Random Dead Badger Pic of the Day

Wow. Who knew a Google search for 'dead badger pics' would yield such a jackpot?

Not me. But I can't say I'm not pleased. Suck it Badgers.

Gophers @ Wildcats Post Game - What we learned

Another solid win for this burgeoning program last Saturday. I had the good fortune of being able to attend this road game in person, surrounded by friends and family. And yes, when NU went up 24-21 at the end of the 3rd, we all got that feeling of deja vu. Ugh.

But wait a minute... ...the defense didn't collapse, they stiffened and made big plays when it counted. And the offense? Well they didn't run a bunch of desperate 3-and-outs making us look like we were more concerned with just running clock than actually winning. The 4th Quarter belonged to us. And it felt damn good. Maybe its tough for us to accept that this just might be a good 2nd half team? A team that makes the correct adjustments and does what it needs to do. After all, we've been the opposite side of that concept for so many years. How many times have we jumped out to early leads, only to see other teams gradually take the game away from us? Too many.

And aside from a strange instant replay foul-up on an apparent non-catch by Eric Decker (explained here by the Minnesota Daily), there wasn't any Northwestern 'weirdness' that always seems to pop up at the worst times.

The running game got off pretty well, hopefully a sign that the O-line is continuing to progress. Weber's play was again inconsistent, and he had some hair-pulling moments to be sure (that roll out pass into the grass still kills me), but once again he got it together on the really important drives. I have to wonder what his numbers will look like if he can put 4 quarters together. Decker was Decker. Nothing more to be said there. It was nice to see Kevin Whaley get some touches between the 20s, and Bennett hit the holes hard, but with patience on the outside runs - letting the holes develop. And every week we get a little better peak at MarQuis Gray's talents. I can't wait to see how we unleash him on Wisconsin.

Defensively, things were rock solid against the run, and Kafka's legs were made a complete non-factor. Against the pass things were less rosy - and NU was able to convert on 9 of 17 3rd downs, almost exclusively thru the air (20 of 22 1st downs). There always seemed to be a receiver open over the middle for Kafka to dump off to and move the chains. But right before the half Kim Royster made a fantastic leaping INT that I feel might have been the difference in the game. It completely stole the momentum from the 'Cats, and preserved our lead into the 3rd quarter. And the front four rotation finally made the difference in the end, dropping Kafka twice for turnovers inside their own 20.

So what did we learn? Well, Northwestern can't fill their stadium (but we already knew that). They have an annoying, screeching wildcat sound effect (but we already knew that too) And maybe they (the Wildcats) just aren't that good this year. Like not even Motor City Bowl good (now apparently the Little Caesar's Bowl). But also that we seem to be consistently able to make adjustments after the half and close the deal (this has happened in all three wins so far).

And while I'd like to beat Wisconsin by 10 touchdowns this coming weekend, I'd be just fine with having the coaching staff make some late game adjustments and steal one from them for once.

Recruit Watch - 2026 Incoming Class

'Nuff Said.

Can we give this Brew some room to breathe?

Apparently the Mark Craig article in the Strib I discussed last week has created some reactionaries. Check out this Tom Dienhart article from Rivals.com.

Nice headline, huh?

Dienhart really put together some top-notch journalism there. Wrote two paragraphs of background, and then he essentially copied a small part of the Mark Craig article. Well done sir. And while I didn't particularly enjoy Craig's article, it did tell us some things about Maturi and Brewster. Maturi is actively gauging things, and success this season is important in his decision. Maturi said:

"If we go 2-10, the odds of me extending [his contract] probably aren't real good. If we go 10-2, the odds of me extending him might be better, provided everything else is OK, we don't have major violations, we don't have this, we don't have that." All in all, I suppose this is what a good AD does, right? Continuously evaluate. Still, I can't help but wonder if this pressure applied is being amplified by the media thanks to Maturi's comments.

