Insight Bowl insight - Gophers vs. Cyclones Preview

Its nearly here Gopher Nation. The bowl game we've all waited breathlessly for is almost upon us, complete with its convenient showing on the NFL Network and 5pm CST start time. Ok, so maybe this game is just for the handful of us true believers and die-hard Gopher fans. Be that as it may, we've got one more football game to play, and damned if I'm not still excited. A win on Thursday afternoon puts us over 0.500 for the year, and any way you shake it, that feels a lot better than 6-7.

A lot of Gopher fans understandably feel let down the way the end of the season went, sneaking past South Dakota State and losing to Iowa in a very winnable game. I personally feel more like I was just let down by the offense, rather than the team as a whole, as the defense performed admirably down the stretch. If nothing else, the Insight Bowl gives me a chance to rinse out the bad taste Fisch, Weber and company left in my mouth in Novemeber. I'm excited for that chance, along with the notion that MarQueis will be lining up a WR more regularly this game. I like it. Let's get this kid out in space and see what he can do (hopefully hold on to the ball). At this point, any involvement of him in the offense is a good thing.

The Cyclones appear to have ended their season in similar fashion to the Gophers (close win followed by a tough loss), slipping past a bad Colorado team at home, 17-10, and then getting beat by Mizzou on the road in the 4th quarter to end the regular season. The Gophs and Cyclones have identical overall records (6-6), conference records (3-5), and non-conference records (3-1). Iowa State's big win this year came in-conference, taking down Nebraska on the road in a defensive battle (9-7). Their worst loss was a early season 32-point beat down handed to them by the in-state rival Hawkeyes (3-35). Minnesota and ISU averaged just under 22 points a game on offense, and gave up less than 25 (24.6 and 22.6, respectively). And both squads also appear to have relatively incompetant junior QBs (at least statistically speaking for ISU's Austen Arnaud).

So what differentiates these teams? It would appear that the Cyclones have an edge in the running game, with Minneapolis native Alexander Robinson lining up at halfback and carrying the load for the Cyclones. Robinson is a 1,000 yard Big 12 rusher, despite missing a game. ISU averages 177 ypg on the ground, while the Gophs average less than 100 (98 ypg). But Robinson is a smaller back (5'9" 187 lbs), and seems to be the kind of back that the Gophers tend to have success bottling up (see Ralph Bolden and Edwin Baker). Their struggles have come against the bigger more physical backs (Clay, Martin, Robinson). So perhaps that edge is not as pronounced as the stats may have us believe. Certainly the oddsmakers felt that way, opening the line with the Gophs laying 2.5 points.

Defensively, ISU statstically appears to be the slightly better team, but they largely got off the hook of playing the real offensive stalwarts of the B-12, namely Texas Tech and Texas (they did get lit up by KU for 41 points though). The Gophers had no such luck on their 2009 schedule. So this statistical edge may also be meaningless.

So how does this game shake out then? For me it comes down to the preparation of the Gopher defense to contain Robinson and forcing QB Arnaud into a few costly mistakes. The disguised coverages and blitzes run by Cosgrove against Iowa were highly effective. Can they be again is the question. If 'yes', then the Gophers have a good chance to win, if the offense can actually show up for even a half.

The other big question is Good Web or Bad Web? Who is hanging out in Tempe right now? Adam needs to led the offense and get points on the board in the worst way this Thursday. We've had no offensive TDs in our last 2 games. Attrocious and inexcusable (particularly against a D-2 opponent). Web has to get at least 2 TDs on the board for us somehow, not necessarily by throwing TDs in the endzone, but by keeping drives alive on 3rd and longs, and getting us into position for scores. That and not turning the ball over in our own territory. My confidence in Adam Weber this year has been destroyed by his awful play and decision making in several games late in the season. He's got to get back on track and carry some confidence into 2010 if he is to retain the starting QB role I presume he wants to keep for his senior season. The spotty play of the O-line and our running backs, gives me little confidence that they will carry the day if Weber doesn't, so its got to be Web that leads this team to a win.

Predictions? I feel pretty similar to the oddsmakers on this one. I think a solid effort by the Gopher defense, and some decent game management from Adam Weber will get it done, but not by much. Wild cards for the Gophs? Troy's returns and the role of MarQueis Gray.

Gophers 23, Cyclones 20
Gopher Player of the Game - Lee Campbell, 12 tackles, 1 FF, 2 TFL
Cyclone Player of the Game - Alexander Robinson, 20 carries, 75 yards, 2 TDs

One last sidenote - a win on Thursday couldn't hurt our pipedream chances of landing #1 overall national recruit Seantrel Henderson (Cretin-Durham), who we're at least still in the running with...

Brewster gets extension?

This morning, the Strib's Gopher Football beat reporter, Kent Youngblood, reported that Gopher AD Joel Maturi deemed that Coach Brew has earned a contract extension, and that the negotiations have already begun.

Stability was the key word Maturi used to justify his belief that Brewster should be extended. If you've read any of Gopher Bandanna Guy's posts on this blog in the past, you know that I agree with Maturi wholeheartedly. Which is not to say that stability is the only reason Brew should be extended, but it is a significant one in my mind.

So let's analyze this move a bit (assuming Brew does get extended). What are the pros and cons? Let's start with the pros - First, recruiting promises can continue to be made (playing time, positional guarantees, etc.). Second, the new out-state recruiting pipelines that are being established can continue to develop (Texas, Florida, Louisiana). Third, the young and upcoming players aren't forced to learn a different system (provided Brew keeps his coordinators in town). Fourth, the University doesn't send the message that "2 bowl games in 3 years gets you canned" to every other potential coaching hire in the country. And finally, re-upping with Brewster gives us a much better chance to retain him long-term should he make big gains in his 4th and 5th contracted seasons.

Now the cons. 1) We run the risk of continuing to have a football program without any kind of identity. 2) We run the risk of continuing the revolving door situation with coordinators. 3) We risk mediocrity or worse - what if Brewster cannot bring the program above the 6-6 (3-5) level throughout his tenure. 4) Reusse and Souhan will continue their campaign of negativity 'cause they don't like the guy.

So where does the Star Tribune online reading public fall on this topic? Well, the informal poll on the Stribs website when I checked had nearly 80% stating that Minnesota needed a coaching change, and 20% believed stability was more important (I should point out that this poll allowed multiple voting opportunities from the same computer, including 3 votes for the minority position by yours truly).

Now I realize that most of this 80% is made up of the mouth-breathers that still think we can land Tony Dungy or should hire back Lou Holtz away ESPN, but let's get real here people - NCAA Div 1 head football coaches don't get fired after their first 3 years. Especially when they make 2 bowl games, and expectations were not all that great. The only place the truly high expectations were coming from were the Gophers themselves. And that's where high expectation should be coming from at all times. Brew-haters - ask yourself if your opinion of Coach Brew would change at all if we had beat South Dakota State by 30. Or if we had beaten Illinois and were going to the Alamo Bowl instead. My guess is you'd still be hating on the guy.

My final take? Brew should be extended 2 years, unless the Gopher's showing vs. Iowa State on Thursday is absolutely dreadful. If that turns out to be the case, then back down to a 1-year extension, with another year possible if certain incentives are reached in 2010. Yeah, there's the possibility that Brewster won't agree to a 1-year deal, and if that's the case, let him sweat.

I'd love to hear other's opinions, on this polarizing topic within Gopher Nation.

Gophers draw Iowa State at the Insight.com Bowl

Back to Tempe again - for the Southwestern equivalent of the 'Music City Bowl' versus the Iowa State Cyclones and Cy the Cardinal. That's what 6-6 gets you. And Michigan State gets to go to beautiful San Antonio for the Alamo Bowl, despite having the same record as us, and losing to us head-to-head. Yeah, their conference record was 4-4 to our 3-5, but then they didn't have to play Ohio State either. Guess Spartan fans travel better.

Oh well, I'm not sure I wanted a rematch with Texas Tech in a bowl again anyways. The draw of Iowa State seems much more palatable a team to play in our bowl game. Now to be honest, I don't know much about Cyclone football aside from they play in the Big 12 North, and Seneca Wallace played for them circa 2002. So, I'll be doing a little research over the next few weeks. Stay tuned for usual pre-game preview.

Gophers fall to 'Canes, Brewster's house STILL for sale, and GEHG plans for hoops season

63-58 Hurricanes. Another tough, close loss by the Gophs tonight. That's 3 in a row now. They let it slip away in the last two minutes, that were tough to watch, kickstarted by an Al Nolen turnover as the Gophers were only down 2. Speaking of Nolen, he played another gutsy game, (6 rebounds, 6 assists, 5 steals, 9 points). I'm continually impressed by Nolen, as he gets significant minutes on the floor, despite the fact that he is absolutely not a threat to score from anywhere on the floor (layups the exception). Just think where his assist numbers would go if he was a dangerous shooter and defenders would have to respect him from the perimeter. I gotta believe he works on his shot. I just don't get how it hasn't improved one lick since his freshman year.

