Gopher Football
Let’s investigate whether Hartman’s thoughts carry any relevance.
Sept. 5, at Syracuse ““ The Gophers will enter this game as the prohibitive favorite. Syracuse has just five wins over Division I-A opponents the last four years. Their leading returning rusher, Doug Hogue, is now a linebacker. The return of talented wide receiver Mike Williams, who missed last year because of a cheating allegation, will help. New head coach Doug Marrone is running a tight ship – no facial hair is allowed and he made all spring drills full-contact. He may win with the Orange eventually, but it won’t be in this game.
Final Verdict: WIN (1-0)
Sept. 12, host Air Force ““ It’ll be a tussle between two undefeated teams (the Falcons get Nicholls State in week one). Air Force has 13 starters returning (6 off., 7 def.) from an eight win team a year ago (5-2 on the road), including its quarterback and leading rusher. This game will be far from a layup, considering all the pressure associated with winning the first game in TCF Bank Stadium. The Falcons only lost to a super Utah team by a touchdown in 2008. Troy Calhoun has proven he can coach. In fact, some would easily take Calhoun over Tim Brewster. He’s won 17-games in his two seasons in Colorado Springs.
Final Verdict: WIN, but it’ll be closer than most think (2-0)
Sept. 19, host California ““ “The Bears defense, dare we say it, in a conference lorded over by USC, might actually end up as the Pac-10’s best unit.“
ESPN’s Ted Miller
Pack a lunch! The Golden Bears have a chance to be really good. They will have a new signal-caller – either Kevin Riley or Brock Mansion. But they won’t have a new tailback. Jahvid Best is the leading rusher in the country among returning players. He did have offseason foot and elbow surgeries. They return 17 starters (7 off., 8 def., 2 special teams). If this team has a weakness, it very well could be its receiving corp.
Final Verdict: LOSS (2-1)
Sept. 26, at Northwestern ““ Who wouldn’t take Pat Fitzgerald as Minnesota’s coach? He has proven that he’s among the big time up-and-comers in the nation. We are all aware of what quarterback Mike Kafka can do. The Wildcats will miss running back Tyrell Sutton and wide receiver Eric Peterman. They have 14 starters returning (5 off., 8 def., 1 special teams). Northwestern only played two true freshmen in 2008, the fewest of any Big Ten team. They lost a lot of guys (23 total). They return just 27% of its rushing yardage, only 19% of its receiving yardage. Northwestern will stop people at times, so will have a chance in some games. I have a hunch that Kevin Cosgrove’s defense will be up to the challenge in the Big Ten opener. They will contain Kafka enough, and with limited offensive weapons, it’s a winnable game for Minnesota on a schedule that does them no favors.
Final Verdict: WIN (3-1)
Oct. 3, host Wisconsin ““ Despite the appearance of a cordial handshake between Brewster and Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema last year in Madison, make no mistake – these two do not like each other. It’s time for Brewster to finally beat the hated Badgers. The time is right. Wisconsin has gotten progressively worse the past couple of years. Firebretbielema.com is quickly becoming popular among the Wisconsin faithful. The Badgers return 13 starters (6 off., 5 def., 2 special teams), only one along the defensive line and same at the linebacker position. However, they do have other returning players who have started games. The Badgers played a school-record six games that were decided by six points or less in 2008, winning three of those. Presumably, this will be a close game, decided in the game’s final minutes. Will Bielema own Brewster again? We say, like previous years, the Gophers will start the season strong. We like Adam Weber a whole lot more than Dusin Sherer.
Final Verdict: WIN (4-1)
Oct. 10, host Purdue (homecoming) ““ At this point, the Boilermakers are a bit of a mystery, but new head coach Danny Hope will continue to run the spread offense. We’ll know enough about Purdue entering this game because in previous weeks they play @ Oregon and host Notre Dame and Northwestern, among others. They return 13 starters (4 off., 7 def., 2 special teams). Among its losses: quarterback Curtis Painter, running back Kory Sheets, and wide receivers Desmond Tardy and Greg Orton. Change may not be a bad thing in this case. Purdue went just 2-6 in Big Ten play in 2008. Justin Siller was dismissed for violating school policy meaning fifth-year senior Joey Elliott will likely get the nod as Hope’s starting quarterback. That is problematic if you’re a loyal Boilermakers observer, not if you’re a Gophers fan.
Final Verdict: WIN ( 5-1)
Oct. 17, at Penn State ““ Gophers fans, hope this game is during the day. That environment at night is nearly unbearable. The Nittany Lions return the best quarterback in the conference – Daryll Clark. He was marvelous last year, but he’ll have to operate this season without Derrick Williams, Deon Butler, and Jordan Norwood. Penn State catches a break, getting Eastern Illinois the week prior to its matchup with Minnesota. Penn State returns the fewest position starters of any Big Ten team – nine. Tailback Evan Royster is back though. He ran for 1,236 yards in 2008, averaging 6.5 yards per carry. Among the Big Ten’s top-six rushers last year, Royster is the only back who returns. This is typically where we’ve seen the Gophers struggle mightily in previous seasons – the middle portion of their schedule – and with a tough stretch, this year will be no different.
