Saturday post-game
Posted on November 22nd, 2008 – 11:29 PMBy Kent Youngblood
Wow.
I sure didn’t have the right read heading into this game. I picked the Gophers to lose, but for the game to be competitive. I certainly didn’t expect Minnesota to suffer its worst-ever conference loss.
So what happened?
I have a few theories. I’ll throw them out, and let you agree or disagree.
1. It has become quite clear that the Gophers are simply not physical enough on either the offensive or defensive line. Even after allowing 55 points, I’m not going to go really hard on the defense. It started out bending but not breaking but simply wore down because it was on the field the entire first half.
Brewster talked about it after the game. The Gophers just aren’t big enough or strong enough at the point of attack to run a consistent offense. He promised that would change. But we’re talking in years to come, not in time for the Gophers’ Bowl game.
2. In addition to not being big and strong enough, the Gophers are very thin in terms of depth. When Decker went down the void was never filled. He played Saturday, but you could see he wasn’t 100 percent yet.
3. I think Weber needs to work to get his mojo back. He said after the game he hasn’t lost his confidence, and I’ll take him at his word. But something’s not clicking right now.
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117 Responses to "Saturday post-game"
Kent, thanks for the blog. I think most Gopher fans would appreciate a biweekly update once the bowl game is past…
As for tonight, the team gave everything to Wisconsin and didn’t have anything left for Iowa. Sometimes it’s as simple as that.
We’ve gone backwards on offense this year versus last. We can list the potential reasons, but that’s the reality. For the first time in many…many…years, the D has done the lions share at Minnesota.
Coach Brewster has an expectations nightmare on his hands if he can’t let the fans honestly, openly understand the limits we face on offense to make the spread work.
Will it take 4 recruiting classes to get the size and strength needed on the O-line? Do we need 3 more classes of high quality receivers? Adam’s doing well, but will we need some new freshman with a different talent mix to rise higher?
At least Kinnick North is now history…or is it? Time will tell.
Until then, on to a bowl game…even Detroit. It’s an improvement over last year. Go Gophers!
It seemed as if the ghost of Whacker entered Teflon World. This was the first time in my 65 years I’ve ever left a game in the third quarter. I found it refreshing, though, to hear and feel the spirit shown by the Hawkeye fans. Having spent most of my life in Big 12 Country, I’ve missed that here in MN.
What is wrong is an offensive coordinator trying to run an offense that his players can NOT run. That is what ticked me off about this brewster and this dunbar in 2007 and it is REALLY ticking me off during the 2nd half of the Big Ten season in 2008.
Get rid of this dunbar NOW. IF this dunbar doesn’t go, then it is time to get really critical of this brewster during the 2009 season.
This brewster is 3-13 in Big Ten play.His winning percentage in Big Ten play for his first two throw away seasons is .1875. That is pretty bad. Even the failed and fired Mason had won 8 Big Ten games and had a .333 winning percentage after three seasons.
The BARE minimum Big Ten wins that this brewster needs to come up with in 2009 would be 5 Big Ten wins and 3 Big Ten losses…and that would be JUST to match the failed and fired Mason.
How can you people say you see ANTHING promising coming from this dunbar’s offense? Run this dunbar out of town NOW!
What this dunbar did tonight was a crime. This brewster needs to search his soul tonight. This maturi needs to tell this brewster that this dunbar MUST go…IF this brewster is to stay.
The offense needs to go BACK to the drawing board. I have NOT witnessed as pathetic an offensive calling display by any offensive coordinator at the University of Minnesota that could quite compare with this dunbar’s effort this evening. Put him out of his misery. Demand his resignation NOW!
What’s missing?
#1. The passion from the 65+ year old fans that attend the games.
#2. The creativity in the offensive play calling.
#3. The reality that this team was a top 5 Big Ten team this year… Give them another year or two.
Kent, your efforts have been great all year.
Wow. It was one ugly game.
The old saying: “the QB is your most important player for both O and D,”
was never more true than tonite.
Theirs continually slipped tackles and made big plays running or throwing.
Their D rested.
Weber, like the MI game, looked eerily like 2007:
unable to find receivers even though he had decent time in the first half,
or he would miss them. Five WR’s spread, and there isnt a timing slant pattern?
I don’t get that………
He gives INT for a killer TD,ala NW, inexplicably missed a deep guy early in third etc, etc,
He was brutal, but in plenty of miserable company:
2 first half drives stymied by bad snaps, and two more hampered by penalties and we got what we deserved. 55-0!
Iowa, our mistakes and flatness aside, was clearly a far better team.
As for this season, I am far more mystified that we could win 7 games, then I am surprised that we’ve lost 4 in a row.
In the end, let’s hope many blue chippers now arrive on the dream of immediate playing time. Even if we improve, 6-6 will be a great record next year. and this thread is right on!
And I totally agree with the other posts above:
It was fun this season to see, for once, a D that was very competitive.
And the SIMPLE answer to our problems as well:
more talent on the field, and more on the bench.
This isnt rocket science, and until that happens, we are doomed to more mediocrity.
I salute Iowa as well = fun to watch, no wonder they’ve had success lately!
Loved their QB!
dunbar gone.
a big 230 lb. fullback
if you stay with the spread let a qb like gray run it next year.
throw the ball down field
simple
You got what I told you you would get alllllll season long………..
I have not been a Dunbar basher, BUT even now I’m wonder if it’s time to try someone else. Next year is no excuse to why this offense can’t be very, very good. At LEAST 450 yards a game and maybe 500.
1. Recievers - Maybe best recieving corp ever for the Gophers. Decker, Hayo, Smith, Green, Ben, Mcneal, Spry, Victor. Next year the recieving corp will be fast, athletic, and experienced.
2. RB - Sophmores - Eskridgee, Bennet, and Shady are back to give us consitency.
Freshmen - These guys give us potential homerun hitters in Whaley, Limpscomb, and Silent 4 star. There is NO way we should struggle running the ball next year.
O-line - Yes the same ten guys are back plus Carful but next year we will be bigger and stronger. They should be very much improved.
QB - Decker, Pittman, Gray, Moses
IF Dunbar is around he will have the keys to a Cattillac next year. It’s up him how he drives it.
I say bring in Norm Chow as Offensive coordinator!
Kent, please ask Joel Maturi if he still thinks this season was a success. Perhaps he thinks he should get an extension to his recent extension. What other university in the world would see this AD as having done a good job?
It was a real pleasure to see an offense that was crisp, attacked and really fired off the ball in a positive direction. A north south team that could run the ball at the snap count. I know that I am old fashioned, but I miss that being our team.
If our team is well coached I will eat my hat. We play stupid from top to bottom. We are not running the one yard pass plays very well.
I know it is still a required element of being a Gopher fan to believe that Glen Mason was a ‘mediocre’ coach at potential football powerhouse, but it is my not humble enough opinion that we have clearly moved backwards from where we were, even with the new stadium coming on. Expectations are now lower than spit.
Kent, ask Brewster if he still believes in the spread.