Site contributor 2Mutch tipped me off on this little gem - Tim Brewster's Shorewood, Minnesota house is for sale (see pic above). After doing approximately 5 minutes of research, it turns out its been for sale since last September, and Kent Youngblood speculates that Brew wants to be closer to the 'U' to cut down on his commute. Seems reasonable to me. But wait - if you had the misfortune of watching the local Minneapolis Kare 11 sportscast last Monday, you would have believe they broke this story, and the house just went on the market, putting all the 'Fire Brewster' mouth-breathers in 'Bring in Tony Dungy' mode. Kare 11 never mentioned the home was for sale for the last 3 months. Nice work morons - that's some quality journalism there. Brew is not going anywhere. Firing him now sends every potential coaching hire in the nation the message that 2 Bowl games in your first 3 years of rebuilding a program gets you fired. That will really bring a the A-list candidates our way, right?

One last thing friends - just wanted to mention that Give 'Em Hell Goldy will go into full blown Gopher hoops mode in a few short days. Gopher Bandanna Guy is still decompressing from the football season, and thoroughly enjoying the opening weeks of the NBA season (Go Bucks!). I am also slowly piecing together a Big Ten hoops conference preview, complete with opinions from alums and fans of the other Big Ten schools. Look for this before the conference season starts. Don't fret though, you'll still get your final dose of Gopher football come bowl season, as we'll preview our bowl opponent, and get you a final 'What we learned' for the year, before heading into the recruit signing season.

Go Gophs, and don't sweat it - Tubby will get these guys turned around.

One last thought - hey, we've almost hit 1,000 hits on the site. Pretty cool. Think I'll have a beer. Last can of Surly Furious in the 'fridge on its way down the hatch....!

Happy Thanksgiving! Golden Gopher Basketball for all!

Hope all our blog contributors and readers are having a Happy Thanksgiving with their families and loved ones.

And even though my beloved Honolulu Blue and Silver couldn't compete with the Packers on the field of play, they'll always look better losing in their uniforms, than the Green Bay ever will winning in their vomit inducing forest green and urine. Luckily, the evening belonged to Gopher hoops though.

Hopefully you all got a chance to watch the Gophs take down the #10 Butler Bulldogs last night in the Anaheim '76 Classic. The game wasn't pretty at times, as the refs called enough fouls to put the teams on the line for a combined 81 attempts!?!? But in the end, some timely shooting by Devoe Joeseph, Blake Hoffarber, and some clutch free throws by Ralph the Third did Butler in. Be sure to tune into the Gophs next game tonight if you can - vs. Portland (who upset UCLA last night. 8:30 CST on ESPN U.

And don't forget about the Gophs on ice, taking on the Michigan Wolverines at historic Yost Arena in Ann Arbor tonight too.

GO GOPHERS!!!

Goldy Rules!

This is HILARIOUS: Goldy Running Wild!

Further proof that Goldy Gopher rules. This is hilarious. Goldy absolutely OWNS that kid. Suck it 4th grader! I also got a kick out of Sam Rosen somehow correctly identifying Goldy (as a Gopher) and subsequently saying he was dressed as a BEAR!?!? WTF ROSEN!

Go Goldy!

Fisch needs to be fired... Brewster needs to stay (for now)

In an effort to pull my good friend 'Just Jake' back from the ledge a bit, I've crafted this semi-counterpoint post to his POV.

We all saw the absolutely awful offensive performance the Gophers had on display Saturday. As putrid as the SDSU game was, this was even worse in some ways, because we knew we couldn't rely on the defense to completely win this game for us. The offense HAD to do something to get us to overcome the apparently overwhelming task of scoring more than 12 points. They didn't. They left our defense out to dry once again, with turnovers, 3 and outs, and poor execution.. How can our offense have become such a liability that I'd rather see us run the ball 3 times and punt, and give our defense a chance to score, than cringe at another turnover?

JJ holds Brewster responsible, as he was the one who hired Jedd Fisch, won't bench Weber, and can't get our WRs consistently involved in the offense. This is fair, but the reality is these are the growing pains we've had to face with hiring a man to run our football program who has had no head coaching experience. Coach Brewster has obviously made his biggest mistakes in his task of hiring effective coordinators. Its been a revolving door for his entire tenure.

But lets be honest about things, these mistakes have primarily been on the offensive side of the ball. His hiring of Ted Roof as defensive coordinator last season was outstanding. Roof improved our defense by leaps and bounds. Roof left for a better opportunity at Auburn after 2008, and that can hardly be blamed on Brewster. His hiring of Cosgrove, and the promotion of Ronnie Lee to co-defensive coordinator seems to have been a solid hire as well. But the offense is another story. The 'wunderkind' Jedd Fisch was brought in to replace Mike Dunbar, and has ties with Brewster from his Denver Broncos days. He also has no experience as a collegiate offensive coordinator. And if you review his credentials, they are pretty slim. Lots of work other under good coaches (NFL), but that's it. That's pretty much what Brewster's resume was coming in too, making it all the more of a blunder. When Brewster hired Mike Dunbar in 2007 to run the offense, I felt good that he was handing the reins of the offense to a sage veteran. This was the right call for a new head coach with no experience. He then 'pulled a Fisch' and hired Everett Withers, which obviously didn't work out. It would appear he has rectified his mistake of hiring an inexperienced coordinator on defense. But he somehow found a way to repeat his mistake on Withers with Fisch. If you believe that this is an unforgivable repeated mistake, then Brewster should be fired, here and now - so that he can't further repeat mistakes. I am not in this camp (and I'll get to why momentarily).

However, Fisch should be terminated no later than the close of whatever bowl game we end up in (and possibly sooner if the right candidate comes along, as we have a month and some change to implement a few components of a new offense). Fisch needs to be let go for 6 simple reasons:

1.) His inability to give the offense any kind of identity.

2.) His complete and utter lack of quality control (stupid penalties, poor execution, etc.).

3.) Adam Weber's regression and messing with his throwing motion.

4.) Ineffective and predictable use of MarQueis Gray (Gray threw what - maybe 10 passes all year?)

5.) Failure to effectively game plan for specific opponents, and find exploitable weaknesses.

6.) Failure to use our biggest weaknesses, and turn them to occasional success (poor pass blocking = runs screen passes)

Now, I realize that it can be tough to run an offense when the O-line doesn't allow for much at all to work, (and for that perhaps Tim Davis should be let go too), and I list these things, knowing full well that Brewster has major culpability in all this. However, he should NOT be fired until at least being allowed to finish the 2010 season for the following reasons:

1.) Recruiting - Brew has only 2 full classes of his players in house now, and only a few contributed this season. By all accounts his upcoming class is solid again. He needs to land this next class in full, and start getting his players on the field in 2010.

2.) His D-coordinator hires. Roof, Cosgrove, and the promotion of Lee were all solid moves. And despite all the seniors on the defense, I think our D can be even better next year with some continuity in coordinators. Tinsley, Cooper, Carter, Edwards, Kirksey, Wilhite, etc. will be excellent players with some more coaching up.

3.) It's too soon - he needs at least one more season to get things turned. Let's be honest - this season isn't a disaster. No it didn't follow the blueprint that we might have envisioned, but we still made a bowl game. Next year is the reason to react if Brewster doesn't get that signature win, or improve the play on the offensive side of the ball. Worst case scenario, he's got 3 talented recruit classes in for the next coaching staff to work with.

Now IF Brewster brings back Fisch, or IF he again hires a completely ineffectual new offensive coordinator for 2010, then all bets are off. There is absolutely no reason that the offense can't be resurrected for next year with a new offensive coordinator, given the players we have at the skill positions. However, I will follow up on this claim, with some hard research to see what other 1st year O-coordinators have had success, and what their situations were. If the offense can't be improved next season, then I'll be calling for Brewster's head as loudly as anyone else at that point.

Just my $0.02. So really, JJ and I are in agreement that 2010 is the year where it all comes to a head. We're just coming at it from different angles - he's placing more blame on Brew now, and I'm displacing it to Fisch for the moment.

Brewster Needs to Be Killed in the press...

...for his coaching job down the stretch this year... (What did you think I meant with this post title?)

The Gophers D proved itself to be more than adequate versus the middling offenses that make up the pathetic Big 10 this year. We've seen that the D can keep us in games versus superior teams (PSU, OSU, etc)

Yet during that stretch we have seen zero growth on the offensive side of the ball. Jedd Fisch deserves the blame as does Adam F'N Weber. Yet the ultimate responsibility falls on Tim Brewster. HE'S the one who hired Fisch, HE'S the one who throws Adam F'N Weber out there time after time, HE'S the one who brings a stud of an athlete in as the jewel of his recruiting class (Gray) and then refuses to use him, HE'S the one who brings in a slew of talented WR's yet can't find a way to incorporate them into the offense.