Well, we know one thing for sure. We won't be going 2-10 this year, since we clocked Northwestern in the 4th quarter last Saturday, to seal our 3rd win of the season. But, we probably won't be going 10-2 either though... ...so where does this put Coach Brew? Who knows, but its clearly to early to tell.

I will say that while at the Northwestern game, a number of us in attendance saw one Mr. Joel Maturi making his way to the sideline mid-4th quarter, no doubt to congratulate the team (maybe a little prematurely? Has this guy watched our games with NU the last few years?). I'll now completely speculate as to the converstation he had with Brewster. It might have gone something like this:

Maturi: Great win Tim. Great win.

Coach Brew: Hey Joel, we gotta ways to go yet here, keep your chili hot, but let's talk later, okay?

Maturi: Alright, alright Tim - you do your thing. Just remember we're evaluating your progress this season, you want to be re-upped, right?

Coach Brew: Yeah, but not if its like this. Why are you publicly letting every sportswriter in town in on your eval process... HEY, CAMPBELL! CAMPBELL!!! ISO ON KAFKA! ISO ON KAFKA!... Look Joel, this really isn't the time.

Maturi: I know, I know. But I just want you to coach like there's pressure on you.

Coach Brew: There IS pressure on me... ATTABOY WILHITE!! OFFENSE GET OUT THERE! I WANT SIX!

Maturi: Well I see you've got this well in hand. I'll go sit back down. Don't forget to go easy on Wisconsin next week. I worked there for 9 years, remember?

Coach Brew: (under his breath) I can't think of a better reason than to beat them by 6 TDs...

Great way to start off the week - key suspensions...

Nothing ever seems to be easy for Gopher Nation. Just as we were coming off a nice road win, and feeling good about our chances next week against Wisconsin, we get this:

http://www.twincities.com/sports/ci_13437705?source=rss

Mckinley and Dandrige suspended for undisclosed violations of team rules. Great. Fantastic.

Coming off a great game against NU, we needed McKinley to pressure the ever improving Scott Tolzien this week. The loss of Dandridge is probably not as damaging, but it definitely hurts our depth. Let's hope Decker can behave himself this week...

Recruit Watch - Roadgrader to park at TCF Bank Stadium

Word out from Rivals.com is that the Gophs have landed a monstrous lineman for the 2010 recruiting class. 3-Star recruit and Florida high schooler, Johnathan Ragoo is listed at 6'7" and 355 lbs. Nearly exactly the dimensions of current Gopher starting right tackle, Jeff Wills.

Wills has not exactly dominated the DEs lining up across from him yet, despite his often vastly superior size. OL coach Tim Davis' philosophy has been quoted as "Mass moves ass", so obviously we're trending towards a bigger, heavier line. Is this a good thing? Personally, I like going massive (in theory, at least).

During the heyday of the Mason era, when a high premium was placed on running the ball, we went with smaller, more technically skilled linemen. These players were ideal for the zone blocking scheme we employed. Technique routinely defeated size in the trenches back then, as the Gophers would roll up major, major ground yardage, even in losses (Michigan in 2003, anyone?). Brewster's new-found commitment to the run will hopefully yield similar end results down the line, but is shaping up to look much different in terms of personnel.

Thoughts?

Coach Brew - how long should his leash be?

While doing my semi-daily check on the local "Fishwrap West's" site, I found a lengthy Mark Craig article about Coach Brewster's future wearing the Maroon and Gold.

While it was nowhere near a gem of Reusse-level negativity, it did seem a bit critical in areas that bother me.

Namely, Brewster's positivity.

Why is it when a new coach comes in to a middling program that can't seem to get over the hump of being a mid-tier Big Ten team (aka 'the Mason Era'), and spouts off how he wants to change the culture of the team, and confidently states he's going to take us to the Rose Bowl, he's hung out to dry by the local media? Did we want another guy to come in and just quietly take the team to the Sun Bowl or the Insight.com Bowl every year? Obviously not - we had that already in Mason. We need an overachiever - and to me Brewster still fits that bill. Without getting too in-depth on the article (you can read it for yourself here), the key things that stood out for me were:

1) Maturi's sobering realism - he obviously knows that positivity and recruiting aren't the end all be all.