Don’tbe mystified that this team won 7 games. 2008 provided the easiest first 8 game schedule that I have EVER seen this program play. Even teams like Purdue were down to their 3rd option at qb when the Gophers played them. This zook at Illinois is just a pathetic game day coach. Indiana was as pathetic as a team could possibly be. Montana State? NIU? FAU? BG?
This brewster totally blew the Northwestern game. It was there for the taking…at least a 50/50 chance to win in ot. And this brewster wanted to show the world he was a riverboat gambler and h got his sorry butt handed to him.
He not only lost that game…he lost his team that day. They NEVER recovered from that idiotic gamble. They lost the last 4 games of the Big Ten season.
This brewster’s record in Big Ten play is now 3-13. His overall record is 8-16. In 2007 and 2008 h had incredibly easy schedules. Things are looking pretty bad with Cal, PSU and MSU coming on the schedule to replace a pathetic Michigan program that is totally blowing the mission, Indiana, Montana State.
Being at the dome last night was the most horrible experience EVER at that place since Nebraska destroyed the Gophers 84-17 or what ever that score was.
There was a real sense of doom and gloom hanging in the air. Watching a coaching staff that didn’t have a clue about how to regroup the kids…about how to give them a fighting chance…about how to turn around the miserable affects of the horrible NU blunder that left this team for dead made me more aware that ever that IF this brewster doesn’t dump this dunbar and bring in an ooc who can put together an offensive line, these 55-0 games are going to be witnessed more and more frequently in the new TCF STADIUM. It is kind of like watching the stock market since October…sucker ralleys every once in a while and then a sinking, crashing market that the “staff” doesn’t have a clue how to fix. Last night this dunbar and this brewster were totally lost and confused and clueless. It was, the lowest moment at the dome that I cn ever recall.
I would love to see Brewster go and get a young coordinator with some inovation. This spread is bad and way to predictable at this time.
Brewster came in to blow this thing up going into the new stadium and he has done so. As much as we want to kill the offense, we have to acknowledge that the defense is about two players away from being lights out. Offense has to help this, however.
I want to see a tow QB rotation next year. If we can rotate our centers, we can rotate QB’s.
By the way, would everyone please stop being so ignorant about the bowls. If you do not have a clue what you are writing about, do not make statements about those things. Ask a question if you do not know.
FACT, if invited to a Big Ten bowl game we MUST accept. By contract with the Big Ten, we MUST accept.
Meet the new team; same as the old team…
Gophers are better off in the Motor City Bowl. Get some confidence going into next season with a hopeful win
Even if the team had a choice to accept or decline a bowl offer why would they decline? This team needs all the practice and game experience they can get.
I don’t hate the spread but I am turning quickly on Dunbar. His offense is not fooling anyone and he is too stubborn to break out of the shotgun formation. I would like to see a more hybrid spread. One that goes I formation for a few snaps then goes back to 5 wide.
This offense has regressed over the year, a lot due to playing better competition but when a team regresses that falls solely on the coaching staff.
I still support Brewster because I think he has a done a great job turning the recruiting effort back around but he needs to surround himself with coaches who will actually make the recruits play well and improve throughout the season much like Roof has done on defense.
Kent, i rarely get a chance to read these blogs but i was amused by yours. Even with the improvements dreamed in your blog, the Gophers would maybe have once or twice but never beaten the Iowa team that came to town yesterday. They were simply too good for Minnesota this year. Give Brewster the time to develop the program and 3-4 years from now, it might be a different story.
Roy
Two unavoidable points are now clear:
1) All of you who said we need to stop the running game and force Iowa to pass still don’t understand Gopher football. This defense, while much improved from last year, still cannot stop the pass in critical situations. We are still a long way from that.
2) No other team in the country would play an entire season with only one viable option at quarterback. No other team in the country would stick with a quarterback all the way to 55-0 if he played as poorly as ours did last night.
Job one for Brewster is to get quarterback options for next year. Six of the eight Big Ten teams we played used quarterbacks who started the year second or third on the depth chart. All six of these backups outplayed Weber.
DAC- I agree that we need another option at QB, but unfortunately our two seniors were not options and Pittman was the only other option this year and he is not who we thought he might be. Next year brings many options at QB for competition.
If OSU goes to BCS, this team will go to Orlando. Wisconsin is lobbying to go to Tempe, since they have bowled in Florida the last three or so years. That would be great for MN. Play a ACC team instead of a Big 12 or the Winner of the MAC.
BigGuy … Pittman was hurt most of the year so I have no idea if he would have been a QB option. Gray was probably going to be the option.
However, Mortenson was good enough as a sophomore for Mason to start and go all the way with in a Big Ten game which we won, replacing the injured Cupito. In other words, Mortenson started and played one full Big Ten game in his career and won it. Weber has started and played 16 and won three.
I am not minimizing the poor play of the offensive line this year. That is a fact. But when they gave Weber protection last night he threw the ball everywhere but right. I seriously doubt coaches are telling him that the first option on a third and 17 is the guy running a two-yard route. He looked like he just wanted to get the ball out of hands … anywhere.
I agree, but Mortenson under Mason and Mortenson under Brewster is Apples to Oranges. We don’t run that offense anymore. Plus #19 is the back-up I believe.
My post season observations. Defense: improved but by how much? All of our wins were against teams that will not be playing in the post season. FS not a BT player. SS has as many big hits after the whistle as during the play. Sherels is an OK BT CB. BPT tourched for three TD passes in the last two games alone. Not a shut down CB. If we need a better pass rush to help him out then it would have to be so good that we would not need Corners. SL is a good player but he is not BT in the size department. Campbell will get better with time. Who knows at Sam lber. We graduate both Hightower and Davis. Maybe we can move Triplett outside? Willie gone and Brown and Small return. Younger players behind them could be OKay but will we be saying the same thing next year(we are young and just wait until next year). Offensively we need a complete over haul. Weber and Decker are still our best players on offense and that will not change. We need one or two of the young wide recievers to step up and play beyond their years of experience. The o-line will be another year older but as in an earlier post I have my doubts about whether some of them are good enough to play in the BT. And our RB situation has never been worse in the last 15 years. We have a bunch of just Okay guys and no difference maker. I think every team in the BT has a better back than we do. If we do play a freshman QB next year we will not win many games and the same old cry will come out of the Brewster Nation. JUST WAIT UNTIL NEXT YEAR!!!
Two years ago I predicted we were more likely to go back to the bottom of the Big Ten than to the top and that I had no idea how we were going to improve over the long run as a program if we made a total mess of the new stadium. The object was to make the stadium smaller until the fan base expanded. By shutting out the Badger and Hawk hoards we could improve game day and recruiting.
After last night we are looking at a lower fan base in less than one year. There is now a real chance we will be looking at 10,000 Badger fans at TCF next year.
I’m sorry, but you guys have really made a mess of Gopher football. We are not a competitive Big Ten team anymore.