Brew had plenty of time these last few weeks to try SOMETHING and failed to do so -- he's the one who has to come down on Fisch to work on something, anything to improve this HORRIBLE offense.

It is truly astounding that the offense is this bad, in a conference this full of crappy teams, yet we were in virtually every game this year -- including today versus a team that is supposedly 13th in the BCS standings; yet I saw almost no difference between them and us today. EXCEPT THEY OCCASIONALLY COULD MOVE THE GOD-D*MN BALL AND SCORE ONCE IN A WHILE!

WE SCORED 7 POINTS IN 3 BIG TEN ROAD GAMES THIS YEAR (AT PSU, OSU, AND IOWA). HORRIBLE, F.

Do Fisch or Brewster have a clue? Do we have any hope of the program improving? Or is Brew simply a huckster as many have opined? I say give him next year to see if his recruits show anything and the offense can be any better.

At least sophomore LB Gary Tinsley looked the part of a stud today, and our D figured out how to blitz and consistently pressure the QB. That and 2 bucks will get you a cup of joe. Dammit I hate this game sometimes.

UPSET ALERT!!

Okay, I'm not calling for the upset today, but DAMN would it be nice to see the Gophers rise up and slew the F'n Hawkeyes. I don't know about you fellow Gopher fans, but I am damn sick and tired of being out-physicalled (yep, I just went all Matt Millen on ya and verbed a word) and out-coached year after year after year after year by the Hawkeyes and their arrogant son-of-a-beach coach.

That being said, is it too much to ask our offense to grow a pair today and incorporate some 'innovative' i.e. BLOCKING and RUNNING THE BALL? Also a lot more of Gray winging the ball around and our receivers and tight ends catching the damn ball!

No moral victory will do. A victory is what we need to see. I hope Brewster realizes the sh*tstorm that has risen up around him and his program this year as everyone from random bloggers (we matter damn it!) to 'respected journalists' like Fat Pat or Souhan have lobbed justified pot-shots in his direction.

It's time to see some good coaching, and some solid play.

Will it happen? As the beacon of positivity that supports our merry band of Gopher backers (along with Gopher Bandana Guy) I'm calling for the upset. The only way we win is to score the ball on some long plays, and create turnovers. We know our D/ST can do both -- our linebackers and safeties can play the ball quite well, and our return game is our best, most consistent component of the entire squad. That means some combination of Weber keeping his eyes open and getting the ball downfield AND Gray running wild with some deep throws is necessary. PLEASE COACH FISCH for the love all that is holy; RUN THE DAMN BALL!! Call some rollouts with Gray, some quickhitters off tackle, and stay with it!

Well, just writing this got me fired up and despite my earlier declaration, I'm going with my heart and calling for Brew's Crew to get this one done!!!

Gophers 31 - Hawkeyes 25

SUCK IT IOWA!

LET'S GO GOPHERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Big Ten Football Fan Poll

Check out this very interesting polling of Big Ten fans, conducted by SI.com.

Some highlights:

-98.2 % of Buckeye fans consider Michigan to be their biggest rival. But only 96.0% of Michigan fans consider OSU to be their biggest rival. This conclusively proves that Buckeyes are smarter than Wolverines. But really, how this isn't a clean 100% on both sides is beyond me.

-9.3% of Badger fans consider Michigan to be their biggest rival. But 0.0% of Michigan fans consider Wisconsin to be their biggest rival. This disconnect is amusing to me. In fact 0.2 % of Michigan fans thought Northwestern was a bigger rival than Wisconsin. In the same vein, 1.3% of Minnesota fans think OSU is their biggest rival. We've had historically less success against the Buckeyes than any other Big Ten team. Who are these idiots?

-Northwestern is widely considered to have the most polite fans overall. That's easy though, when nobody shows up for the games. No one there = no one to heckle you.

-Ohio State and Wisconsin consistently shows up in every other teams top 4 for the rudest fans for visitors. Ohio State looks to have Wisconsin beat by a significant margin though...

-Only 2.9% consider Minnesota to have the favorite stadium to visit in the conference. Those are Metro-dump #s. Look for that to climb substantially in the coming years. 'The Bank' is phenomenal.

Salvaging the Season, Saving Floyd - Gophers @ Hawkeyes Preview

Well, here we go - one last chance in the regular season to salvage some good feelings out of this season. The Gophs are 6-5 right now, and by nearly all major publication preseason expectations, six wins is slightly better than was predicted. Of course we Gopher fans had at least marginally higher expectations, despite the tougher schedule. So here we are, playing for a chance to go 7-5, a record that at the beginning of the season we would have been happy with, but somehow last week's win over South Dakota State has put a layer of tarnish over things. Time to shake off that attitude.

Yeah, a lot of things haven't gone as planned in 2009. Adam Weber's progression as a Big Ten QB has gone in reverse. We were robbed of seeing Eric Decker potentially grab some big time hardware (All-American and Biletnikoff anyone?). We lost to a Juice-less Illinois at home. Ok, all that sucks. But we still got to 6 wins somehow, defying the critics, and likely earning another crack at that Insight.com Bowl. No, it wasn't pretty, but its not a disaster either (we'll leave program disasters to Michigan and Rich Rod). Let's remember that as we get ready to watch our beloved Maroon and Gold take on the hated Hawkeyes this Saturday morning.

So - do we have a chance to win at Kinnick Stadium? Perhaps foolishly, I resoundingly say 'Yes'. And here's three reasons why:

1.) The Hawkeyes have not played well at home all year. Tight wins against Northern Iowa, Arkansas State, Michigan, and Indiana, and a loss to Northwestern, are nothing to be real proud about.

2.) James Vandenberg, who played well against OSU last week, is still a red-shirt freshman. And freshman QBs make mistakes. Cosgrove and Lee will have the D ready to go again this week, and will be looking to capitalize on an inexperienced QB.

3.) Getting drubbed 55-0 at home last year. Brewster doesn't need to work hard to motivate the team (unless you believe the latest Patrick Reusse efforts to deconstruct the program). The seniors on this team have a lot of pride and will do their damnedest to deliver Floyd to our custom-made trophy case.

But of course there are at least 3 major reasons we should lose too:

1.) Iowa has superior offensive and defensive lines. They could very easily dominate us up front on both sides of the ball. If we don't match their physicality, we could be in for a long game.

2.) Adam Weber. When he plays badly, our defense can only hold out for so long. At this point, I'm not sure I should expect anything from him but a bad game.

3.) Iowa has something to play for yet. A win gives the Hawkeyes an outside chance to make an at-large BCS bowl bid. That's big. And big $$ for the program.

Of course, I'm Mr. Positivity this season, and so I'll lean in the direction of a Gopher win on the road. Brewster has yet to win a 'trinket' game in his 3 seasons, and he needs something desperately to hang his hat on going into the next year, to keep the fans and his players believing.

What do we need to do to get this seventh win? On offense, it obviously comes down to doing the things we haven't done consistently all year. Run and pass block effectively. Minimize the penalties. And mix in MarQueis on plays that result in more than a lot of arm-waving, sideline glances, and wasted timeouts. A pretty generic formula for offensive success, admittedly. But there it is. Obviously, the offensive starters and the coaching staff have known this for weeks. It just comes down to execution. We saw it during the MSU game, so we know the offense has the capability to produce.

Defensively, getting pressure on Vandenberg is key, and if Cosgrove is selective about when to run blitzes, this can generate turnovers for the Gophers, as it did against SDSU. The rest is just boilerplate. The defense has played well enough all year, and we know what to expect from them at this point. If the offense can get enough first downs to gain the TOP needed to keep the defense fresh, and keep from turning the ball over in our own territory, then we'll be in this game. The Iowa RBs (Wegher and Robinson) have been solid if unspectacular this year, but it is unclear if Wegher will play (rib injury). The front seven should be able to contain either back though, if they match the Iowa O-line's physicality. Hawkeye receivers McNutt, Johson-Koulianos, Moeaki, and Stross have all made big catches in big games this year, so Vandenberg has plenty of targets to look at downfield. This is the larger concern. The secondary will need to make plays, and I presume Vandenberg will attempt to pick on true frosh CB Michael Carter. Carter has the talent to rise to the challenge on the road, so I'll be watching him closely this week.

Predictions? I really don't want to pick the Gophers to pull off the road dog (+9.5) upset, but I'm gonna. Why? Like I said, I'm "Mr Positivity". I'll leave it at that.

Prediction: Minnesota 17, Iowa 14

Gopher Player of the Game: Simoni Lawrence - 9 tackles, 1 INT, 1 FF

Hawkeye Player of the Game: Adrian Clayborn - 5 tackles, 3 sacks, 1 FF

Goooooo Gophers! - Get Floyd back home where he belongs!

SDSU @ Minnesota - What we learned

Deja-NDSU. Ugh.

I'm talking about the 2006 win over the Bison, not the 2007 debacle. The fact that I have to clarify is embarassing enough. We've not done well against teams from the Dakotas in recent history. And last Saturday was no different.

