Minnesota Gophers: Same Old Song and Dance

After another disappointing loss, one thing is painfully clear about the Golden Gophers football team: This squad still has the stink of Glen Mason on them. 

Throughout Mason's tenure, there were two constants:  a stellar, clock-grinding run game and a consistent pattern of failing each and every time the team had a chance to elevate itself to the upper echelon of the Big Ten.

I'm not saying the 2009 edition of the Gophers had any chance of being considered "elite" this season.  The fact of the matter is that the Big Ten is down this year.  It takes time to build a program, if you want to get to the top in the standings, you need to beat all the teams you should beat and throw in a victory here and there when you're the underdog.  Despite Coach Brewster's promises, this team hasn't budged one inch from being the poster children for mediocrity.  Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.

Optimism was back in the fold for Gopher fans following a nice win for the program over Michigan State on Halloween night.  Now the Spartans weren't exactly the toughest opponent the Gophers faced all year, but they are a solid football team.  Both teams were coming off difficult losses the week before and both squads badly needed a win.  The Gophers came out with all guns firing and quickly jumped out to a 14-0 lead.  Despite many, many mental errors, the Gophers battled the Spartans to the end and came out on top.  Maybe there was hope for this team afterall.

All that stood between the Gophers and gaining bowl eligibility were the lowly Illini for the University of Illinois.  The Illini had been dreadful all season, but did manage a nice win over Michigan the week before.  Quarterback Juice Williams had struggled all season, but finally broke out against the Wolverines.  Still, the Gophers were playing at home and most fans felt they would handle the Illini.  Not so fast.

Juice Williams lead the Illini down the field on the opening drive to a relatively easy score.  On the Gophers opening series, QB Adam Weber (who had been masterful the previous week) telegraphed a pass into the flat that resulted in an interception and a 14-0 Illini lead.  Even though the Illini lost Juice Williams to an injury on their second offensive series, by halftime the Gophers trailed 28-7 and everything they worked for the previous week was gone.

Give the Gophers credit for not quitting.  They made a ballgame of it, but still lost by three points.  Losing at home to a team that you should beat is unacceptable. If they aspire to be anything better than average, losses like that cannot occur.

I'm not ready to give up on Coach Brewster yet.  There is still a chance to salvage this season, but it's going to take more than beating an FCS school this week to do it.  They are going to have to go on the road and beat Iowa in the season finale.  This is a game that Brewster needs.  In three seasons, he's yet to win a rivalry game.  You can say that every game carries the same weight, but every fan knows that's not true.  Games with Iowa and Wisconsin are bigger, and rightfully they should be.

The worst case scenario is a 5-7 finish for the Gophers.  Some fans may try to reason that a sub .500 record wouldn't be the end of the world, given that the Gophers have made an effort to schedule better non-conference opponents.  While that's true, those opponents are somewhat offset by the decline of the Big Ten this year.  A 5-7 record would certainly put Brewster on the hot seat for next season and a 6-6 record wouldn't offer Brewster much more security.  Wins over South Dakota State and Iowa would definitely point the program in the right direction and offer fans a reason to be optimistic about 2010.

Even if the Gophers lose their last two games, I still think Coach Brewster deserves a chance next season.  His first full recruiting class are true sophomores.  Give those kids a chance to grow as players before making your final decision on Coach Brew.  Let his players complete one full cycle in the program.  If the Gophers aren't contending for a Big Ten title and playing in a New Year's Day bowl game in January of 2012, I'd hope the Gophers athletic department is ready to shake Coach Brewster's hand, thank him for the effort and begin the search for a new head coach.