Bud- I agree with many of your points, but after last year, what really was the expectation this year? O-line was an issue coming in and still is. The line is not fit to play this scheme. Team will be better next year, but what will the others in the conference do? Purdue has to hope that players buy into new coach and will he recruit. Illinois will have a QB controversy, NW flies under the radar because noone cares, Indiana has a messed up athletic department, JoPA should retire on top and they lose nearly all starters, OSU loses a huge class.
Every team has issues and how can we predict what will happen next year. Nationally Big Ten takes it’s lumps this year and I would say it may be worse next year.
I saw Mortenson play against Kent State. He can not pass standing still, let alone on the run.
I hope he has a great life and I sincerely thank him for all his sacrifices and efforts as a Gopher.
I must admit, the one reaction I did not expect today was that we a new QB away from being a fair team.
By the way, was I the only guy who noticed Green being well covered forty yards down the field by a guy twice his size? 4.4 speed? I’m sure.
There are some of you here on this board that have seen more Gopher games than I have. But that Gopher team was the most physically over matched team I have ever seen. We played with no emotion or effort. It was as if they did not give a damn and just wanted the game to get over. I stayed until the finale gun and the people who clean up the dome could have started sometime during the fourth quarter. Some of you have made fun of the Hawkeye’s for all of their problems with the law. Did you ever ask yourself with all of their problems how they could march a team out onto that field that so completly kick our a**. This last game did not help in the cause to sell more tickets for the new stadium. I do not know in what direction the program goes from here. We will sit through another wonderful recruiting class and convince ourselves that this is the only way we can make it to the top. I just do not believe so. The coaching is below BT standards and while all of you want Dunbars head I ask what about the other 4 coaches on offense. He has a TE coach that this is his first full time coaching postion. A RB coach that has coached 3 years. A WR coach that has 7 years under his belt and a O-Line coach that has never coached O-Line except for when he was a GA at Ill. That is not what I would call a offensive brain trust setting around that table. During a game he needs help with just what is taking place and I do not think he is getting that. Maybe they are spending just a little to much time recruiting and not enough time preparing to WIN GAMES?
Yes, Loon is to genius what Fannie Mae is to honesty.
Wrecked what? Are people sad that we cant play Mason powder puff schedules anymore. Mason is the one who made NDSU a rivalry, that NDSU dominated!
Who is to blame for bringing this program to NDSU level? How can it be anyone other than Mason? Please, geniuses, explain that simple answer to me.
Even worse, Mason brought in these “fine” citizens who brought total shame to the program before Brewster even coached a game. Mason Mason Mason….Loon, how’s that NDSU series working out for you? Yes, Mason was a gem. Fools gold?
And how’s that Texas Tech looking to you and Reusse this am?
We are 7-5 with a team that should be 4-8, so how about giving Brewster half the years that Mason got? WI ultrafeeble performance yesterday says it all about what those two teams left on the field last weekend.
We are a minimum of two years from glory, as it takes 4 years to rebuild the NDSU level program that Mason left, to an upper tier Big Ten team.
Brewster may not be up to it, but why not let him try? And DAC is right, 2 QB options are a must, like the NW QBs.
And how many NDSU fans attended the series here?
Oh yes, it was 20K plus.
Yes, Mason and those glory days.
How I miss them….
Anybody else?
MN vs Ohio State .. freshman QB moves up from second team and outplays Weber.
MN vs Illinois .. top Big Ten QB lights up our defense and outplays Weber.
MN vs Purdue .. third team QB slightly outplays Weber.
MN vs Northwestern .. Second team QB kills Gophers and outplays Weber.
MN vs Michigan .. Second team QB outplays Weber.
MN vs Wisconsin .. QB who was not a starter first half of season outplays Weber.
MN vs Iowa .. QB who was not a starter first half of season outplays Weber.
A good part of what is wrong with the offense rests with the quarterback.
Something else the coaching staff needs to figure out before next season is why this team plays well on the road and poorly at home.
Our best performances were at Illinois, at Purdue, at Ohio State, at Wisconsin, and at Bowling Green.
Our worst games have been in the Dome against Iowa, Michigan, Northwestern, Northern Illinois, and Montana State.
Something is very wrong with this picture. And it goes deeper than “fans” like loon and wren who come late, boo the team, and leave early, intoxicated.
Big Guy says,
“I agree, but Mortenson under Mason and Mortenson under Brewster is Apples to Oranges.”
__________
Not so much. Did you forget that Weber was recruited by Mason to run the old Mason offense? He is not a spread quarterback any more than Mortenson or Maciejowski. He is not quick enough for the spread, he isn’t elusive enough, and he can’t throw accurately on the move.
The one time last night he escaped the pressure and got to the edge he threw the ball ten yards over the head of Simmons who was as alone as a guy on a deserted island.
DAC, I guess my answer to your question would be, how good would Weber be if he got to play against our defense?
Bud … Not much better. Our defense was the strongest Gopher unit. Much, much improved over last year. Our defense actually won the three Big Ten games we won.
Now, if you ask me how much better Weber would be playing behind the Iowa or Wisconsin offensive lines, I would say a lot better.
However, Weber as Weber has not been a very good Big Ten quarterback yet. He might get better or he might watch from the sidelines next year. If he plays, it should be because he is much improved. If that happens, more power to him. If somebody else can help us win more games than Weber, he should be the guy.
I’m guessin’ if we had given Iowa 100 points, Stoudermire would have finally broken a return all the way.
He might be only a couple inches short in height of being our spread quarterback.
This is what Id like to see happen during the off season. Review this spread offense until everyone understands it. Then teach these guys about penalties for both offense and defense and be sure they see the films of this past season. Teach them to grab and tackle rather than grab and miss. And make sure they learn how to block and why that is so important. Then teach another QB this offense and be ready to replace Adam Weber(starter)when he fails! and finally, is there anyway to teach the players about pride about playing together as a team. And about working together to achieve the same goal! change your attitude about always being the victim of some other FB team and become the winner we expect of you. And learn enough to win games within this great conference…
I can agree with you DAC. But lets not forget that the Juice gave us our win at Ill. Two fumbles inside the two yard line. That is how we won that game. Brewster will not have forever to get his guys in here. His guy did not get into school in the fall so if you think that the powers that be are going to give him another two years to get out from under the excuss of we are young you are saddly mistaken. This ship had better have a product that will get butts in the stands in year two of the new stadium or he is gone. The bills are two high and to think just three weeks ago some of you baffoons wanted to put Brewster up for BT coach of the year. I can name you 5 guys that have done a better job this year than Brewster in the BT. Two of them with much lower rated recruiting classes. 11 SR. 13 unused scholarships so we can sign about 24 players if we can count the two late arrivals back. The problem comes in the next year when (if they all stay at the U) we have 29 Srs. and can only sign 25. Then we are back underneath the 85 limit by four. With a football team that has 45 players that are in their first or secound year. Then we get the excuss of being young again.