This was one of those wins that was almost impossible to enjoy. All you could do was sit in the stands and wonder if the offense could be any more incompetant, or if the defense would finally falter.

At his press conference last week, Coach Brewster was asked if he still felt games against teams like SDSU had any benefit (transcript). Brew responded: "I feel the same way. I don't know how much it benefits the University of Minnesota to play South Dakota State. I'm not sure of that benefit." I agreed with him when he said that about NDSU two years ago, and I agree now. Why even play these games? They serve no purpose beyond potential embarassment, and they may even be counter-productive to recruiting in the region. If you're going to schedule on of these FBS teams for a game, it has to be somebody outside of the upper midwest. The South and North Dakota States of the world have rosters that appear to have stolen potential walk-ons from across Minnesota. Quality prep football players who could contribute on our roster, would the scholarships (fairly or not) need to go to more highly tauted out-of-state talent. But enough complaining about having to play the Jackrabbits to begin with.

First, let me be positive. Our senior laden defense was stellar all game, actually scoring as many points as they allowed (6). They generated turnovers, and hung tough to get us a win. Cosgrove and Lee had their unit prepared and ready to play. Hats off to them for showing up and gutting out a win on Senior Day. But the offense did these guys no favors. None.

As I stated earlier, this win was painful to sit through. This was almost exclusively the fault of the offense. Whaley disappointed me. The offensive line was dreadful (again), and Adam Weber was as ineffective and awful as I have ever seen him, with the added excitement of another pick-6. How a 3-year college quarterback who is your all-time leader in passing yardage can now routinely complete less than half of his attempted passes is beyond me. Weber managed to string together consecutive completions only once during the entire game (and the second completion was a two yard loss to boot). At this point, there is absolutely no reason for him to start any more. No need to waste Gray's freshman season any longer, right? Some how I doubt the offensive coaching staff will agree.

While reading some of the comments to a rather uninspired sarcastic Strib editorial penned by resident Gopher basher (when Reusse is too busy), Jim Souhan, I found one that got me thinking. The author noted that he didn't belive MarQueis Gray was blue-chip recruit, because a blue-chip recruit would be starting for this team, and speculated that Brewster is either a liar or an idiot for not starting him. Now I DO believe MarQueis is a blue-chipper, and I DON'T think Brewster is an idiot. But the point of this comment is well taken - we're simply not that good of a team where Gray shouldn't be playing all the time. Once the Illinois game was over, the transition to Gray starting with the first team should have been initiated. Gray needs reps if he's to be the QB of the future we expect him to be. Obviously, the situation is complicated by having an experienced upperclassman QB on the roster, but Brewster's leash for Weber has been long enough. I would have preferred for Gray to get his first start against SDSU at home, and admittedly, throwing him to the wolves in Kinnick Stadium seems much less appealing, but if the O-line is going to continuously collapse, then at least have MarQueis in there to try and make something out of nothing with his feet. What's the worst that can happen? 55-0?

So what did we learn on during this embarassing Saturday? Well, I learned that the tailgating scene in the lots around directly adjacent to the stadium is great. I learned that the SDSU football team appears to have ripped their jerseys and color scheme off from San Jose State. I learned that our offense can play worse against a lesser opponent. And finally, I learned that our defense has a lot of pride, and I can say confidently that they'll play tough against Iowa, no matter the awful circumstances the offense will almost inevitably put them in.

Time to try and end the regular season on a high note and get Floyd back. Go Gophers!

Eye Ball Test

After watching today's game with South Dakota State, I am left with very little, other than we are a bad team. This is based not on stats, feelings, insight, or any other input; rather, it is a direct result of the eyeball test. We simply look like, and probably are, a bad team.

It is quite probable this is a combination of some mixture of bad coaching, poor talent, desire, and overall, a lack of any idea as to what it takes to build a winning program. Can this change? Sure.

To that end, I dedicate the attached photo of a rather idiotic Notre Dame cheerleader (I know, is there any other kind?.... Nope). It is dedicated to our overall effort today offensively, in coaching, and to our overall season-long effort. Adam Weber, here's to you, and your historically bad decisions. This poorly written post and poorly designed picture goes out to you.

Well done sir, well done.

Bring on the Jackrabbits! - SDSU @ Gophers Preview

Despite the fact that South Dakota State is a Division I-AA football team, I can't deny that I'm excited about this game. Part of it is the fact that its the last home game of the year, but part of it is also because this game is an opportunity to show the fan base where this program really is headed. Has the Gopher's roster been infused with enough talent over the last two years to prevent another NDSU debacle, and blow the doors off a lesser opponent? Or are we continuing to stagnate as a middling program? A dominating win this Saturday will at least restore some of my confidence that the program is slowly getting to where we all want it. A close win, or (gulp) a loss - and my confidence is severely shaken.

The Jackrabbits, by all accounts are a very good football team. They sit in second place in the Missouri River Valley Conference, with a 7-2 record (6-1 conference). Their most notable win this year, is a 24-14 victory over the Northern Iowa Panthers. Yeah, the Northern Iowa that the Hawkeyes barely snuck past early in the season. Drawing any conclusions from this connection to a Big Ten foe is probably not good for gambling purposes. But as motivation for the Gophers to not sleep on this team it would seem to be a good motivator. From the sounds of things at Brewster's press conference and a Gopherhole.com interview of the SDSU beat writer, this is likely what players are being fed this week. And rightly so, the program seems fragile right now, and an ugly win or a bad loss to a I-AA opponent could damage the team's confidence long term. Not to mention kill the already lukewarm fan interest. Tubby Time starts tomorrow against Tennessee Tech, and many have already washed their hands of Gopher football, for the higher profile basketball team (don't worry we're all excited here at 'Give 'Em Hell Goldy' too, but let's get past SDSU and Iowa first...).

So what do the Gophers need to do to come out and dominate from start to finish? I'd like to believe the biggest component to winning this game big is running the ball over and over and over again. Let our massive line get a lather going, build some confidence, and maybe push people around for once. 45-50 times would be what I prefer. Maybe that means the Gophs only score 14 points in the first half, but if that means success and ball control in the latter half of the game, then so be it. The Jacks (I hate this nickname by the way, and refuse to use it from here on out) have a top notch DE in Danny Batten, who is a potential I-AA Defensive Player of the Year. He'll no doubt be the guy that the O-line will be watching all day, as he apparently lines up all over the place. The game plan of passing early and often has largely failed this team (the anomaly of the MSU game aside), and patience running the ball is a novel approach at this point. Bennett, Whaley, and Eskeridge deserve a real chance to show what they can do, and that relegating runs to 2nd and shorts. With Whaley's speed off tackle against, this could conceivably be his coming out party. Mixing in MarQueis heavily should also keep the SDSU defense guessing (2nd downs, lots of 2nd downs Jed!). When Gray is on the field, he will be the hands-down best athlete on the field. Let's use that to our advantage. Que sera sera with Weber. My only expectation for him is that he not turn the ball over in ways that make it look like he's on the take.

And on defense? From the sounds of it, the Jackrabbits will be starting a freshman drop-back QB with a big arm named Thomas O'Brien. And they have a lot of confidence in this kid, as he's won his first 3 starts. Sioux Falls Argus Leader beat writer, Terry Vandrovec, suggested that were he the Gopher's d-coordinator that he'd "blitz about 80% of the time" to put continuous pressure on the frosh QB. I'd prefer a slightly more conservative approach, that being see if we can get any pressure from the front 4 for a quarter or so, before leaving all our corners on islands. The Jackrabbit rushing attack is led by JR running back Kyle Minnett, who has nearly 1,000 yards and averages 4.9 a carry. No slouch there, I-AA competition or no. So the front seven will need to work hard to bring down Minnett at the point of contact. The Gopher defense has some pride, as they've been the backbone of this team, maintaining our respectability when the offense couldn't buy a first down. Time for them to man up after a sub-par performance against Illinois.

So how will this shake out? Early this week I felt very nervous about this game, and the potential downward spiral effect if could create on the program. But like last week, my confidence has grown as the week went on, and I smell big win. Yes, SDSU will bring fans, and there are a bunch of Minnesota kids on their roster, so there will be lots of family and friends there in support of the Jackrabbits. But our talent and speed should allow us to dominate, provided the game plan is sound. Hopefully the loss to Illinois was the learning experience it should be, and the team will come out fired up for Senior's Day.

Prediction: Minnesota 42, South Dakota State 17

Gopher Player of the Game: Kevin Whaley - 18 carries for 140 yards and 2 TDs

Jackrabbit Player of the Game: Kyle Minnett - 20 carries for 95 yards and 1 TD

Illinois @ Minnesota - What we learned

While sitting on my sunny perch in Section 219 last Saturday, I realized that in all the game scenarios that ran thru in my mind, I did not process the one where the Illini go into the half up 21 with Juice Williams watching from the sidelines. Yikes. What the hell happened?

