Minnesota @ Wisconsin: What We Learned

Ahhhhrrrrg! The RED - it burns!
Photo by JT

Another Axe game come and gone.  Another football loss to the Badgers.  We keep this up a few more years and they might actually end up with the all-time wins edge that we’ve maintained for so long.  That has always been the last refuge of the Gopher fan assaulted by Badger ‘we always beat Minnesota’ nonsense.  If we lose that edge we have nothing else.  Yes, 6 National Titles and all that are nice, but they garner us zero respect these days.  Which is not to say that we shouldn’t bring it up, we should embrace our history as Coach Brew reminded us all when he first came to Minnesota.

And now, we need to remind him that by embracing our rich football history, its time for him to leave at the end of the 2010 season.  And by that I mean – we’re 0-7 in our historic rivalry games (sorry PSU, I’m not counting you and that lame-o bell, but that would make us 0-9).  These are two teams that we proudly hold the all-time wins edge over through the decades, and it must be maintained.  Brew can’t win the ‘trinket games’, to borrow a phrase from Grinnin’ Glen Mason, and that’s a history this program can no longer afford to continue creating.  I must admit that I might not have felt this way, had we seen another typical Brewster-era Wisconsin/Minnesota game, you know – where we actually had at least a chance to win in the end.  But that’s not what happened.  We got spanked, and couldn’t even muster a strong enough effort to be competitive.

I said to KZ in the closing moments of this game that this showing against Wisconsin was the last nail pounded into Brewster’s waiting coffin.  I only half-heartedly believe this, because of the whole ‘outgoing University president, lame-duck AD’ issue going on in the background.  It seems likely Maturi would be pressured by the big boosters to can Coach Brew by the end of the year, but whether he breaks down and actually does it is another issue.  But even if we go winless the rest of the way, as long as Brewster doesn’t lose control of the team, I can see that there are a few pros to keeping him around for fulfill his final contract year.  For me, they’re just not enough to warrant a 5^th year.  Yes, I’m aware I’m late to the ‘fire Brewster’ party and I’ll admit he had me pretty snowed in years 1-3.  I was happily awash in the positivity that Glen Mason never provided.  And while I've been critical of Brewster in the past for his inability to maintain continuity at coordinator, and some of his hires (Jedd Fisch anyone?), I've given him more of a pass than I should for his inability to win games, using patience as a shield, thinking there was something at work we just needed to wait for it.  

However, you won’t catch me booing or chanting for Coach Brew’s head, as I still have a high amount of respect for him, and all the hard work he puts in, despite the frustrating results.  And I won’t give up on this team.  I like too many of our young players and am too emotionally invested in quit on them now.   But I digress, back to last Saturday’s game.

As tough as it was to watch (aside from the decent 2nd quarter showing) there were at least a few enjoyable moments of this game.

What I liked:

1)    The new white helmets to go with the all-white jersey and pants.  Very sharp.  I wasn’t  a huge fan of the white/white road duds, but add the white helmets and suddenly they become far more fashionable. 

2)    The play of Da’Jon McKnight, Eric Lair, and MarQueis Gray.  I called for a ‘breakout game’ for McKnight, and while 2 catches for 50 yards is certainly not that, I did get two magnificent TD catches in garbage time.  The other 2 made some nice catches as well, and I'm really liking that TE screen that they run for Lair.

3)    Bielema deciding to go for 2 while up 25 with 6 minutes to go.  Not that I liked the call, but I did like what resulted from the call. By Bielema going for two, we got to - A) stop them from getting 2 more points (phew); B) See Brewster get fired up and pissed off (I love surly Brewster) and; C) it will reinforce the rest of the Big Ten coaching ranks rumored dislike of Bielema. National media consensus also seems to be that it was a asshole call.  Not shocking though, we’re talking about a guy who went to Iowa here.  What goes around comes around.

4)    The number of frosh and sophs on the field during the game who got to experience the bitterness of losing the axe first hand.  Hopefully these kids will remember well, and win it back soon!

What I loathed:

1)    Getting off to a solid start running the ball into Wisconsin territory, only to have to settle for a field goal because we decided to throw the ball 3 times in a row.

2)    The blown call on the Kendricks fumble caused after ‘forward progress’ early in the 3rd on the Badgers opening possession.  It was a clear strip and fumble.  And there was no audible whistle on the broadcast until the ball came out.  A garbage call, and a big momentum changer if it goes Minnesota’s way.

3)    Going for it on 4th and 2 at the fifty with 10:30 to go in the 2nd.  Yes we were down 14, but not getting the conversion there and giving the Badgers a short a field could have put us down 21-0 and the game essentially out of reach very early. Luckily we picked it up, and got a stay of execution.
4)  The lack of energy out of the Gophers.  Maybe I mistook it for the team trying to control their emotions, but only Weber seemed really pumped up.

5)    All the damn red.  ARGGGHH it burns my eyes!

And what did I learn?  Well every week it’s something new. I learned that our trio of receivers, McKnight, Gray, and Lair could actually become one of the Big Ten's best units, and Gray's play in particular will make it tough to send him under center next year (unless he becomes the next Denard Robinson?).  And I learned that turning off the TV immediately after the clock reads 0:00 is a good choice when we lose this rivalry game (I used to watch the post game celebrations as penance).

I also got some reminders of stuff I already knew.  Namely, that stats lie, and no amount of can-do attitude will necessarily translate into a win.  Case in point - in Adam Weber's 4 games versus Wisconsin, he's put up some impressive numbers - 63 completions, 1,074 yards and 11 TDs (1 rushing), with only 4 interceptions.  Pretty good QB #s, and it means nothing as Web is 0-4 to show for it.  And speaking of Web, all this nonsensical talk about his NFL prospects should shut down until he can throw a football accurately.  I don't care what Peyton Manning said about him at his camp, he's passing the ball at under 60% a clip, and for college that ain't good. Accuracy has a high value in the NFL, and Weber doesn't have it. And lastly, I was again reminded what a jackhole Bielema is (although, admittedly I hadn't completely forgotten).

A trip to West Lafayette and a battle with Purdon't coming up next.  Time to jump off the mat, snatch that hammer out of Purdue Pete's hand, and give the Boilers the beatdown that my safety school so richly deserves.

I'm not sayin', I'm just sayin':  Bielema claims he went for 2 in the 4th, up 25 (score was 41 - 16) with 6 and a half to go because that's what his "how to be an asshole" chart says.  The over/under on the game was 58, and getting 2 would have put the total score on the 'over'.  Obviously moot, once Minnesota scored its last TD, but an interesting coincidence?