DAC-Mortenson’s record is 0-1 in Big Ten starts. The closest thing he has to a victory was in 2005 against Michigan when Cupito suffered a concussion in the fourth quarter. Mortenson entered the game late in the 4th and handed the ball off to Gary Russell on a 3rd and 10 which Russell took for ~65 yards to set up the game winning FG. If that is what you are calling a Big Ten win, he played in the game and they won but Mortenson didn’t even throw a pass in the game. The following week Mortenson started against Wisconsin (the infamous Kucek fumbled snap game) and we lost. In that game he threw for less than 100 yards on 7-17 passing. I remember him misfiring over the head of a reciever that was only about 10 yards down the field and had nobody within 15 yards.
Mortenson did not have another start in his career.
Here are the facts as I see it:
1—Brewster inherited a depleted team in terms of talent and numbers. Before you start ripping me for attacking Mason, think about it, “running back U” had Bennett coming in as a freshmen, Pinnix was a senior and Thomas was a junior upon Brewster arrival. And that was our strength and deepest position.
2–this offensive line was recruited for a completely different scheme. Think about even the center pulling and getting out in front of a RB.
3–The loss of Bennett, someone that I have likened to a young Emmitt Smith, being lost in the 2nd game was crucial. Our only RB with any experience in the spread (and he is a sophomore). The other 2 freshmen are not close to being in his league talent-wise.
4–I said Weber looked punchdrunk and I wasn’t kidding. That Northwestern game was devastating to him and the team. I agree with wren about not playing for OT. That guy should not have been within 20 yards of that punt much less catching it on the 9 yard line.
5—let’s hope that our better play outside than in the dome this year will carry over to the new stadium.
6—When you look at a season in the rearview mirror, it is amazing how it can change with one game or one call. In this case, the last one minute of that NU game was it.
7—the goal now is to make this upcoming bowl game not the last game of this season but the first one for next. Somehow, the mindset of the team has to be recalibrated.
9—in the end, our lack of depth was the deciding factor. The guys that played are emotionally and physically spent.
Maybe I’m better off not reading the media reports as well. When we were 7-1 and getting ready to play Northwestern all the blogs and papers were saying how we were “Golden” again! Then it was 4 weeks later we are just a bunch of losers! How does a meltdown happen that quickly? Is it just coaching? Heck, there were rumors about Brewster on the short list for Tennessee. I’m just so glad that “Kinnick North” is gone. I am so sick of the Iowa fans down here bringing that up to me. The Iowans LOVED the Metrodome and why not, I would too if I were them. I just wish once I could mention I was a Gopher fan and get respect!!!!!!!!!!Will it ever happen? Will it be easy for the Iowans to take over the new stadium as well?
Andover, I am sorry, but Mason arranged one scheduling in his ten years here. He arranged the FAU series because Maturi had no game on the schedule. All other games were scheduled by the AD in order to fund Title IX. The Big Ten does the rest.
Mason beat NDSU, Brewster lost to NDSU.
Brewster much pleased the Gopher sheep by talking up the importance of the rivalry games. We are now 0-6 in those games under Brew. Our latest game just yesterday will require that every Gopher fan at the game, including me, to be tested for HIV infection.
You enjoyed that? You see a trend towards the Rose Bowl? We are now 3-13 in the Big Ten under Brewster.
I will be the first Gopher season ticket holder to predict over 10,000 Badger fans in the stands at TCF next year unless we find some offensive coaches in the off season.
Liz–about all I can tell you is keep the faith. I honestly do not think Mason would have had any better luck the past 2 years. In the end, I still think Brewster gives us more upside potential. We will know when the verdict comes in. For me, that will be at the end of next year.
Are we destined for Detroit or is there a chance we could wind up someplace else? Collegefootballnews.com has us in the Motor City against Central Michigan.
I agree with a few of the posters on here thus far. I’m not saying Brewster needs to be canned— but I truly believe Glen Mason would have brought us better success this year. The schedule was the easiest we’ve seen in decades and there is no reason we shouldn’t have walked away with 8 or 9 wins on the year.
That’s not to say Brewster won’t continue building this program— it just makes me a little disappointed in the way we finished and have totally abdandoned any form of a running game.
Liz, if you think TCF will be full of Gopher fans for two more years you are nuts. Some of us posted five weeks ago that we had a horrible offense and a 7-1 record against no one. I am literally heart broken that we are right at the door of throwing away the new stadium because we lack any offensive coaching and will surely lose Ted Roof on the defensive side.
I never thought I would say this wels0081, but Iowa was beautiful the way they fire off the ball. An offensive line being manly, what a novel idea. Gads I have missed that these last two years.
Loon—do you really think we would be better off with Mason?? Being as objective as possible, I can not for the life of me see us any better than a 7-5 team under him. I see no way we could have gotten to a bowl game last year. Time will tell if we are spinning our wheels. Next year there will be no excuses, no Mason alibies. The verdict will be in. Next year starts with this next bowl game BTW.
It is humorous to listen to the “instant fix” geniuses who seem to think that if only Dunbar were gone Weber wouldn’t fumble good snaps and throw interceptions.
If only Dunbar were gone the young offensive line that is physically manhandled every game would magically all be fifth year seniors 40 pounds heavier and much stronger.
And if only Dunbar were gone our 18-year-old, 185-pound running back would immediately transform into Shonn Green or Adrian Peterson. It’s just so easy, isn’t it?
If our center and guards, who have trouble blocking a guy in a rocking chair right in front of them, would only be required to pull and lead sweeps they would be so much better as players. Really?
Football is about skill, talent, player development, and schemes. Skill, talent, and player development are more important than schemes.
Does anyone here think Greg Eslinger would have been a poor player in the spread offense? Would Lawrence Maroney have been a poor player in the spread offense?
Grunk … Regarding Mort’s start against Wisconsin, you are right and I stand corrected. My memory failed.
It would be fair to say, however, that he played the entire game and played well enough to win except that Kucek bothched the late punt.
I agree with you that Mort didn’t do much in that game. We had a good team and ran the ball that day. But you mention that Mort missed a wide open receiver that night. Weber missed a wide open receiver last night and he has played almost every down for 24 games. And he has missed a lot of open receivers. A lot.
Bud …. When you say Brewster’s “guy” didn’t get into school I presume you mean Gray.
It seems to me that Brewster’s “guy” is Weber and that concerns me. It appears the coaches long ago adopted the silliness expressed here that “this team belongs to Weber.”
Bullcrap. That is not a winning mentality. Winning mentality says every job is open to the guy who can win it.
I have so much new respect for Tressel for doing what was right for his team even though it meant benching a 5th year senior who had led the team to the national championship game last year. That took some guts.
Tex asks,
“Being as objective as possible, I can not for the life of me see us any better than a 7-5 team under him (Mason).”
_____________
Probably considerably worse. Where would Mason have gotten the new recruits who came in this year and gave us a respectably defense?
The Gophers got a commitment from 4-star juco cornerback Daryl Robinson.
“I still support Brewster because I think he has a done a great job turning the recruiting effort back around but he needs to surround himself with coaches who will actually make the recruits play well and improve throughout the season much like Roof has done on defense.”