2) Brewster's unwavering committment to getting in-state recruits. Helicopter anyone?

3) Marquis Gray's reason for coming to the U, and not another Big Ten team - Brew's swagger and confidence.

This 3rd year should be the hinge point for the Gophs under Brewster's tenure. I think we are already seeing the sea level change for this program, with a good win over Air Force, and playing tough against Cal. The team's attitude as a whole seems to be more confident and sure of who they are, especially on defense. Let's cross our fingers this continues into the Big Ten opener vs. Northwestern tomorrow.

How long should Coach Brew's leash be? I say anything over 7 wins this season gets him an extension, given our schedule for 2009. Under 6 wins or less, let's take a 'wait and see' approach and consider extending him early 2010 if we play well (i.e. take down USC).

Minnesota @ Northwestern - Is the 3rd time the charm for Brewster?

Finally, its time for some Big Ten action – after playing three relatively decent opponents, its time for conference play.

But first, let’s quickly recap last week. Sadly, my predictions for the Minny vs. Cal game were nearly spot on (final score, Weber and Decker TDs, Jahvid Best rushing yards – ok so I short changed him on TDs, etc.). Another beautiful day for outdoor football at ‘The Bank’, but in the end, Minnesota did end up being outclassed by a superior team. However, they also showed that they could hang with a top 10 team, by coming back from a 0-14 deficit early, and playing Cal equal into the 4th quarter. A couple late interceptions cost the Gophers a chance at the big upset, but heads were held high after the game, and the team’s belief in itself should carry into the next week.

That brings us to this weekend. The Gophers open up the Big Ten season on the road, heading down to Evanston for a battle with those ever pesky Wildcats. Under the Brewster and Fitzgerald regimes, the last two meetings between these teams have been fights to the finish. In 2007, Minnesota lost a double OT thriller after Coach Brew decided to go for the 2pt conversion and avoid a 3rd OT. A gutsy decision (but one I agreed with), as they were on the road. In 2008, Minnesota was stunned when a pass was deflected twice over the middle of the field, before being returned by the Wildcats for a TD in the closing minute of the game to take the lead.

Despite these teams’ recent tight battles, this week I fully expect Minnesota to come out and take this game away from Northwestern early. Ryan Field is hardly a home field advantage, and the Gopher faithful are expected to travel well for this game. Northwestern has hardly impressed so far this year, barely slipping by Eastern Michigan, and losing to Syracuse. They are also suffering from a number of injuries at key positions.

Conversely, Minnesota got by the same Syracuse team, beat a tough option-running team in Air Force, and went toe-to-toe with #8 Cal. They remain relatively healthy at all key positions (although Eric Decker is a little dinged up), and seem to have stronger mental fortitude than Coach Brewster’s previous teams.

QB Mike Kafka is Northwestern’s best player on offense, and ran wild on the Gophers while filling in for C.J. Bacher in 2008. For Minnesota to win, Kafka’s ability to run after the pocket has collapsed must be countered. To do this I expect Minnesota to keep LB spies on Kafka most of the game, particularly in 3rd down situations. This burden will likely be shared by OLBs Simoni Lawrence and Nate Triplett. Syracuse spent most of its time on defense blitzing Kafka, but I believe Minnesota will be more careful in picking their spots when pressuring him. The Gophers have enough trust in their secondary to cover receivers with a 4-man rush most of the time.

Offensively Minnesota must continue to try and assert D’uane Bennett and DeLeon Eskeridge in the running game to keep NU honest and open up the passing lanes for Weber and Co. Weber must also be more careful as protection breaks down and be willing to throw balls out of bounds when needed. He did this as a frosh, and it needs to be in his repertoire now, realizing he can’t make every play. The Gopher offensive line finally began to show signs of “getting it” by the second half of the Cal game, and if this progression continues, some overdue long runs could be the result.

