BilldGopher
Section 211
- Joined
- Nov 12, 2008
- Messages
- 4,812
- Reaction score
- 2,880
- Points
- 113
From David Jones, PSU beat writer for the Patriot News:
"Coaching changes, either pending or executed, throw a quirky emotional vibe at college players. If a guy they like is under fire, they can get behind him and the adrenaline can carry even a bad team for four quarters.
And if a guy they dreaded has been removed, well, it's kinda like the windows have been thrown open and everyone can breathe.
From all accounts, that's the situation in Minneapolis as the Golden Gophers operate for the first week without the services of just-fired Tim Brewster. It's not that the players didn't like him. He just wasn't the man for the job and the tension around the football complex was stifling as failure piled upon failure and news of his impending exit ran rampant. Minnesota earlier this year was outscored by FCS entry South Dakota 41-38 and two weeks later lost to MAC member Northern Illinois – both at home. After a come-from-ahead loss to Northwestern, something had to give.
Minnesota is still not a good football team. But under the leadership of offensive coordinator Jeff Horton you can expect a nothing-to-lose mentality on Saturday that could be nothing short of liberating.
After a 28-17 embarrassment at crippled Purdue last week, Joel Maturi took Old Yeller out back and put him out of his misery. Brewster was in over his head from the get-go, a guy with no head coaching experience who thought he could turn around a program that hasn't seen a Rose Bowl in 48 years (longest streak in the Big Ten) with rah-rah and recruiting energy.
He forgot to settle on an offensive philosophy, though, unlike say his predecessor Glen Mason who had built a respectable program out of a run-first-run-second mandate. Brewster ran in and ran out three offensive coordinators in four years, the last being Horton, a former head coach at both UNLV and Nevada.
The staff has a real Wisconsin feel to it as both Horton and co-D-coordinator Kevin Cosgrove spent a lot of time under Barry Alvarez. With Brewster out of the way, expect some more stability if not performance.
Where Penn State should be able to perform is on offense. There is no excuse for the Lions not to put up at least 30 on one of the worst defenses in the recent history of the Big Ten. No part of this unit is dependable. It opened the season with all 11 starters being new. Only safety Kyle Theret, who came off suspension in week 3, was an '09 starter.
The D-line has collected four sacks. The linebackers are ordinary. The secondary allows a couple of deep balls for scores every week. The unit leads the league in giving up third- and fourth-down conversions. It's a sieve. Even Purdue, which has lost its quarterback, its All-Big Ten wideout and its top running back to injury, put up four TDs.
The Gopher offense is not quite so pathetic. Quarterback Adam Weber is a 4-year starter. And though he has not looked good recently and Minnesota fans have been baying for running-QB option MarQueis Gray with visions of Denard Robinson dancing in their heads, Weber is by far the superior passer.
Weber also has gotten better performance this year from his offensive line, a salient trend because he opened the season as the most-sacked QB in the 120-team FBS.
Still, expect the Gophers to try to run first. They haven't been very good at it but it's been their M.O. most of the year. And if they can push around Penn State's crippled defense, why not?
Part of the reason, AD Joel Maturi had to make a move mid-season on Brewster was that the Gopher fans, a resilient lot considering the product they've been presented over the years, had been getting really cranky and cut loose with the boos recently. It was a PR disaster.
Now, that pressure is off the players. It's supposed to be relatively mild weather on Saturday and the Gophers do have an exquisite new outdoor park to play in – TCF Bank Stadium. No more of the fetid Metrodome.
If you're one of the few and proud making the trip to the Twin Cities, be advised: President Obama is scheduled to speak on campus in the late afternoon. A Secret Service lock-down of the area is in the plans until he's out of the area. That could mean a post-game traffic nightmare.
A PSU football nightmare is only on tap if the Lions simply don't show up. That's about what it would take to lose to these guys, new-coach energy or not."