==================
55-0, Chumlie, could have been 75-0 had they so chose.
david_allen_coe says:
November 23rd, 2008 at 5:30 pm
The Gophers got a commitment from 4-star juco cornerback Daryl Robinson.
======================
Great, another Pittman…….
david_allen_coe says:
November 23rd, 2008 at 3:28 pm
Something else the coaching staff needs to figure out before next season is why this team plays well on the road and poorly at home.
Our best performances were at Illinois, at Purdue, at Ohio State, at Wisconsin, and at Bowling Green.
Our worst games have been in the Dome against Iowa, Michigan, Northwestern, Northern Illinois, and Montana State.
Something is very wrong with this picture. And it goes deeper than “fans” like loon and wren who come late, boo the team, and leave early, intoxicated.
================
Wow, Rock, with the exception of OSU, all they other road teams sucked! Tough questions that puzzle you……
tressel isn’t in the National Championship game this year. Gottal love that too!
This Gray missed his senior year in high school. Does the kid handle hits? Does the kid play hurt? Is he tough? Is he going to enroll? Is he going to make it academically? IF…if…if: time will tell. Good luck to him…I’d put my money on Weber cause he’s tough, has experience and he ALWAYS is there. You can talk up the unknown all you want. Give me the tried and true and the one that plays even when he’s beat up and hurting. I’ve got loyalty to those who have given a lot. Young Mr. Weber has given a LOT and I’m pulling for him to drive what ever offense this brewster wants to try.
Weber’s ok by me. This brewster? He hasn’t shown me diddly yet.
wels0081–CFN should do a little more homework. Ball State beat Central Michigan last week. Ball State still has to play Western Michigan but it seems likely they will play Buffalo for the MAC championship. Ball State will be a favorite for the Motor City Bowl.
Minnesota or Wisconsin are tied for the 6th & 7th Big Ten bowl which is Insight in AZ & Motor City in Detroit. It seems likely Wisconsin will get the 6th place bowl.
However, Ohio State is still in the running for a BCS at large berth. OSU’s fate is in the hands of Oregon State because if Oregon State beats Oregon they get the Rose Bowl berth likely making USC the last at large BCS team. However, if Oregon State loses USC would go to the Rose Bowl as the Pac 10 representative and that would make Ohio State the most likely final at large team in the BCS. If that happens everyone in the Big Ten moves up one bowl and The Gophers would go to either the Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando or the Insight Bowl.
Go Ducks!!!
Put away your Samuri(sp) sword there Canuck, stay away from the medicine cabinet and sleeping pills. The sun will come up tomorrow. Aye!
Those of us who made a total “mess” of your highly succesful Masonball realize going into the past two seasons how difficult it is to win with a green QB one year and one of the youngest OL, if not the youngest, in CFB the next year.
How many times do I need to remind you that Alvarez went 2/14 and Capt Kirk 3/13 their first two years in the BT and then won BT crowns in year 4. And how many times must I wrap you on the back of your thick skull to remind you that quality takes time. Brewster may get there or he may not. He is under contract and will get his chance. Yet you and your sidekick gave what’s his name a decade to declare he was in a rebuilding year in year 10! And all he could muster was three wins with a 5th year QB, at least 3 NFL players on the roster and a whole lot more experience than what we have seen on the field the past two seasons.
You seem rather negative and down Mr. Loon. Maybe you need to schedule a session with your local favorite shrink.
Wren–The future of Gray is a mystery to all of us and we just hope that he meets his potential and can make it in school. However, I would like to address your comment about injuries with him. He broke his arm and missed half the season. Then he came back and played with a cast at the end of the season. So he has shown he can play hurt. Besides, breaking an arm isn’t like saying he can’t play because of a little nick or scratch.
Wren is correct. Weber is not the problem.
Young Mr. Gray may be the answer. Or he may not. Lets see how he looks in the Spring before you some of you guys annoit him as the next Sandy Stephens.
So now the real problem is Weber.
Sorry, I heard Mason, Dunbar and Brewster say that Weber is one of the top QB’s in the Big Ten. Last year and this year. Mason asked “who would you trade him for in the Big Ten other than Prior?”
One can try to deflect the blame from or towards anyone you want. In the end, we got reamed by Iowa.
The bad news for our program is that we get waves of new ‘know it all’ young fans each year. As far as I am concerned, the good news is that they will not long drink this Kool Aid that we are as good a team now as we were under Mason or any other coach. Our O sucks. If I see one more one yard pass I will puke.
Hey gunk, do you really think a bowl might rather have Wisconsin??!! “No Loon, the Insight bowl would rather run an ad about how we were edged out by Iowa, 55-0 in our all important trophy game at HOME!”
Loon, did you see the Wisconsin game yesterday. If Cal-Poly had a kicker it wouldn’t have gone to overtime (2 missed XP’s in regulation, missed FG to win, missed XP in OT).
I’m as pissed about yesterday as anyone else but Wisconsin sucks too.
Before anyone goes and jumps off a bridge. This is an excerpt from a post by “The Ghost of Bruce Smith” on GopherHole.
Barry Alvarez:
1990 … 1-10
1991 … 5-6
1992 … 5-6
1993 … 10-1 (Rose Bowl)
Gary Barnett (at Northwestern):
1992 … 3-8
1993 … 2-9
1994 … 3-7-1
1995 … 10-2 (Rose Bowl)
Ron Zook:
2005 … 2-10
2006 … 2-10
2007 … 8-4 (Rose Bowl)
Kirk Ferentz:
1999 … 1-10
2000 … 3-9
2001 … 7-5
2002 … 11-2 (Orange Bowl)
A closer look at Ferentz’s 2nd season reveals a 31-0 drubbing at the hands of Illinois. 55-0? No, but embarrassing enough where I’m sure Iowa City and Des Moines columnists were calling for his head.
Program development takes time. A 55-0 drubbing looks and feels bad but luckily it is just one more game in season 2. Texas Tech was number two in the country and lost 62-21 yesterday. Sometimes scores and the way games develop make teams look worse than they really are. I for one don’t believe Iowa is 55 points better than us but when our offense is futile the defense eventually breaks.
Bayfield … Nobody has annointed Gray anything. And you are fuzzing things to declare Weber is not the problem.
Weber is not the entire problem on offense. He is not the biggest problem on offense. But he is a problem.
We can not win football games when coaches put one guy off limits for criticism or review. Doesn’t work that way.
wren … Jamal Harris was faithful and dependable to the program too and for much longer than Weber. That didn’t mean we couldn’t improve at cornerback and we have improved at cornerback.
“Last year and this year. Mason asked “who would you trade him for in the Big Ten other than Prior?””
____________
Oh gee, I wonder? Maybe the guy who ran circles around him last night? Maybe the guy who ran circles around him from Northwestern? Maybe the Wisconsin QB who outplayed him? Or the Michigan QB who outplayed him?
And none of them were starters at the beginning of the year. Football teams do make changes when necessary.
loon says,
“Our O sucks. If I see one more one yard pass I will puke.”
_________
Who do you think is throwing the one yard pass on third and 17? Ned Tavale?