For starters, 'Bad Web' wandered back onto campus again, and like he has in games early in this season, it took him a half to really even get warmed up. In fact it was not until 13:40 left in the 3rd quarter before Weber was able to complete consecutive pass attempts. Worse than this though was the 6 points he gift wrapped for the Illini, on a pass that everyone in the stadium gasped at before it even left Weber's hand. His pick-6 to Terry Hawthorne might have been his worst INT of the season, and that's saying something.

But 'Bad Web' is only part of the story. The O-line didn't do him any favors either, as Weber was sacked an unacceptable 7 times. Coming off what I believed was their best pass blocking performance of the year last week, the line as a group regressed again. And their run blocking? Well its hard to say, since Jed Fisch decided that running the ball was not a priority in the first half. I don't usually like to specifically criticize playcalling because its very safe to assume that offensive coordinators at the college level know a hell of a lot more than me. However, I'll make an exception this week - as I feel that the 1st half playcalling was a big reason we couldn't go punch-for-punch with Illinois. Instead of running the ball we decided play-action passes to receivers 30+ yards down field were the way to go. These led to a lot of drive killing incompletions, and often forced us into too many 3rd and longs. By the opening drive of the second half, Fisch seemed to figure out the balance of run-pass, until he had the whole stadium groaning on a play-action pass called on a 2nd and goal from the half yard line. The play resulted in an 8-yard loss (QB sack), and the drive disappointingly ended with a field goal. From that down and distance, a TD seemed imminent, provided we keep handing the ball off to Hoese or Bennett inside the 5. Even working in QB sneak would have been fine. But enough second guessing. By and large, the offense stunk for a variety of reasons, and had Nick Tow-Arnett not come up with some clutch 3rd and long catches (including an absolute beauty down the seam), the mounting 4th quarter near-comeback would not have been a reality.

Assessing the defense is not pleasant either. They gave up 21 first half points, but they made adjustments and held them to just 7 in the 2nd half. Unfortunately, the last Illini TD scored came with 5 minutes left in the 4th, on a long, clock-eating drive. Jason Ford did well running against our front 7, and in the end managed to run the clock out on us. Our secondary was beaten by a freshman back-up QB (Charest), and got exposed repeatedly on 3rd downs when the front 4 couldn't get pressure. It almost seemed like they had gameplanned for Juice so heavily, that when he came out due to injury, they didn't know how to handle a traditional drop-back passer. After the Penn State and OSU games were over, I felt like our defense performed admirably, given their time on the field. But after the this game, I felt like they underperformed in a big way, and arguably gave their worst performance of the season. No major blown coverage in the secondary though, so I suppose that is one positive.

To both the offense and defense's credit, they did keep the penalties down (3 for 22 yards), so it was good to see the Brewster had tightened up on this over the week. Hats off to Keanon Cooper this week too, as he came up with the blocked punt that gave us a chance late in the game. That kid has had a nose for the ball all season, and good things happen when he's on the field (remember the pass breakup late in the game vs. MSU?) - really looking forward to his tenure as an everyday LB.

So what did we learn this week? Well, I discovered that sunny November football games at 'the Bank' will produce a pronounced thermocline down the middle of the stadium, with the fans on the southern half of the bowl kept nice and frigid under the shadow cast by the press box and suites, while the rest of us basked in solar warmth. We learned that we can play relatively penalty football. We learned that play-action passes don't work too well when you don't establish a running game, and they work even less well on the half-yard line when the run blitz is coming. And finally, I learned that fine friends, beautiful weather, and a Surly Furious make losing a football game in November tolerable. Win or lose, it was an absolutely picturesque day to go to 'the Bank'.

Jackrabbits from South Dakota State coming in this weekend, and I'll be there in person again to close out the home schedule. Stay tuned for the SDSU game preview tomorrow.

Minnesota - Illinois Game Blog

Well, here we go on a beautiful day in Minneapolis!

11:01: Gorgeous kickoff drops the ball just inside the pylon, no return for the Illini. Let's see which Illini team shows up. The one that beat Mich last week would march down the field on us; the one we've seen the rest of the year would go 3 and out or throw a pick...

11:03: Oh boy, Illinois RB Ford just pounded the ball off tackle for 18, running over 3 would be tacklers in the process...

11:15: And Illinois just finished off an 80 yard drive with a nifty pass to huge wr/te Cumberland. It appears Illinois's plan will be a steady dose of off-tackle runs, utilizing a decent o-line and stable of backs, with Juice mixing in some zone-reads and basic passes -- bubble screens, corner posts, etc. If we don't cover better than Triplett just did, it won't matter. It appears we're still hungover from our Halloween party of a game last week.

11:18: The Gopher series went like this: Weber sacked on 1st down, overthrows Da'Jon McKnight on 2nd, completes a short pass on 3rd down, short of 1st down. Flag on the play is on us for a hold. The commentator (Matt Rosen) notes the referee's name, and that we'll be seeing alot of the ref today. Boy, will we. Not sure if he meant because of us, or just in general...

By the way, former Gopher WR Ron Johnson is the color commentator, with sideline reporter Ron Johnson, no relation. Good times. Gopher Ron informs us he likes big receivers, since he was one. See, this is the type of insight you can only find on the BIG TEN NETWORK. That and Purdue women's soccer.

11:20: Cedric McKinley takes down Juice for a 3 yard loss on a beautiful read of the Illini's run-pass read.

11:22: Cedric part 2! McKinley sacks Juice on another impressive play. Maybe our D Line is up to the challenge today

11:26: Weber back to pass, again. Holds the ball for 4 seconds, again. Sacked, almost. Again.

11:26: MarQueis is in on 2nd down -- just as Bandana Guy called for. And he promptly fumbles on his running attempt. Ugh. This puts Illinois in great field position. Here's hoping our D can bail us out once again!

11:29: Just like that, McKinley (again!!!) pops the ball out of Juice's hands and Lee Campbell recovers!! McKinley also bent Juice over like a Russian gymnast on that fumble. Ouch.

11:32: Whaley and Eskridge just carried for our first 2 rushing attempts. About time. Establish the run! Based on the re-appearance of Bad Web (and Messy MarQueis) I like a steady dose of our stable of backs. Bennett just added a nice little 8 yard run. This is the type of offense we need to see.

11:35: HUGE mistake by Bad Web. Holds the ball forever, then tries to thrown from the left hash to the right hash, and Terry Hawthorne collects a pick 6. Simply a terrible read and throw from Weber. How many times this year have we see a combination of poor vision and even worse throws from a guy who should know better?!?!? 14-0 Illinois and we are officially in trouble. We need points on the next drive...

11:39: After Stoudamire muffs the kickoff, Jay Thomas takes approximately 15 seconds to return the ball to the 15... Don't we have a young guy with some wheels we can put back there with Stoudamire? Weber lofts a gorgeous deep ball to McKnight which draws a face guarding penalty on Illinois. Pet peeve: this call in college gets the offense 10 yards, that's it. The NFL has it correct -- the offense gets it at the spot of the foul.

11:41: And in a play that has epitomized the game so far, Weber rifles a deep ball that glances off Stoudamire's hands as 2 defenders run step for step with Troy. So close.

11:44: The 2nd quarter starts off with Weber in and Gray in as a 4th WR. Instant pressure up the middle causes Weber to duck it and hits Tow-Arnett for a great 3rd down conversion. 2 plays later, Weber overthrows McKnight deep again. I'm sensing a trend here. As I am here: Weber overthrows a wide open Brandon Green on yet another 3rd down. Thus far, Weber has been borderline horrible.

11:50 Not sure if this is planned or due to Juice's injury, but freshman QB Charest is in for Illinois, and leads the Illini to a punt after 3 plays, which included Nate Triplett burying Charest on a blitz up the middle. Welcome to the Big Ten rookie.

11:57: Rosen drops the first obligatory mention of Bennett's Immaculate Deflection. Next play Weber drills a 18 yard pass to Green. Coincidence?

11:58: McKnight just dropped a deep TD. Gotta catch that. In other news, Ricky Stanzi was just sacked and fumbled in his own endzone for a Northwestern TD, to bring them within 10-7 of the Squack-eyes. Plus Stanzi got hurt. Never cheer for an injury, but Iowa is due for some bad luck this year.

12:01: Speaking of bad luck, Weber somehow fumbles the ball trying to hand it off, leading to 3rd and 19. Ron Johnson just informed us O-Coordinator Jedd Fisch loves 3rd and long. Really??!

12:02: Shows what I know -- Weber hits Tow-Arnett for 20! McKnight then draws a stupid penalty on Illinois on a fade to the endzone, setting us up on the 5. Whaley scoots in for a TD on the next play. It seems our gameplan today involves throwing deep and praying for a flag.

12:07: BTN just showed us highlights of Coach Brew's days in Champaign making a nift catch down the seam and carrying would-be tacklers, then a clip of Coach (complete with a great 80's stache) winking at the camera. Wonder if his chili was hot then?