Final Verdict: LOSS (5-2)
Oct. 24, at Ohio State ““ The Gophers are 3-20 all-time vs. Ohio State in games played in Columbus. The Buckeyes lost a lot of firepower, but return eight starters on defense and quarterback Terrelle Pryor. They have issues along their offensive line and at the receiver position, yet the expectation will still be no more than three losses. Maybe Brewster’s bunch can make it a bit more competitive than last year (It was 34-7 before two late, meaningless scores made the final 34-21), but they will not win this tilt. The Buckeyes may very well end up in a BCS game for a fifth consecutive year.
Final Verdict: LOSS (5-3)
Oct. 31, host Michigan State ““ It’ll be a Halloween game under the lights at the Vault, the first matchup between these two since 2006. The Spartans lost quarterback Brian Hoyer and running back Javon Ringer, but return seven offensive and eight defensive starters. This, in my opinion, is the toughest game to prognosticate this far out. Spartans head coach Mark Dantonio has indicated he may go with a two quarterback system – Keith Nichol and Kirk Cousins. Dantonio easily trumps Brewster. How will the Gophers respond to back-to-back losses? There are negatives when laying out the case for the Gophers, but I think they will overcome those.
Final Verdict: WIN (6-3, bowl eligible)
Nov. 7, host Illinois ““ Illinois has 18 starters returning plus all of its special teams aces. Revenge will be on the Illini’s collective mind, after what the Gophers did in Champaign last year. Illinois lost its final three games in 2008, finishing with just five wins. I get the feeling that Ron Zook’s team will rebound nicely in 2009. I was bashed recently for suggesting that I would rather have Eric Decker than the Illini’s Arrelious Benn. I can understand the other side. Benn will undoubtedly have a monster year with four-year starter Juice Williams throwing it his way. Illinois gets the revenge it so richly wants. It’s home loss #2.
Final Verdict: LOSS (6-4)
Nov. 14, host South Dakota State ““ The Jackrabbits were a Division II program until moving to Division I in 2004. Brewster could safely tweet right now, “We cut the collective tail off of the Jackrabbits.” This simply isn’t a game that the Gophers will lose.
Final Verdict: WIN (7-4)
Nov. 21, at Iowa ““ 14 starters return (6 off., 8 def.) for arguably the best coach in the conference, Kirk Ferentz. Jewel Hampton replaces Shonn Greene at tailback – how much remains to be seen. Ricky Stanzi returns at quarterback and there are experts who favor Stanzi over Weber. I know this much – he’s good. Iowa is coming off a successful 9-4 season and will be in the mix for the Big Ten championship again this year. The Hawkeyes embarrased the Gophers in the final game in the Metrodome, 55-0. Think there may be a sign or two eluding to that game in Iowa City on this Saturday afternoon? Iowa does play at Ohio State the week before, so a hangover factor could be in play. But it won’t matter. Winning at Kinnick isn’t an easy thing.
Final Verdict: LOSS (7-5)
Final Thoughts ““ Another seven win season would likely earn Tim Brewster that contract extension, especially with the daunting schedule. I respectfully disagreed with a friend, when he threw out the idea of an extension following the win at Illinois last year. It was just too early and came off too much as an extreme homerish take. But I could feel the vibe on it after this year.
It’s a monster year for Brewster, entering year three. We know he can recruit, but we still have very little proof that he can properly prepare a game plan and make in-game adjustments (although at Wisconsin last year was a start after twentysomething games). A 7-5 season would go a decent way in quieting his many critics. And for some, another trip to the Insight Bowl would do very little.
Darren “Doogie” Wolfson has a passion for Gophers athletics, but not a consistent forum in which he’s allowed to spew his thoughts, unfiltered. Well, now he has one. Wolfson spent 12-plus years with KFAN Radio, wearing multiple hats – from producing and technically directing, to reporting and hosting. He spent a majority of his time working with Sid Hartman’s son, Chad, on the ‘Chad Hartman Show.’
Today, he is the master of pajama day, but works from time to time for CH 9 (fill-in sports anchor and web show commentator), the MLB Network, and St. Paul Saints television. He also is a semi-reliable lunchtime hoopster, except when he’s asked to play some defense.
Wolfson is taking the plunge into marriage in October. He currently cohabitates with, no, not his soon to be ex-wife, his soulmate, in Golden Valley.
Talk about the 2009 Gopher football team on Brew’s Crew message board.