Do we only have one receiver on the field in the spread offense?
Now wipe that awful green stuff off your chin.
DAC
I will go out on a limb and rate the problems with the inept Gopher offense as follows:
1. OL
2. RB
3. QB
4. Receivers
Your turn. Lets leave Dunbar out of this discussion.
“Football teams make changes when necessary”. Do you mean Mort of Mace?
Weber will be the QB until someone shows up with better skills and the smarts to comprehend Dunbars playbook.
Bayfield … I rate the problems in exactly the same order and priority with the offensive line being by far the biggest problem.
You are right … if no one shows up better than Weber, he will keep the job. I am only asking that Gray or anyone else who shows up be given a fair and equal opportunity. If Weber is the best, fine with me. I want the best.
However, under no circumstances should we go through another season without a second quarterback prepared to play. Weber got banged up several times. Someone needs to spell him for a few plays. There have been times he is so out of synch he should sit for a series and get himself together with the coaches.
Next year we have to have a second QB ready to play either in case of injury or if the first guy is not getting the job done.
And yes, either Mort or Mace could have played a little this year and been prepared for the real tough stretches like in the Iowa and Michigan game when Weber had no business being on the field.
Dunbar is supposed to have this huge play book, why did he only use the 1st 3 pages??
I watched a college football staff coach a very sad game last Saturday night. In the end, the 55-0 score pretty much described just how incapable of getting their team ready for this game the coaching staff hired by maturi and prexy b were during the iowa week of preperation. It was incredibly sad to watch that game. Incredibly sad. It does not bode well for the 2009 season. Remember that the schedule becomes MORE difficult. It would appear that this brewster has lost his mojo. Based upon what we have seen, perhaps he never did have his mojo. At any rate he sure ain’t got his mojo working in the month of November.
How about this coaching track record?:
Year 1: 4-6-1
Year 2: 5-6
Year 3: 6-5
Year 4: 3-8
Year 5: 1-10 (FIRED!!)
Would it help jog the memory if I revealed that Year 5 had losses of 50-23, 56-17, 58-10, 61-10, 69-18 and the coup de gras, 84-13?
For every Barry Alvarez, there are a multitude of Smoky Joe Salems. Brewster combines enough of the wrong elements from Salem and Geezo Beezo Wacker (who, at the very least, beat Wisconsin sometimes) to formulate a coach that makes Chubby Weis at Notre Dame look like the second coming of Ara Parseghian.
Get haughty over 7-5 at your own peril; sneak a peak at Washington’s schedule, and tell me with a straght face that the Gophers wouldn’t be closer to 0-12 than 7-4 if they switched schedules?
Er, 0-12 than 7-5, that is.
Tell that guy with the Fire Brewster blog to revive it: he folded shop waaaaaay to quickly!
Hindsight is always 20/20. Look at the standings and you will see the Gophers finished right where they should have or at least within 1 game. Other than Michigan, they beat everyone below them and lost to all teams ahead of them. The schedule helped make them look better this year. Brewster blew this thing up and now they moved up a few spots which is an improvement. As this team matures, let’s hope they continue to move up.
Dunbar needs to improve, but I believe the youth and injuries had more to do with it than Dunbar himself. It takes time. Not an excuse, just a thought.
Just in the spirit of debate, I am going to put RB at our #1 problem. The 2 freshmen played hard, gave 100%, protected the ball for the most part, but were not close to giving us what Bennett did/could. Those guys were built like tailbacks but ran like fullbacks. Many times I saw holes close up before they could get to them. Coming out of the backfield they tried to run over people than evade them. Unless the guy from Houston lives up to the hype, or unless Bennett comes back 100% and stays healthy, this area is a real concern. The OL can improve more than our current RB’s by next year.
So it was our RBs who gave up 55 points sat night??
DAC
I truly hope Gray lights it up during Spring time and we can have an actual QB controversary.
As I posted here many time, my concerns going into this season were #1: OL, #2: DL and #3: Weber needed to improve his performance. As the BT season wore on, teams prepped for the Gophers and studied film of how inept Dunbars play ground offense was. Weber was nuetralized. For a variety of reasons. Dunbar had no answer and no one better to put out there.
No matter how ineffective our OL is and inexperienced the rest of the O players are, there is no excuse to see a team so ill prepared and pathetic as we were against Iowa. That goes on Dunbar.
The bowl game will probably tell us about Dunbars future tenure in Dinkytown.
Recruiting—what hurt the Defense more than anything was the offense not staying on the field with any sustained drives. The defense unquestionably improved this year.
I will rank improvement needs by:
#1- O-Line
#2- RB
#3- QB
#4- WR
#5- LB
Another year of having to explain to my out of state clients that I’m not a alumnus of the UofM (even though I am).
It’s easier to avoid these kinds of conversations.
tex Goph says “The defense unquestionably improved this year.”
Obviously. Why even make those comments after that 55 point shutdown.
They looked AWESOME!!!
Bayfield/DAC–we have a solid QB in Weber. We can win with him. He had a very young OL. 2 freshman rb’s. Except for Decker, fr wr’s. TE’s were underutilized throughout the year. An O-coordinator who was as predictable as the sun coming up in the east. The guy got the crap beat out of him every game. By that Iowa game he was shell-shocked and emotionally/physically spent. The guy deserves a purple heart. We don’t want or have a QB controversy. Ideally, Gray will get some game snaps next year in run/option situations and plenty of practice snaps.
Oh no—I said “improved”—if you don’t think the D was better this year than last, you are blind.
We can win with Weber, but he is not an accurate passer and that is not good. He also doesn’t make up for inaccurracy with athleticism.
The Gophers offensive line might be young, but there’s no way that they can continue to be this terrible. There’s no excuse for it.
Trey Davis might be a redshirt freshman, but there’s no excuse for not being able to properly snap the ball.
Ned Tavale needs to get just a tiny bit of discipline and freakin’ sit still until the ball is snapped, and, if he does that, he needs to then let the play happen without holding, blocking in the back, clipping, etc.
I can’t blame Weber too much. He gets pounded every game, and when he does get some time in the pocket, he can’t really trust it…because it’s the exception rather than the rule. The focus in recruiting needs to be on getting big, disciplined offensive linemen.
I’ve found myself wondering why the Gophers offense wasn’t producing like it was last season, and I think the line is almost completely to blame.
That said, the defense is looking quite a bit better. No defense is going to hold up when they have to be on the field for 75% of the game. These guys aren’t machines, the offense needs to give them a breather every once in a while.
Okay, that’s all for now.
BigGuy
Weber ranked tied for 5th with the Williams at 59% completion ratio. That is good enough. The obvious problem is the lack of an effective running game. Being unable to pound the rock is a huge problem and manifested itself and created issues for Weber.
Iowa was able to exploit our pass D because the Gophers sold out to try to contain Green. And the converse was true for Iowa who didn’t have to respect our running game.
Dunbar’s plan is to field a balanced attack. The Gophers are at least two years away from being able to show it. Give Weber a decent running game and he will do fine. The kid had a lot on his shoulders.
