Golden Nugz - rainy days and Monday's 11.23.09
by GopherNation on Nov 23, 2009 9:43 AM CST
in Gopher Football
12 comments
Regular season is over. We haven't scored on Iowa in eight quarters. 6-6 is the record. The Insight Bowl is the likely destination.
Where do things stand with Brewster and his contract situation? Things are not as clear as they maybe should be. Marcus Fuller reports the Joel Maturi was very vague about Brewster's contract status. At this point I'll be shocked if he gets an extension and I would agree whole-heartedly with that decision. But Fuller was hinting that Brewster's job may be in jeopardy and I'm not on board with that one yet.
Maturi said earlier this season that Brewster would likely be back next year. When asked about that again after Saturday's game, Maturi said, "Brewster has two years left on his contract at this time." A contract extension for Brewster, who signed a five-year deal in 2007, might now seem unlikely. But Maturi wouldn't confirm that. "It doesn't mean I haven't already made up my mind," he said.
My guess is that he'll be back next year but told he'll need to work for that contract extension. He is still under contract for two years and this will make recruiting a bit more difficult but start winning and winning games you maybe shouldn't. Then the contract and recruiting will take care of itself.
All in all the season played about about as expected. Everyone assumed it would be about a 6-6 or maybe 7-5 season. We all expected wins over Syracuse, SDSU, Air Force and Purdue. Everyone assumed we would lose to Iowa, PSU, OSU and Cal, which happened. NU, Wis, MSU and even Ill would end up being games that could go either way and they were. We'll wrap up the season in greater detail later but let's get to the Nugz.
- The offense is really taking a beating today in the media and they should. But clearly the blame needs to be placed at the feet of Brewster. And Garret Brown refrained from calling out the offense but yet he pretty much called out the offense.
"We did everything we had to do," Brown said of the defense, which recorded four sacks and held Iowa to 171 total yards and 1 for 13 on third-down conversions. "As a full team, we couldn't get it done."
- Brewster won the infamous Dummy of the Day award.
- Finally, even Sid is piling on the offense.
- The Gopher women's basketball team hosted and won the Subway Classic this past weekend. 87-78 over Colorado in the championship game sealed the deal. The women are 3-1 on the season.
- Seantrel Henderson is one of six finalists for the US Army High School Player of the Year. Doubtful he'll be a Gopher but he's still one of us and congratulations to the young man.
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My Guess
A lot if “ifs” here but if the U of M plays Oklahoma and gets blown out, Brewster will be packing his bags the day after. Play them tough and he bought himself another year. As much as I hate to think of seeing Fisch on the sidelines next year, you gotta ride it out with him. Unless a serious run for the roses takes place next year, Brewster is history. The only hope is that Fisch learned a lot from this OJT year and next year we see a much improved offense.
We need a QB coach
who has actually played quarterback somewhere, anywhere. Fisch does not know how to guide Weber because he never played at the college level and he never played quarterback. Brewster needs to dump his do-nothing tight end coach and go get himself an ex-NFL QB as a quarterback coach. Jim Zorn will be available after this season.
By the way, Fargo Flash said on Rosen that Henderson will commit to Minnesota.
Garrick
That would be another way for Brewster to keep his job, land S. Henderson.
by Texas Gopher on Nov 23, 2009 11:23 AM CST up reply actions
Uhhhhh...Garrett
Freshman QB making career start number 2 and Adam Robinson re-injured after pounding the ball down your throat for 72 yards on just 12 carries!! But hey, you are the awesomeest #11 ranked defense in the history of the Big 10!! You might even say you are “treeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeemendous!”
"Expectations"
It’s worth mentioning – to steal a Jim Souhan point – that the 6-6 record is more forgivable than many of the “hows” and “whys” of the season. Nail-biters against Syracuse and SDSU, coaching lapses, poor clock management, and general ineptitude highlight these concerns. Iowa left the door open on Saturday, but the Gophs never really seemed to have a chance and I think that’s what truly creates the perception that the program is in shambles.
The question I believe Maturi is wrestling with is: “What then?” If Brewster were canned after a potential bowl loss this holiday season, what would the goal be for the next head coach? You’d have to think that many players would leave the program, and you’d again be looking at another bare-cupboard season a la 2007. The only remedy I can think of is the removal of Brewster and/or Fisch with Cross or Cosgrove taking over the reigns. Probably Cross. And even that is a bleak future…
and what does that say to potential candidates?
anybody already established would pass on a program that cans their coach in year three after having a season that went about as expected. I completely agree with you that record is OK, but how we got there is disturbing (we were much closer to 4-8 than we were to 8-4). But you would end up having to hire another coach who is fairly unproven. MAYBE you could get an embattled former big time coach (Fulmer) who just wants to prove he can win at another major program, but if you want this program to be anything other than a turnstile of mediocrity you have to be patient.
what you say here can, and will, be used against you
by GopherNation on Nov 23, 2009 12:52 PM CST up reply actions
Agree/Disagree
I agree with most of your post, GN, but I think we were just as close to 8-4, perhaps even closer. Wisconsin and Illinois could have easily been victories, and I think they will be next year IF (granted, a big if) we have solid quarterback play. Oklahoma, our anticipated bowl opponent, is another good example of a talented team bogged down by an inconsistent QB.
Maturi should keep Brewster around for one more season. The Gophers will get another nice recruiting class, and we’ll all know whether or not Brewster can actually coach his guys. The one thing I really want is for Fisch to simplify the play-calling process and the playbook, which should make things easier for Weber and keep the offense from burning timeouts.
On another note, this site is great, and thanks for all the work you do on it. As a Gopher alum, I really appreciate it.
I know those games were winable
but Wisconsin dominated us in the second half and Illinois was really in control for the entire thing. A couple of our wins were much closer than those two losses.
what you say here can, and will, be used against you
by GopherNation on Nov 23, 2009 2:32 PM CST up reply actions
One observation
that I don’t think we have talked about are the players. It looks to me that Brewster still has them and that they are playing hard. I think we have all seen what a team that has bailed out on the head coach looks like and I don’t see it (yet??).
Gopher Men's Basketball has moved up in the Rankings..moved up to 16th from 18th in the ESPN/USA Today poll
and from 24th to 22nd in the AP Poll!
How does maryland
get more love than Tubby from the AP? You know…the team with no frontcourt at all. Even with the suspensions the Gophers have a better frontcourt. LOL got to love it. Can’t wait for the Butler game. Hope the gophs lock em down on D and make them look foolish.
by TheEvilProfessor on Nov 24, 2009 7:38 AM CST up reply actions
TEP
I am also really looking forward to the Butler game since it will be my first time to see this year’s squad on TV. More than anything, I would like to see that Nolan has made some improvement. I also hope Tubby is going to play a little more up-tempo.
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