the game and he smiles all the time. And they have short goldfish memories. Kerry Brown is a young player, but he’s the exact same way.”

With Saturday’s performance, Brown is becoming a known member of the Gophers football team, and his famous mentor has helped put him on the map.

Related Articles

Gophers football: Big injury concern looms going into Iowa rivalry game

Stifling Gophers’ defense helps carry 27-0 win over Nevada

With Gophers’ returner Quentin Redding out for year, Koi Perich steps in

Gophers football vs. Nevada: Keys to game, how to watch, who has the edge

How Gophers revamped offense for better run-pass balance this season

International viola star Tabea Zimmermann, an artistic partner with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra since 2023, sparkles with SPCO concertmaster Steven Copes as the two play together for SPCO’s season opener at the Ordway Concert Hall. Much like the last time Zimmermann directed and played with the SPCO, the violist brings a spirited presence to the performance.

The program features works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Sergei Prokofiev, and 20th-century Polish composer Grażyna Bacewicz, with Copes and Zimmermann playing the lead parts in Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante for Violin, Viola and Orchestra.

The concert opens with the dramatic beginning of Mozart’s Overture to “Don Giovanni.” With its familiar themes drawn from the opera itself, it’s a bit of a taste of Mozart’s masterpiece. At Friday evening’s performance, after a rolling build and anxious back and forth between lower and higher notes, Zimmermann’s string popped. With a grin, she tip-toed across the strange to retune her instrument off-stage as the SPCO carried on to the end of the piece.

While waiting for Zimmermann to return, Copes shared with the audience that during rehearsals, Zimmermann had the SPCO musicians playing, stomping and even singing in their work together. “It’s a lot of fun to learn from her and play with her,” Copes said.

From there, the orchestra performed a short piece by Bacewicz called Divertimento for Strings. The first movement is full of slides, scrunchy sounds and dissonance, with light eerie bounces and spinning frenzy. Bacewicz’s second movement is languorous, with resonant sustained notes, while the third brings a furious cacophony.

The town of Mannheim gets a little spotlight in the weekend’s program, with examples of two orchestral techniques — the Mannheim rocket and the Mannheim roller. The Mannheim rocket launches the first movement of Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 1, Classical, with a quick build by the orchestra ending with a pop. The first movement’s light airiness has a Mozart quality about it (Prokofiev was also inspired by Haydn), while the second movement begins with sweet legato and features a juicy pizzicato build. After the gavotte third movement, the work concludes with a galloping finale. The “Molto vivace” movement swirls with sounds, energetic arpeggios and contrasting rhythms. It sounds like a carriage ride that finishes with a swinging flourish.

The Mannheim roller (yes, that’s where the band Mannheim Steamroller got its name) comes into play after intermission, when the SPCO performs Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante. The technique combines a thrilling string crescendo with a repeated single note played by horns and oboes.

That’s when Copes and Zimmerman’s come in, playfully trading off solos and also at times playing in harmony together. The two musicians begin the piece by making eye contact, and at times they seem to be finishing each other’s sentences. At other times, it was like they were battling, or dancing.

For the encore on Friday, Zimmermann and Copes performed a short pizzicato duet by Béla Bartók. The two musicians seemed to genuinely enjoy playing together. It’s a joy to watch that much love for the music.

IF YOU GO

Who: St. Paul Chamber Orchestra

What: Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante with Tabea Zimmermann

When: 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 15

Where: Ordway Concert Hall, 345 Washington St., St. Paul

Tickets: $68-$16

Accessibility: Elevators access all floors of the Concert Hall, accessibility seating for all mobility devices (request when buying tickets); service animals welcome (inform ticket representative); listening units and large print available upon request. One single-occupancy, accessible restroom in the Music Theater lobby.

Capsule: The SPCO performs with artistic partner Tabea Zimmermann in an invigorating concert.

Related Articles

Review: ‘Back to the Future: The Musical’ is both visually spectacular and a lot of fun

‘Field of Bands’ fundraiser to aid veterans and troops

Donald Glover postpones his Childish Gambino tour, which includes a stop in St. Paul

Fall arts and entertainment guide: Arena concert calendar includes Pink, Iron Maiden and Justin Timberlake

Concert review: Weezer go back to the start and play 1994’s ‘Blue Album’ in full at the X

There were two main objectives going into the Gophers’ final nonconference game of the season on Saturday:

1. Beat Nevada. 2. Avoid any serious injuries going into the rivalry game against Iowa next week.

The U completed the first goal with a 27-0 win over the Wolf Pack at Huntington Bank Stadium, but they weren’t so fortune with the second aim.