Big Guy says,
“We can win with Weber, but he is not an accurate passer and that is not good. He also doesn’t make up for inaccurracy with athleticism.”
_____________
Yes, we can win against some teams, especially when our defense is playing well. But we are running a spread offense. If the quarterback does not pass accurately and is not quick enough to be much of a running threat or escape threat, what is he doing out there? The spread requires a true dual threat QB.
We played six Big Ten teams this year that played a quarterback against us who was not the starter early in the season. It can be argued each of those “backups” outplayed our quarterback.
That means most teams in the conference have two or three guys at least as good as the one guy we are leaving on the field every offensive play for 24 straight games. Makes no sense.
“Trey Davis might be a redshirt freshman, but there’s no excuse for not being able to properly snap the ball.”
___________
Trey Davis made one bad snap Saturday. The first one Weber dropped was right in his hands.
Brinkhaus was a 5th year senior last year and 50% of his center snaps were poor to horrific.
DaveMN
The spread puts a lot of pressure on the QB. It requires a very good athlete to make it work; both a good passer and runner. Without a good OL, good luck just like any offense.
I hope we can see on offense someday like the 03 team where we were successful with a AAK, a veteran QB with quick feet and OK passer. His running was there when we needed it and not the key. Yet his passing stats were exceptional in 03 because we had a great ground game.
I hope Carufel is an upgrade and Davis, Wynn and Orton grow up. I don’t have much faith and confidence in the others.
Said that, I have gone on a limb and predicted we won’t see a solid OL until 2010, at best.
Tex Goph,
This year, Michigan, Iowa, and Wisconsin suck (all losses). It may to premature to say the defense has improved. Maybe you should hold off until we play Penn State and Michigan State.
The start looked very good, but consider the opposition. The Big Ten season looked very familiar.
Don’t start smelling roses yet, youngster.
Look out, Detroit!!!!
Think of all the revenue the Motor City bowl will bring!!!!!
the Loon says:
November 23rd, 2008 at 4:42
Mason beat NDSU, Brewster lost to NDSU.
Brewster much pleased the Gopher sheep by talking up the importance of the rivalry games. We are now 0-6 in those games under Brew. Our latest game just yesterday will require that every Gopher fan at the game, including me, to be tested for HIV infection.
Huh?
HIV? You are the loon, that I admit.
Yes, Mason beat NDSU when they missed the last second FG to the dismay of the 25K Fargo fans. Yet, NDSU dominated every phase of that game. That IS the program you defend. 10K WI fans sounds like a vast improvement to me.
Yes, Brewster lost the next year, and 4 of those 5 classes were Mason recruits.
Is Texas Tech 40 points worse than OK?
No. Iowa happened, but it was a game waiting to be competitive well into the second quarter, but Weber looked “befuddled.”
Let Brewster win or lose with his recruits. In your worst case scenario he will be gone in 2 more years, and you can bring back Mason.
But as per one brilliant post above, many coaches swung to fame in the 4th year. Brewster certainly deserves that chance.
Oh no—I have never gotten the slightest whiff of roses in my lifetime. At 7-1 I was worried about what played out. We have a long, long way to go. The only quick fix would be a heisman candidate at QB or RB. Short of that, we need years to develop the depth and skill necessary to be a top tier Big Ten team. That being said, I still think it is possible under Brewster.
Trey Davis made one bad snap Saturday. The first one Weber dropped was right in his hands.
Brinkhaus was a 5th year senior last year and 50% of his center snaps were poor to horrific.
Fair enough, DAC. Although the one that was “right in Weber’s hands” looked on replay to have been snapped when Weber wasn’t looking. It hit him in the facemask.
I think my biggest frustration was that the offense always seemed to shoot itself in the foot. There were a few times this year when the offense made more than one first down in a sequence to eventually have it turn into a three and out due to things like penalties and bad snaps. As John Madden might say, “It’s hard to go forward when you’re going backwards”.
That said, I am really looking forward to three more years of Stoudermire returning kicks. Wow. Talk about trying to win the game by yourself.
Weber may be at 59% passing, but what is the accuracy over 10 yards? I’m guessing much lower. I agree that he needs more support, but he still needs to improve quite a bit. Hasn’t been mentioned much, but our punt teams need to improve this off season.
Tex Goph,
Ok, I agree. Just a little upset about that pounding.
I’m still on Brewsters wagon, and am thrilled that Mason is gone. He may have been one of the most unlikable people to ever pass through our state.
Weber and Decker are enough of a reason to stay positive, but it’s going to take me a few days, and at least 24 beers to get over this.
Did anyone clarify (sorry I didn’t read the entire thread) why the Iowa punt coverage could shove a blocker into the returner before the ball arrived without it being a penalty? That was the most confounding thing I saw on Saturday, I mean, besides the unflagged Iowa late hit out of bounds on the first Gopher drive. Try and convince me that if Simoni Lawrence had made that play that he wouldn’t have been flagged.
Dave and Big Guy … Stoudermire makes our special teams coach look like a genius. Jimmy Johnson (No. 5), who keeps running into people when he shouldn’t, makes our special teams coach look like Loon. Which is he?
As I said earlier, if Iowa had scored 100 points I’m willing to bet Stoudermire would have brought at least one kickoff back to the house.
He was a high school quarterback. Could he possibly be in the mix for dual threat quarterback next year?
” … but it’s going to take me a few days, and at least 24 beers to get over this.”
______________
And you need “a few days” for that? wrennyloon does that in an hour.
Kick off team is fine, but punting was bad, and returner are catching the ball inside the 10 and or getting no where. If our player was pushed in the back it should have been a penalty, but if the inital contact is from the front or side, it is not a penalty. I had no problem with the officials at all.
Dave and Big Guy … Stoudermire makes our special teams coach look like a genius. Jimmy Johnson (No. 5), who keeps running into people when he shouldn’t, makes our special teams coach look like Loon. Which is he?
Probably a mix of both. Stoudermire is proving to be an extremely talented returner. And our punt/kickoff coverage varied from awesome to embarrassing this season.
However, I think discipline is something that needs to start being emphasized. The emphasis on turnovers this year seemed to make a difference with the much ballyhooed “Turnover Tuesday”. Now the Gophers need to cut down on the boneheaded plays (late hits, early hits [on special teams], false starts, holding, clipping, blocks in the back, personal fouls, etc). They won’t get anywhere if they keep killing themselves.
It’d be interesting to see Stoudermire in the mix at QB, even if just as a “change of pace” type player. I wouldn’t want to see his special teams role diminish though. Eventually, the great field position he gives the offense will actually count for something (I hope…)
It seems that the record needs to be set straight almost every Sunday night about “how much better we are doing under Brewster”. So let us have some facts as opposed to opinions.
Yes andover, we have solved the problem of sometimes losing big leads. Other than blowing the big lead we had against NU last year, we have not blown another big lead until last week. No chance to blow a big lead when you do not bother to score or even get first downs.