Any wild cards in all this? Sure. Backup QB Marquis Gray scored his first TD last week (as a receiver) and his periodic injection into the game means the ball may go weird places and for large positive gains. Also, Minnesota’s KR specialist, Troy Stoudemire seems like he'll break that 99-yarder every week, but just misses. Its only a matter of time. I think he pulls off the full return for score this week.

Predictions: Minnesota 30, Northwestern 17

Northwestern Player of the Game: Slot WR Andrew Brewer – hauls in 9 balls for 125 yards receiving & 1 TD

Minnesota Player of the Game: SS Kyle Theret – 10 tackles, 2 pass-breakups, 1 INT

Once again I’ll be attending this game in person, bandanna in tow. Stay tuned for a recap next week and perhaps more importantly - a review of that lone bar in Evanston.

Inaugural Post - Give 'Em Hell Goldy (Why we're here)

This blog was set up to allow for a small circle of loyal and dedicated Gopher fans to vent our frustrations, share our victories, and inject our own humor into each others lives a little more often. 'Give 'em hell Goldy!' is a favorite epithet of mine to shout during a game when Goldy Gopher's antics with the opposing mascot become inflammatory, and seemed as appropriate a title as any for what I want this place to be.

Feel free to share pictures, stories, and observations. I've been providing Gopher football game previews and game recaps on another blog, but I've reposted them here for posterity, and to give some early content.

So - with that, let's get posting and "Give 'em hell Goldy!" Go Gophers!

#8 Cal @ Minnesota - Game 2 at "the Bank"

Minnesota (2-0) will be hosting the # 8 Cal Golden Bears (2-0) this Saturday, while coming off an emotional win over Air Force and opening their new on-campus stadium. And while the nickname for the new digs is still up in the air (The Bank, the Vault, and the Brickhouse have all been thrown out there, but none have formally stuck yet…), what Minnesota needs to do to have a chance to beat Cal is not. Slow down running back Jahvid Best.

Best, one of the fastest backs in the NCAA, will likely end up a Doak Walker and Heisman Trophy finalist and has rushed for 280 yards in his first two games of 2009. The responsibility of slowing Best falls largely on the Gophers trio of senior linebackers, Simoni Lawrence, Lee Campbell, and national defensive player of the week, Nate Triplett. If they can keep themselves free to roam and shed blockers effectively as they did against Air Force, the Gophers can give themselves a chance to win. If they can’t and Best runs wild – it could easily be 28 – 0 by the half. The Gopher secondary has shown itself to be fairly competent, but hasn’t really been tested much as of yet. They could be the wild card in this game, particularly ifMinnesota has some success in slowing Best down.

Offensively, quarterback Adam Weber and Co. has to show up for more than 1 quarter this week to make this a game.Both in the Air Force and Syracuse games, it took Adam Weber 3 quarters to shake off the hangover he appeared to have and move the ball. Wideout Eric Decker continues to pile up big numbers, but has yet to find the end zone in 2009.Look for him to get in this week, possibly multiple times. If the Gophers fall behind early, look for him to have even more inflated numbers while the team plays catchup. The ball-carrying duties will be shared by RB duo D’uane Bennett and DeLeon Eskeridge again. Their success is largely predicated on how well the offensive line can continue to gel. If the running game is stalled in the first half, the Gophs may fall back into their shotgun formations early. MarQuis Gray may or may not show up in the ‘Wildcat’ formation again. It all depends on whether Brewster is willing to have him on the field again this week after a bad fumble at a key point in the Air Force game.

Emotions should ride high again for the Gophers this week, as they try and pull out a signature win for Coach Brew.Unfortunately, they may just be outclassed for this year’s matchup.

Predictions: Cal 31 – Minnesota 20

Cal Player of the Game: Jahvid Best rushes for 135 yards and 2 TDs

Minnesota Player of the Game: Adam Weber throws for 310 yards and 2 TDs