Top cornerback Justin Walley suffered a right knee injury in the first half and didn’t return.

Walley limed off the field and went into the injury tent midway through the first half. He then put on a brace and attempted to test out his knee, but didn’t play again. He changed out his pads at halftime and was seen limping along the sideline in the second half.

Given the attempt to come back, the hope for the U is Walley being scratched is a precautionary step going into the Battle for Floyd of Rosedale next Saturday in Minneapolis.

Walley is the U’s best cover corner, producing a 70-yard interception return in the 19-17 loss to North Carolina. Walley also had a pick in the 12-10 win over the Hawkeyes in Iowa City last October.

Without Walley, the Gophers turned to second-year corner Zaquon Bryan to play opposite Ethan Robinson.

The Gophers, however, did have two secondary members return on Saturday: safety Darius Green and nickel back Jai’Onte’ McMillan played. Green missed the first two games, while McMillan came back after getting hurt against the Tar Heels.

But on Robinson’s interception in the fourth quarter, he collided with safety Aidan Gousby, who was favoring his left shoulder and went into the injury tent.

Related Articles

Gophers’ returner Quentin Redding out for year, creating opportunity for Koi Perich, others

Gophers football vs. Nevada: Keys to game, how to watch, who has the edge

How Gophers revamped offense for better run-pass balance this season

Gophers football: P.J. Fleck on freshman QB Drake Lindsey’s debut: ‘Cool, calm, precise’

Gophers football: ‘Our deepest (NFL) draft class’ could be on 2024 roster

The bottom fell out of Gophers’ defense in 2023 and the Minnesota skidded to a 6-7 season, so their ability to bounce back under new defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman represented the bigest question mark going into this season.

So far, so stifling.

With a 27-0 win over Nevada on Saturday, the Gophers’ D has produced two straight shoutouts, following a 48-0 suffocation over FCS-level Rhode Island a week ago. Even North Carolina was held to 252 yards yards in the U’s 19-17 loss in the season opener.

It’s the Gophers’ first consecutive shutouts since 1962.

Minnesota (2-1) was a 17-point betting favorite Saturday and used three interceptions and four sacks to frustrate the Wolf Pack.

Nevada (1-3) was picked to finish last in the Mountain West Conference this season and was held to under 200 yards Saturday.

Gophers running back Darius Taylor produced the most electric play of the game in the third quarter. He broke tackles in the box, bounced it to the outside and then cut it all the way back to the other sideline on an 80-yard touchdown run.

Taylor’s run tied for the sixth-longest rush in program history, joining two gallops from Laurence Maroney in the 2004 season.

Kerry Brown, a second-year safety, produced his first two collegiate interceptions, and Minnesota scored 10 points off the takeaways.

Nevada was driving in the fourth quarter, but cornerback Ethan Robinson’s interception in the end zone helped preserve the shutout.

Brown’s second pick came on a great read of Nevada quarterback Brendon Lewis’s eyes in the first half. He stepped in front of a post route to pick it off and return it 16 yards.

Two plays later, Gophers quarterback Max Brosmer threw underneath to Taylor, who made a Nevada defender miss and scored from 10 yards out to make it 13-0.

The Gophers offense got the ball back at its own 32 with 1:55 left in the second half. With seven straight drop backs, including a 22-yard completion to Jameson Geers, the U was in position for Taylor to score a rushing TD from 4 yards out for a 20-0 lead at the half.

With the U defense playing lights out, the game was out of reach at the halfway point.

Related Articles

Gophers’ returner Quentin Redding out for year, creating opportunity for Koi Perich, others

Gophers football vs. Nevada: Keys to game, how to watch, who has the edge

How Gophers revamped offense for better run-pass balance this season

Gophers football: P.J. Fleck on freshman QB Drake Lindsey’s debut: ‘Cool, calm, precise’

Gophers football: ‘Our deepest (NFL) draft class’ could be on 2024 roster