1. Is it unheard of for a team to score enough points to overcome a 26 point lead? The Gophers once gave up 31 in the 4th quarter to Michigan and squandered a 21 point lead in the process. I know because I was there.
I'd like to see you find a game at the Division I-A level (or FBS if you prefer that name) where a team lost a game that they led by 26 points with under 7 minutes to play.
2. Was the game being contested? Against OSU last year Gray was in at QB with more than 7 minutes left when the Gophers went down by 38. Was Gray warming up on the sidelines? I doubt it. TB has, inexplicably not given his backup any garbage time experience this year. He was still contesting the game and had every intention to go for onside kicks until he felt it wasn't winnable.
Brewster has not put in his backup for garbage time all season, and Bielema's coaching staff knew that unless they're so lazy that they don't watch film on upcoming opponents. And how did Bielema know that Brewster would be going for onside kicks? Does he have a mind reader on staff? Apparently his mind reader isn't very good...
3. Referring all the talk about who would do what to who, BB did the timeout thing with Paterno on the other sideline, so he is not applying some lower standard to Brewster. Also in Bielema's first year he was calling timeouts to get the ball back down by ten inside of two minutes and Lloyd Carr threw deep downthe sideline to Manningham as if to say, as long as you contest this gam we're going to bring it. BB was asked about I. After the game and had no issue with it.
I have no problem with his using that loophole - when the rule change happened, I remember thinking about how stupid a change it was and wondered how long it would be until someone exploited it.
How do you compare a 25 point lead to a game with a 10 point lead? Of course Bielema didn't have a problem with Carr throwing deep - that game was still in doubt! 10 points can be overcome with two minutes to play, and Carr had an obligation to put the game away, either by running the ball to get first downs or scoring to make it a 3 score contest. The Badgers were probably putting 8 or 9 in the box to prevent the run, so a deep pass is a good call there.
Also, beyond whether the game was in question or not is another pertinent question - what advantage does going for 2 give in that situation? Does it take it from a 4 score to a 5 score lead? No, it doesn't. Whether they had a 26 or 27 point lead, the Gophers needed 4 scores to catch up. So, does it change the kind of scores needed? For example, changing it from 3 TDs and a FG to 4 TDs? No, in both cases, 3 TDs (with some 2 point conversions) and a FG would have been enough, or if the Gophers don't go for twos, 4 TDs would have been required in both cases. So the reality is that there was virtually no advantage gained from going for 2.
I don't think BB goes for two if he doesnt think the game is being contested. It is that simple.
If you really believe this, then YOU are pretty simple. He ran up the score. Period. No other possible explanation. So the question is, are you making excuses because you're embarrassed that he did that, or are you proud that he did it and are also hiding behind excuses just like he did?
Brewster wasn't angry that he had been showed up, he was angry that Bielema had gone out of his way to embarrass his players. Brewster has plenty of faults and probably won't be back next year, but telling off Bielema on the field and not backing down at the press conference was an example of how much he cares about his players.
And please, let's stop with the "they should be embarrassed by their performance" crap. I'm sure they are, and if they're not, then they've lost the passion needed to play Big Ten football. This isn't about whether the Gopher players/coaching staff is embarrassed. It's about Bielema deciding to throw sportsmanship out the window. This whole idea that we can't be angry about his action because our team didn't perform well is ridiculous. I'm perfectly capable of being annoyed with Brewster and how the team played while also being annoyed at Bielema for a lack of class.