12:11: We 'force' Illinois to punt when Cumberland drops a nice throw from Illini QB Charest. Bad Illinois returning? I hope so. Oh, and we nearly muffed the punt.

12:12: Here we go.... We hold on 1st down (only our second penalty today), and then Weber ran straight back before circling like a bird with a busted leg to take a sack on our own one. Weber looks like the guy in flag football who is still buzzed from the previous night. Just not good. We are now punting from our own one. This is a recipe for disaster....

12:15: While Weber can't hit the broad side of barn today, his freshman counterpart Charest just hits Benn with a great pass down the seam. Tack on a helmet to helmet hit on Kim Royston, and Illinois is now 1st and goal at the 5. That was the correct call by the officials.

12:18: Is it Gray time yet? Illinois just went up 21-7 when true freshman Justin Green waltzed in untouched. Not much resistance from the D Line on that sequence. Brew has got to make a move. We can't afford another putrid drive from Bad Web. I know we've come from behind in all 5 of our wins, but we can't bank on that... Weber has to start hitting some quick passes and pick up some first downs to get this offense going.

12:20: Sure, why bring Gray in when you can have Webber roll to his right and throw it out of bounds over Green's head? The crowd is right to boo. Weber is 5/17 today -- 5/17!!!!

12:22: Good news: Weber didn't throw a pick or an incomplete. Bad news, Bad Web held the ball for 6 seconds and took a sack. Haudan then punts the ball 24 yards. We have to be real careful here or this game is going to go bye-bye real quickly.

12:23: Illinois shows some razzle-dazzle with RB Eddie McGee (and their 3rd QB) throwing into double coverage deep. A pick woulda been real nice there.

12:26: And the hits continue -- Royston hurts himself trying to separate Illinois WR Duvalt from the ball. Duvalt responds as only a stumblebum would -- taunting Royston to back the Illini up. That is the type of play we usually get flagged for, so I'm happy to see the other guys do it.

12:28: Royston and Sherels sort of make up for some of their earlier gaffes by knocking a nearly-completed ball away from Cumberland. We are having a tough time covering him.

12:30: Charest just converted 3rd and long when he strolled over the line of scrimmage before completing yet another corner out route. Refs missed that one... Illinois is just completing every big pass they need to. Case in point: Charest flips a 3 yard pass underneath to Ford, who not only get the first down inside the 5, but also nearly scores before Lee Campbell saves the TD. Illinois, however is on the 1.

12:33: Ford just barely gets in with the 2nd effort to make it 28-7.

12:37: 28-7 at the half. At least we get the ball to start the 2nd half. Brewster has to be embarrassed with the execution today. Weber has been atrocious, while Illinois has found it's groove with a freshman QB who looks like he hasn't said no to multiple trips to his dorm's buffet line all year.

We've been outgained 206-81, and Illinois has only held the ball for a minute longer, but you get the feeling the disparity would be much worse, but for the repeated short field Illinois has had to work with. We are going to need a special teams TD and/or a defensive score to even get back in this, as the offense has not shown the ability to start a drive, let alone sustain multiple scoring drives. We have 7 yards rushing versus the worst rushing D in the Big Ten. Staggering.

1:00: A completed pass to Hoese leads to 26 yards and a 1st down. All set up because Weber got the ball out on a 3 step drop. We need to see a LOT more of those quick hitters.

1:04: This drive is chewing up yards as we continue to mix up runs with Eskridge and Whaley, and when we throw Web is getting it out quickly. Hoese just keeps his legs churning and converts a short 3rd down from the 5 and ends up inches short of a TD. Ron Johnson just informed us Brew loves to pound the rock. Here's where we need some beef in the backfield -- a big bruiser who can smell the endzone and get in there...

1:06: Weber just took a sack at the 10 on a play-action where Weber has GOT to get rid of it. 3rd and goal from the 9, and we throw a weak fade to Green. Knocked away of course, so we settle for 3. That's just attitude there. We tried one run from the 1, came back with a play-action, and failed horribly. Down 28-7, at home, to a team that has been terrible versus the run, you HAVE to establish the line of scrimmage. If Brewster truly wants to establish a physical team, these are the downs you do it on! 12 plays for 73 yards yields 3 points. Not acceptable.

1:13: How does Charest squeeze his head into that helmet?

1:14: Charest just flips it out to Cumberland who we have decided we don't need to cover. BTW, is there anything more frustrating than seeing Theret diving on a pile late and/or clapping EVERY time he gets burned?

1:15: Eric Small just nails Charest causing a duck to wobble up... and right throw Traye Simmons hands. Pathetic. Jack Ramsey then converts the subsequent throw for a first down. Of course.

1:17: Just heard Simoni Lawrence's name called from the first time today. Could really use a big play from any of our linebackers.

1:19: Kim Royston just saw an int glance off his hands. I'm beginning to see why he didn't see the field during his freshman season at Wisconsin. He's a smaller safety who wants to head hunt and can't catch. Great combination...

1:20: Illinois has 3rd and 11 from the 29, and Royston literally climbs all over Cumberland to deflect the ball. Somehow Royston didn't get flagged. I'll take it. Turns out to be a big play when Illinois pushes their FG attempt wide. Wouldn't a TD here be nice?

Simply based on the eyeball test, we are losing the line of scrimmage battles on both sides of the ball. We gotta start winning or at least neutralizing that Illinois offensive line to get back into this game.

1:24: With MarQueis Gray in the shotgun, and Weber lined up wide left, Gray and Weber were both flailing their arms to get someone to motion. We take a timeout just before the ball is snapped. Gray is out of the game following the TO. Just a strange sequence, although our offense is strange to watch. Some drives we seems dedicated to establishing the run, other times we look like we just got taught a zone-read offense last week. None of it works when Weber short hops an open receiver 10 yards from him like he just did to Bennett.

1:28: Weber is now 9/23 after drilling McKnight with a 15 yard strike, and tack on 15 more when Illinois LB Williams hits McKnight helmet to helmet. Clock down to 1:30 left in the 3rd. We need a TD on this drive.

1:30: In addition to his 14 incompletions, Weber has accounted for -40 yards rushing. Excellent.

1:31: 3rd quarter ends with a jail-break sack of Weber, meaning we'll be facing 2nd and long from the Illinois 30 yard line. Oh, and Ron Johnson informed us that Jedd Fisch opined sacks and penalties are drive killers. Well, yes, typically negative yardage is a bad idea if you want to continue a drive. Remember, it's the BIG TEN NETWORK -- you can't find this insight anywhere else!

1:35: Illinois DL Clay Nurse just sacked Weber, again. Back to back sacks brings up 3rd and 24. Horrible offensive line play. I guess Fisch DOES love 3rd and long, as Weber hits his new fav receiver Tow-Arnett for 25. Really wish he could hit someone besides our FB for big passing plays....

1:36: Ignore that -- continue to hit big slow white FB types -- Hoese takes a Weber toss in for seven and we're within 11!

1:38: Illinois has 6 sacks today, after having all of 11 coming in.

1:40: We continue to have problems with big, strong backs. Jason Ford is making hay running inside on us, as he just did in leveling Simoni...

1:42: Okay, we get the ball back on our our 30, down 11, with 12 minutes left in the quarter... I sure hope we show some urgency on this drive! Although I'm not sure Web can run a hurry up since he hasn't been able to run ANY offense virtually all day...

1:46: Well now, things are getting interesting. Weber hits Bryant Allen for 15, Gray just misses Green on a deep flip (what an arm), and Weber hits Brandon Green twice to put us inside the 20. Two hard runs brings up 3rd and short from the 10. We need to convert this -- 3 points won't get is done... As I was typing that, Hoese stumbled short of the marker... Going for it on 4th down, and Hoese comes up huge again by pumping his legs and just wanting it! 1st and goal from the 3!

1:50: That's the attitude!!! Hoese pounds it in while big Jeff Willis loses his helmet pushing that pile forward! Weber then throws a nice fade to McKnight who makes a really difficult catch looking back into the sun! This team just refuses to go away, I am really impressed with their character. Past Gopher teams would have folded up, but this team, particularly at home, really, really just does not quit. And they're doing it with a bunch of freshmen and sophomores contributing. That's great to build on for the future of the program!

1:54: Well apparently Ellestad doesn't want a comeback. He managed to boot the ball out of bounds at Illinois' 35. Yuck.

1:55: Two short runs brings up a huge 3rd and 4! We're blitzing...and Charest hits McGee for a huge gain to the 12 when Traye Simmons whiffs on his tackle. Traye talks a good game, but has been terrible today.

1:57: Jason Ford just went off tackle again and picked up a 1st down inside the 1. That guy is killing us inside today.

