Minneapolis - Things have been rough for me lately.

I took the toughest midterm of my life Friday morning,

Then about an hour later, I began an 11-hour Midwest highway trek with my fellow State Newsers to cover the MSU-Minnesota game.

Then shortly after the Spartans disappointing 28-19 loss Saturday, I found out my girlfriend didn’t receive the flowers I bought her - so much for a little bit of sweetness on Sweetest Day.

Some sorry jerk stole them from outside her Chicago apartment building after an idiotic delivery person dropped them off.

That’s about $50 down the tube!

I sure hope the thief thinks they’re beautiful.

And as I write this column, I’m thinking about the 11-hour ride home and wondering what the hell I’m going to do to pass the time.

Yeah, I’m complaining, and yeah, things aren’t too peachy.

But things could be worse.

I could be as sore and disappointed as senior quarterback Ryan Van Dyke is this morning.

He was sandwiched by 278-pound defensive tackle Dan Kwapinski and 248-pound defensive end Tony Dupree on third down with about seven minutes left in the third quarter.

Despite the fact that play led to a 16-yard, first-down pass to senior tailback Little John Flowers, Van Dyke came out of the game with a concussion and broken jaw.

“I got hit pretty hard,” Van Dyke said in a released statement after the game. “I really don’t remember the play.”

Ouch.

Like the guy needed any more injuries.

In 1998, he was out two games with a sprained left shoulder.

In 1999, he was out two weeks with a sprained right foot.

And in 2000, Van Dyke got tired of spraining things and started bruising them. He started with his right thumb. A helmet hit it in MSU’s season opener against Marshall and Van Dyke reclaimed his seat on the sidelines.

Think about it.

Can you really think of any other athlete in a major sport at this school who has gone through more?

Van Dyke, who finished Saturday’s game completing 6-of-13 passes for 93 yards, visited an oral surgeon Sunday to get a prognosis.

Now his jaw is wired shut and he’ll be eating out of a straw for at least the next three weeks.

But this former high school All-American should still be proud.

Van Dyke has dealt with every setback that has come his way throughout his career.

And he has had some lofty expectations to live up to after being rated one of the top 10 quarterbacks in the nation coming out of Marshall High School.

Every fan has an opinion of him and how he has lived up to expectations.

But after covering the team, I have seen noticeable changes in Van Dyke’s demeanor.

And every fan should realize - if you don’t know already - that Van Dyke is a different guy than he was as a hyped-up freshman in 1998.

The way he’s handled himself this year has been more impressive than any stats on the field.

During this season, Van Dyke has proved he’s a mature leader who isn’t afraid to say what’s on his mind.

He could have transferred to a different school a long time ago, and he could have bitched and moaned about his playing situation.

But he didn’t sign any papers or make a peep.

With the “two-quarterback system” introduced this year with him and sophomore Jeff Smoker, Van Dyke could have just stopped fielding any dumb questions from reporters about a possible controversy between the two friends.

Amazingly, Van Dyke has stayed respectful.

If I was in his situation and someone was trying to stir up issues that weren’t there, I would have plenty of creative suggestions as to where a reporters could their pens.

Sometimes it’s the players on a team that face the most adversity that spark their teammates’ competitive fire.

And I don’t think that this case is any different.

On a day that was more severe than sweet, Van Dyke took another step back.

But with the resiliency he’s shown in years past, there’s still a chance to salvage what’s left with six regular season games remaining.

Too bad my flowers aren’t capable of their own comeback.