Here's the link: http://blog.pennlive.com/davidjones/2010/10/with_brewster_gone_expect_care.html
Go Gophers! Beat the Lions!
"Coaching changes, either pending or executed, throw a quirky emotional vibe at college players. If a guy they like is under fire, they can get behind him and the adrenaline can carry even a bad team for four quarters.
And if a guy they dreaded has been removed, well, it's kinda like the windows have been thrown open and everyone can breathe.
From all accounts, that's the situation in Minneapolis as the Golden Gophers operate for the first week without the services of just-fired Tim Brewster. It's not that the players didn't like him. He just wasn't the man for the job and the tension around the football complex was stifling as failure piled upon failure and news of his impending exit ran rampant. Minnesota earlier this year was outscored by FCS entry South Dakota 41-38 and two weeks later lost to MAC member Northern Illinois – both at home. After a come-from-ahead loss to Northwestern, something had to give.
Minnesota is still not a good football team. But under the leadership of offensive coordinator Jeff Horton you can expect a nothing-to-lose mentality on Saturday that could be nothing short of liberating.
After a 28-17 embarrassment at crippled Purdue last week, Joel Maturi took Old Yeller out back and put him out of his misery. Brewster was in over his head from the get-go, a guy with no head coaching experience who thought he could turn around a program that hasn't seen a Rose Bowl in 48 years (longest streak in the Big Ten) with rah-rah and recruiting energy.
He forgot to settle on an offensive philosophy, though, unlike say his predecessor Glen Mason who had built a respectable program out of a run-first-run-second mandate. Brewster ran in and ran out three offensive coordinators in four years, the last being Horton, a former head coach at both UNLV and Nevada.
The staff has a real Wisconsin feel to it as both Horton and co-D-coordinator Kevin Cosgrove spent a lot of time under Barry Alvarez. With Brewster out of the way, expect some more stability if not performance.
Where Penn State should be able to perform is on offense. There is no excuse for the Lions not to put up at least 30 on one of the worst defenses in the recent history of the Big Ten. No part of this unit is dependable. It opened the season with all 11 starters being new. Only safety Kyle Theret, who came off suspension in week 3, was an '09 starter.
The D-line has collected four sacks. The linebackers are ordinary. The secondary allows a couple of deep balls for scores every week. The unit leads the league in giving up third- and fourth-down conversions. It's a sieve. Even Purdue, which has lost its quarterback, its All-Big Ten wideout and its top running back to injury, put up four TDs.
The Gopher offense is not quite so pathetic. Quarterback Adam Weber is a 4-year starter. And though he has not looked good recently and Minnesota fans have been baying for running-QB option MarQueis Gray with visions of Denard Robinson dancing in their heads, Weber is by far the superior passer.
Weber also has gotten better performance this year from his offensive line, a salient trend because he opened the season as the most-sacked QB in the 120-team FBS.
Still, expect the Gophers to try to run first. They haven't been very good at it but it's been their M.O. most of the year. And if they can push around Penn State's crippled defense, why not?
Part of the reason, AD Joel Maturi had to make a move mid-season on Brewster was that the Gopher fans, a resilient lot considering the product they've been presented over the years, had been getting really cranky and cut loose with the boos recently. It was a PR disaster.
Now, that pressure is off the players. It's supposed to be relatively mild weather on Saturday and the Gophers do have an exquisite new outdoor park to play in – TCF Bank Stadium. No more of the fetid Metrodome.
If you're one of the few and proud making the trip to the Twin Cities, be advised: President Obama is scheduled to speak on campus in the late afternoon. A Secret Service lock-down of the area is in the plans until he's out of the area. That could mean a post-game traffic nightmare.
A PSU football nightmare is only on tap if the Lions simply don't show up. That's about what it would take to lose to these guys, new-coach energy or not."
Here's the link: http://blog.pennlive.com/davidjones/2010/10/with_brewster_gone_expect_care.html
Go Gophers! Beat the Lions!