1:59: You will not see a better D-Tackle play than the one Jewhan Edwards just made -- he pushed the guard and center back into the back for a 4 yard loss! Wow, what a play for the sophomore! Sherels then promptly refuses to look for the ball when Benn caught a fade over him, despite Sherels trying to climb into his arms like a little child asking to be picked up. Horrible D by yet another one of our defensive backs who thinks he's better than he is.

Weber is going to be under pressure now -- Illinois will have it's ears pinned back, and gunning for him. I hope he doesn't throw another pick. That pick-6 is the difference in the game right now. This putrid game is on him; he's been horrible until lately. Let's see what he can do...

2:02: Adam Weber is who we thought he was! And he doesn't let us off the hook! He throws incomplete on 1st down, and gets sacked again on 2nd. On 3rd an long, he unleashes a deep throw that Stoudamire misses... again. He probably should have caught that -- it literally went through his hands. Tough to do when he was turned around, but Weber put it where only Stoudamire could catch it. We're going to punt with 4 minutes to go. This baby is all but over unless we get another TCF miracle...

We lost this game in the first half when Weber was unbelievably putrid, looking as lost as he did as a freshman, if not more so. Additionally, Illinois did a nice job controlling both lines to the point that their freshmen QB had plenty of time to direct their offense. That stupid pick weber threw and the pick that Simmons missed really is the difference today.

2:09: NEVER SAY NEVER!!!! Freshmen LB Keanon Cooper blocks Illinois punt and Ben Kunzia scoops up the ball for a TD!! There's that D/ST TD we needed! We are down 3, but we have no timeouts left... Wow, what a play by Cooper! Another young guy making a play! Here comes the on-side....

2:11: We got a nice bounce, but couldn't come up with it, and the ball trickled out of bounds. And Simoni was hurt on the play. Crap. Just hold them here guys...

2:13: Back to back runs by Jason Ford give Illinois a fresh set of downs with 2 minutes to go. That should ice it. He's been the key to that offense today -- getting the big 1st down and goal line runs. We simply couldn't tackle him with the first or second defenders.

What a frustrating loss. I will say it bodes well for the future that our young guys (Green, McKnight, Cooper) made plays to get us back in it after our veterans, primarily Weber, dug the hole so deeply so quickly. There should be no reason from this point forward that we don't see a ton of Gray under center. We have to use his legs and athleticism as we simply have to find a way to run the ball, which is scary, since we can't really pass block either. Not a great combination to get the offense going...

Well, in some good news, Iowa lost, so their run of crappy wins is over.

Helpless or Hazardous? - Illini @ Gophers Preview

Who can forget how the season was unfolding after we matched up with the Illini last year? We came out of Champagne with a big road win. And at the time, it felt like the first signature win for Brewster and Co. A 6-1 record was exceeding all expectations, to be sure. Things were looking up for the program.

But then Illinois ended up finishing 5-7 on the year, the Gophers dropped their last 4 conference games (and then their bowl game) and the luster of that win had come completely off.

Since then, the Illini have continued their decent into playing bad football. And the Gophers? Well, lets just say we're still trying to figure them out. And while two weeks ago, this game looked like it would probably be a gimme, last week Illinois goes out and gives Michigan the kind of beatdown that makes us all nervous about what team might roll into TCF Bank Stadium. So which Illini team will show up this Saturday morning?

Tough call. It would seem that the win over Michigan last week has boosted the confidence of the Illini, and got them remembering the talent that exists on their roster. But I'm not entirely convinced that they ever forgot. And their slide this year really does look like a continuation of last season. They finished 2008 badly, and they continued to play some pretty awful football this year too. No matter the Illinois team that shows up, the win over Michigan may have been a blessing in disguise, as it will keep the Gophers from treating this game like the gimme it appeared to be.

No one would deny Illinois has talent, particularly at the skill positions. Juice Williams was expected to be an All-Conference selection at QB this year. Junior Arrelious Benn was thought to rival Eric Decker as the best WR in the Big Ten. Daniel Dufrene, Jason Ford, and Mikel LeShoure are all skilled running backs. And WR Florida transfer Jared Fayson looked like he could make an immediate impact. So far, not so good. Statistically speaking, each of these players has underperformed, either due to injury or poor play.

So how did the Illini manage to give Michigan a licking? They ran the ball, and then they ran it some more. 54 times total to be exact. For 377 yards. Juice only threw 11 times (efficiently completing 8 balls for 123 yards). Given that that was the formula that beat Michigan, I'd look for Zook to want to continue rushing the ball early and often, and then going to the play-action pass periodically.

The Gopher defense is statistically near the bottom of the Big Ten in most categories, but anyone who has watched our defense knows that stats don't tell the whole story though. We're generally stout against the run (unless the back is the size of a defensive end AKA John Clay), when the offense moves the ball enough to allow for the D to catch a blow. This is evidenced by our containing the Northwesteren, Purdue, MSU backs, and solid 1st half performances against Penn State and OSU. If Illinois wants to run, run, and run some more - I say bring it on. It plays to our strength. That said, I fear Illinois will have seen enough tape on us over the past few weeks to know how to exploit us in the secondary and create blown coverage situations. If Benn is fully healthy and recovered from his ankle issues, then watch out. He will be difficult to stop, especially if he and Juice start playing pitch and catch early. I'd also expect Zook to pull out all the trickeration in the playbook. And why not. What do they have to lose at this point? Onside kick at random points in the game, fake punts, flea-flickers, etc. They could all be coming our way in this game.

I say that knowing full well that Weber and the offense have to move the ball regularly to give our defense a chance to perform the way we know they can. So what do you do for an encore after racking up 500 yards of total offense last week? Well, I'd be satisfied to trade in a bunch of those passing yards for rushing yards, given that they'll improve our net time of possession. We didn't run the ball particularly well last week, and that needs to change. A generous dose of Bennett between the tackles, and Whaley on the outside, with MarQueis continuing to come in on 2nd downs could pay dividends late in the game if we stick with it.

Can Weber continue to find the receivers he ignored the first half of the season? Last week's game showed us that a passing game can exist in the AD (after Decker), and our other receivers are talented. As much as Illinois' confidence was boosted by beating Michigan, Weber's must also be equally boosted by tossing 5 TDs. Let's hope this carries him through the rest of the season, and 'Bad Web' goes away for the long term. And if the line provides excellent protection for Weber again this week, I see no reason he can't have another big game. The thing I like best about our offense without Decker right now is the fact that opposing defenses don't have one clear player to key on. Tow-Arnett, Bennett, Green, Stoudemire, and McKnight all had multiple big moments last week, and any one of them could go off for a big game.

And as far as penalties go, I fully expect to see the team tighten things up and keep the yellow flags below 6 this week. Given the record setting performance set by the Gophs last week, I'd be stunned if the coaching staff didn't make this a priority.

Early in the week, I felt like this game would end up very similar to the MSU game, a close high-scoring affair. I've revised that opinion now, and I think we'll handle our business at home. A win this Saturday is huge, as it gets us bowl eligible, so the team will be amped up. This of course would set us up for the quintessential 'trap game' next week against South Dakota State with Iowa looming right behind them. But lets just deal with Illinois for now.

Prediction: Minnesota 35, Illinois 17

Illini Player of the game: Mikel LeShoure - 18 carries for 85 yards, 1 TD

Gopher Player of the game: Kevin Whaley - 15 carries for 120 yards and 2 TDs

Michigan State @ Minnesota – What we learned

Another Gopher victory. It feels good, even if it didn’t look pretty at times. All the penalties, miscues, and big plays aside, conference win number 3 is in the books, friends. And for that we should all be happy. Michigan State was not an opponent to take lightly, and the coaching staff made sure the team didn’t. To me, the game we saw last Saturday night was the kind that a Mason-era led team lost in the 4th quarter. It just had that feel, when MSU took the lead in the 3rd quarter.

But this is Coach Brew’s team, and things seem to be a bit different now. Those nightmarish 4th quarter meltdowns seem to be mercifully fading from my memory. And this game was the one where his recruits and JUCOs helped put their signature on the game. Brandon Green, Da’Jon McKnight, Troy Stoudemire, Keanon Cooper, Simoni Lawrence all chipped in big ways. Which is not to say that the holdovers and recruits from the Mason era were not integral – Weber, Tow-Arnett, Bennett, Campbell, Brown, et al all came up huge, but it felt good to catch more glimpses of the future than just MarQueis.

‘Good Web’ finally showed up again! It’s good to see you bud – stick around for awhile if you would. We were all certainly fearful that ‘Bad Web’ would get worse without Decker to bail him out on 3rd and longs, but about halfway through the game Saturday, I remembered that Weber’s performance without Decker was not unlike the one he had in 2007 on the road at Wisconsin (he threw for 3 TDs and hit 5 different receivers on multiple occasions). So really, we’ve seen him play well without Deck before, but his track-record this year had us all forgetting. Weber couldn’t have put up bigger numbers than he did (well, maybe he could have had Stoudemire hauled in that gimme) on a night we needed it most. And even Weber’s lone gaff, an interception over the middle was also a bit of bad luck, as an official inadvertently set a screen on Da’Jon McKnight. But even then Weber correctly threw to the spot where McKnight would have been. Thanks Adam, you’ve got us believing in you again. Oh, and did anybody notice Weber’s accuracy while wearing a glove on his throwing hand? Strangely impressive.