You have also solved the problem of going to “mediocre” bowl games. No chance of that this year. There will be nothing mediocre about the Motor City Bowl.
Brewster has won 3/16ths of his Big Ten games, or 18%. Is that better than the 32/80 that Mason won without a new stadium to recruit towards? Is 40% with no stadium as good as 18% with a new stadium?
“How IS Brewster Doing When Compared To Mason, Chart”
In the three years before Mason took over:
1994 = 3-8 (1-7 in the Big Ten)
1995 = 3-8 (1-7)
1996 = 4-7 (1-7)
Mason’s first three years
1997 = 3-9 (1-7)
1998 = 5-6 (2-6)
1999 = 8-4 (5-3)
Mason’s last three years
2004 = 7-6 (3-5)
2005 = 7-6 (4-4)
2006 = 6-7 (3-5)
Brewster takes over with the new stadium being built, finally. Thank you Mason.
2007 = 1-11 (0-8)
2008 = 7-5 (3-5 and counting.)
All Brewster has to do to equal what Mason did in his first three years taking over from the 3-21 Jim Wacker is to win 5 of his next 8 Big Ten wins. And Brewster has the nice new stadium Mason left him. Thus far, Brew has done no better with more players and a new stadium than Mason did with players who had never been to any bowl and without a new stadium in the ground.
“And Brewster has the nice new stadium Mason left him.”
_____________
ROTFLMAO!!!!!!!!!!! Let’s see … one day Mason built the stadium and the next day an illiterate foreigner in the country illegally did it. Which?
I love the posters who want to get rid of Dunbar or whoever the coordinator may be - just fill in the team name - same people who said fire Schnelker, etc for the Vikings years ago. Folks, it ain’t the offense or the play calling. Dunbar has been sucessful with this offense in the past, here and at other stops on his coaching travels; and the spread offense is run a lot all over the college football landscape. It’s the players - they are young, and just not good enough yet. Their offensive line needs lots of work and lots of time to get better; and big, physical, upper classmen linemen playing for Wisconsin, Michigan, and Iowa exposed that. Of all these posters writing about firing Dunbar - which of you has ever been and Offensive Coordinator for a Big Ten school that they know so much more than Dunbar. None. So shut up and be patient and see what may happen. It’s easy to sit at home or in the stands and second guess. Give Brewster and Dunbar another year or so. The Gophers went from 1-11 to 7-5. Hopefully they will continue to improve. I said it before and will say it again - Mason was maxed out at 7 wins with his program - it would have never got any better than that, ever! They same may hold true for Brewster in the long run, but no one can tell yet. Looks like its going the right way, but we still have to wait.
Zeke says quite sensibly,
“Of all these posters writing about firing Dunbar - which of you has ever been and Offensive Coordinator for a Big Ten school that they know so much more than Dunbar. None. So shut up and be patient and see what may happen.”
_________
Well, hold on there just a minute, Zeke. That’s not quite true.
One of our most esteemed posters — wrenthriceagain — served as both offensive and defensive coordinator under old Tom Peebles during the 1883 season at Minnesota. Wren actually invented the spread defense long before there was ever a spread offense.
Even more impresive, the Loon was imported from Canada by the legendary Field Yost at Michigan for the 1901 season. The Loon served Yost as Third Assistant right offensive tackle coach and head play caller for after point kicks.
So there is some pretty good experience here.
Oh No–I know your feeling. I have often contended that the Gophers have been one of the toughest teams to support. If you have stayed with them the past 40 years, you unquestionably bleed maroon and gold.
Kent, here we go again. dac gets frustrated and out comes the smears and personal attacks.
“ROTFLMAO!!!!!!!!!!! Let’s see … one day Mason built the stadium and the next day an illiterate foreigner in the country illegally did it. Which?”
Do you want to explain those remarks dac?
Dunbar couldn’t have success as a head coach running the spread at Northern Iowa. He allowed that program to fall way further than it had in a long time. Now that he is gone, UNI is back near the top of the Division 1AA.
Loon … Please clarify. Do you know of any illiterate foreigner here in the country illegally who built a football stadium? Who is that?
And please identify the “personal attack” in a statement that named no one (other than Mason and he was not attacked).
Why don’t you guys get off the comparison to Mason, in case you haven’t noticed thats past and its over!!! Lets go forward and forget the what if’s etc. Things won’t happen over nite. If we are still here in 2 more yrs. then fire him, until let hem build the program, whether you like it or not things are getting better. Sometimes the wheels come off 55-0, but TT got killed too, and that probably wouldn’t happen again either. It’s tough but be patient.
zekewhateveryoucallyourself: Mason won 10 one season. Here is the deal: it’s time to ditch this dunbar and do it NOW! This dunbar’s offense is really going to drive the Gophers into the basement of the Big Ten.
Here is the truth of the matter. This dunbar’s record with the Gophersas the offensive coordinator is 8-16 regular season. He is 3-13 as oc in Big tne play. That flat-out sucks. Put all the paint on this dunbar pig that you want and it comes out looking ugly as a pig with lipstick smeared all over itself. Fire this dunbar NOW! This brewster axed an offensive line coach. That’s a start. Bring in Mitch Browning and get this running attack cooking NOW!
This poor, pathetic excuse making brewster is trying to blame the former coacing staff for all of his MANY troubles. What a coward this brewster is. He got his butt blasted 55-0 and he and his brew crew bunch are blaming the former coach. What a bunch of crap. IF a coach gets blasted 55-0 by a Big Ten team he has NO ONE but himself to blame. This brewster and his coaching staff were totaly inept in their preperation for iowa and got blasted 55-0 because there were completley incompetent and incapable as coaches. 55-0 ALL goes on this brewster’s record and it comes crashing down on his wimpering, excuse-making head. You brewcrew people are really mking this brewster look like a whiner and an excuse making incompetent program leader.
littlebigboy, the wheels do not come off like that. That was the worse Big Ten for the Gophers ever. And it was at HOME. EVER.
This matches up rather well with his “worse season ever for a Gopher coach” last year.
Now, was the Iowa reaming a little ‘boo boo’ or part of a pattern?
ThisWrenandThisLoonInfiltrator …
Could you consider buying a clue? Yes?
Thanks.
Keep the faith, folks. Before the Northwestern game, my neighbor was talking Rose Bowl and while I admired his enthusiasm, I was surprised as he is a very knowledgeable football fan and former college player. Just look at the stats from all year long - the Gophers simply aren’t there yet but expecting them to be is misguided at best. Hold on for another season, which should be better next year (maybe not better in wins/losses, but better in consistent, good performances and statistically) and wait for 2010.
I can’t say that I’m that excited about all of this (Wisconsin recruiting in MN is going to keep getting tougher!), but the Gophers and their fans deserve some more success. The fan base needs to remember to cheer for your team - seems like I sit by the proverbial “Bitter Gopher Fan” every Gopher game I’ve been to, who spends more time compaining about the refs, the other teams and their own team than he spends actually getting behind his team, other than for anything more than applauding successes. Time for some real football, and something better than 7th place and the Motor City Bowl.