MarQueis got plenty of snaps this game too, particularly on 2nd downs, where the defense guessing pass or run generally becomes most difficult. I really liked this decision by Fisch. I also appreciated the fact that they almost exclusively run the ball every time he was in (generally a shotgun handoff to Whaley or a QB run), as it seemed to keep Michigan State on their toes. Sadly, Gray’s one really sweet scamper up the sideline was called back on a Kunzia hold. And even though Weber looked really good, I hope we keep utilizing Gray frequently, as it really forces other teams to prepare for two QBs.

The O-line played its best game all year in terms of pass blocking, and gave Weber some massive spans of time to find an open Gopher. Hats off to that unit, and to Tim Davis for having them well prepared.

And in spite of the points yielded by the defense, it was a treat to watch them close the game out, and really limit the Spartan rushing attack (with the exception of that end around to Keyshawn Martin). Blair White was held down all game, and that was huge.

So what did we learn this week? Lots of stuff as always. We learned that Weber can still throw the ball like a top-tier Big Ten QB. We learned that setting a conference record of 17 penalties for 157 yards does not mean you will lose. We learned that our corps of receivers can make plays, and can stuff the stat sheet. We learned that Garrett Brown hustles like no other down D-lineman I’ve seen in recent memory (watch him in the 4th quarter going to the sidelines). And finally, we learned that D’uane Bennet has absolutely exceptional balance (opening TD) and timing (Immaculate Reception Part Deux). Good stuff.

Illinois coming to the Bank this weekend, and I don’t think there is any chance that the coaching staff will allow the team to overlook them, particularly following their dominating win over Michigan. Go Gophers!

Halloween from 219

A MarQueis Gray Sighting

Lets hope we see much more of this against Illinois - Red Zone Offense!











The Halloween Show

For my fellow band geeks out there, the Halloween Medley Halftime show was outstanding. It almost made up for the plethora of Jared Allen costumes in attendance.

Even More MSU Thoughts From the Twisted Mind of Jonny

Following are some thoughts/musings/observations from Jonny's experience at the MSU game... Enjoy....

+ TCF Stadium is OUTSTANDING for night games. Picture perfect.

+ We've been treated to some damn good home games this year. Air Force (great ending), Cal (hard fought comeback, came up short), Purdue (Come from behind, turnover heavy victory), and MSU (lots of offense, Weber awakening).

+ I had a wonderful view (as did Marc I bet) of the Immaculate Reception (Weber to T-A to Bennett). Cheered in disbelief and accelerated through a lot of high-fives.

+ The crowd getting extremely salty toward the end of the game about all the penalties (esp on the MSU drive with the two personal fouls). The refs were booed until my throat was sore (semi-Homer quote). I hope the displeasure was audible on TV.

+ T-A did NOT fumble. The ref told me so.

+ The blatant make-up call on Sparty for taunting.

+ The Mason-era backbreaking roughing the kicker penalty on Sparty.

+ Seeing more than three people catch passes for the Gophers in a game. Decker's injury wasn't a blessing in disguise but it at least forced Weber to get more creative and make life harder on the opposing D coordinator.

+ How Stoudamire can catch and return kick-offs so well and yet manage to miff that gimmee toss, is beyond me

My thoughts on the next few games

+ Illinois blew their wad against Michigan. They're going to come into TCF all fat and sassy. Hopefully we smack them in the mouth and put it away early.

+ SDSU is a really good I-AA team. I'm hoping against a let-down if we clinch a bowl game against Illinois.

+ Iowa is really good and it pisses me off. Hopefully we improve upon last year's performance against them (0-55).

Mea Culpa

I am officially offering a mea culpa to Adam Weber -- after all the negative thoughts and things I wrote about him, Adam responded beautifully in a game the Gophers absolutely HAD to have. The photo above shows that a lot of the things MarQueis Gray has been saying (Weber and I are brothers, we're a team, etc) are true. Weber, for better or worse, is viewed as a leader on this team.

Now, if we can keep this mojo working and take out an Illinois we SHOULD beat, their beat down of Michigan last week not withstanding...

Unbelievable.

Every once in awhile the sun shines on a Gopher's ass. Winning ugly or not, its winning.

Saturday Night's Alright (for fighting)-Spartans @ Gophers Preview

Its been awhile since we've played Michigan State, with our last meeting coming in 2006 at Spartan Stadium. The Round Table Road Crew had the good fortune to be at that game, as it was a very enjoyable road win (31-18, Gophers). That Gopher team we watched that cold November day was very different than the one we watch now. Grinnin' Glen Mason was the Head Coach, our offense was a fine-tuned machine lead by the competent Bryan Cupito, and defensive meltdowns were our speciality (vs. Texas Tech in the Insight.com Bowl, anyone?). And under Mason, we've had the recent edge against the Spartans, winning 5 of the last 7 meetings.

Things have changed since then. Our new head coach doesn't squint at the scoreboard constantly to see how Ohio State is faring. The defense is more athletic, and tends to keep us in games now. But our offense is currently, well, terrible for lack of a better word. So can Brewster's Gophs continue our recent success over MSU?

Despite coming off back-to-back beatdowns from ranked Big Ten opponents, I think the answer is a resounding 'yes'. We're coming back home after a brutal 2-week road trip. We've got the prime time Big Ten Network game on Halloween, and the fans should be fired up. State is coming of an emotionally draining last-minute loss to the hated Hawkeyes. And we've got a week to scheme and figure out how to deal with life in the A.D. of the Gopher football timeline (After Decker).

Defensively, I think we can keep the Spartans from rolling up more than 3 TDs on us - provided our offense can get them the rest they need in the second half. Michigan State likes to run the ball, and freshmen Larry Caper and Edwin Baker appear to be decent and improving backs. However, our front 7 seems to handle backs like these two fairly well when not forced to play 40+ minutes of a game. More than the run game though, I'm concerned with the big play potential of senior receiver Blair White. White is now one of the premier wideouts in the Big Ten, and with Decker done for the season, and Arrelious Benn all but disappearing this season, he sits statistically at the top of the heap with Purdue's Keith Smith and IU's Tandon Doss. The two bad blown coverages that led to DeVeir Posey's two long TDs last week against OSU make me nervous. I'll be satisfied if we can limit White to only one big catch all evening. Really though, for the defense to keep things in check, it really comes down to the offense producing more than one first down all game.

Can the offense produce some sustained drives and score some points this week? That's the big question. Adam Weber has looked absolutely dreadful most of this season, and freshman phenom MarQueis Gray is now looking more and more viable as a starting QB with each passing week. Coach Brew announced at his press conference this week that Weber would be the starter, but that they would again use MarQueis again in a similar capacity as they did last week. Well played by Brewster, as this could mean anything, beyond the fact that Weber will at least trot out for the first snap. The key here is that MSU will have to prepare for both QBs who play very differently. Now I do think that Weber will still take the majority of the snaps in this game, but I'm expecting to see Gray running the offense for a series or two during meaningful parts of the game, particularly if 'Bad Web' continues to sling the ball.

Without Decker, if would seem that Weber will be hamstrung when looking for that bailout throw as the pocket is collapsing. It remains to be seen who will step up and start making plays in the receiving corps. Last week during the final offensive drive, MarQueis seemed to find a comfort zone with Troy Stoudemire, so perhaps we'll see that connection continue to develop.

Ideally, O-coordinator Jed Fisch will again attempt to establish the run early and often, and get Kevin Whaley his touches, and build the offensive line's confidence as the game progesses (like we did vs. Purdue). The Spartan front 4 is not as talented as PSU or OSU's, so we shouldn't be quite as mismatched there. Junior linebacker Greg Jones is another story though. Sparty Tom mentioned that he believes that Jones is a legit All-American, and I can't argue. I'm looking forward to see Jones play, as I've only caught glimpses of him this year (vs. Wisconsin and Iowa). He'll absolutely need to be accounted for by the offense every play. And here's an interesting tidbit, Jones was recruited by Glen Mason and was set to become a Gopher (via Mason's Cincinnati pipeline), before the Insight.com Bowl debacle that cost Mason his job. Current Spartan coach Mark Dantonio swooped in during our transition period and nabbed him from us.

So, all that said, I think this game will shake out as a close win for the Gophers. The Gophers absolutely need to win to salvage the season and potentially get to a bowl game, and being at home gives them just enough of an advantage.

Prediction: Minnesota 24, Michigan State 23

Spartan Player of the Game: Greg Jones - 13 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 1 FF

Gopher Player of the Game: MarQueis Gray - 140 yards passing, 1 TD; 95 yards rushing, 1 TD