Football
Big Ten Countdown - No. 10, Minnesota
By Tony Gerdeman

No. 10 Minnesota

Predicted Finish 6-6 (2-6)

Two-Cent Overview

A newly-implemented spread offense, anchored by old school run-blockers and piloted by one of four quarterbacks who have thrown a combined twelve passes seems to indicate the offense will struggle early on. The defense is in a bit of a flux as well, as defensive end Steve Davis moves to linebacker, and assorted other defenders (including the Gophers' best cornerback, Dominic Jones) have been kicked off the team. All in all, picking the Gophers to win two Big Ten games may be two too many.

Schedule

Sept. 1 Bowling Green (W)
Sept. 8 Miami (OH) (W)
Sept. 15 at Florida Atlantic (W)
Sept. 22 Purdue (W)
Sept. 29 Ohio State (L)
Oct. 6 at Indiana (L)
Oct. 13 at Northwestern (L)
Oct. 20 North Dakota State (W)
Oct. 27 at Michigan (L)
Nov. 3 Illinois (W)
Nov. 10 at Iowa (L)
Nov. 17 Wisconsin (L)

Goal

A January bowl game not sponsored by GMAC.

Five Questions Looking For Answers

1. Is there a quarterback to run Tim Brewster's "Spreadcoast Offense"?
2. Who came up with the term "Spreadcoast Offense"?
3. Was it followed with a high-five and somebody reaffirming the decision by saying "that's an awesome name!"?
4. Will this new offense lessen running back Amir Pinnix's load, or increase it?
5. Is there a cornerback on the team capable of stepping in for the forcibly departed Dominic Jones?

Something To Look For

Running from the quarterbacks. Offensive coordinator Mike Dunbar was at Northwestern from 2001-2005, and those teams saw considerable running from quarterback Brett Basanez. And from the looks of the quarterbacks on Minnesota's roster, there are some capable runners in the mix. Junior Tony Mortensen is the most experienced quarterback on the roster, and has surprisingly impressed Tim Brewster with his mobility.

"The thing that really pleased me about Tony Mortensen this spring was his ability to move, his ability to do some things. We're not looking to have Vince Young, but we want a guy that has some athletic ability in the pocket."

Redshirt freshman Adam Weber is the most mobile quarterback, but probably isn't yet the passer that Mortensen is. True freshman (and coach's son) Clint Brewster is the future at the position, and he's a runner and a thrower. However, his time will probably have to wait a year or two.

Returning Starters

Six on offense, eight on defense and both the place-kicker and punter.

Best Player

Running back Amir Pinnix. Pinnix averaged 98 yards rushing last season, finishing with 1,272 yards and ten touchdowns. Don't expect those numbers to go down. Offensive coordinator Mike Dunbar spent last season at Cal, where, for comparison's sake, the Golden Bears out-rushed the Gophers 2,124 yards to 2,007, so he's no stranger to running the ball. Pinnix will probably get the ball all over the field, which will allow him to use his quickness to maneuver in space and find mismatches. The Gophers are going to need Pinnix to find the endzone at least 15-20 times this season, and with goal line plunger Alex Daniels no longer on the team, Pinnix will also get his share of cheapies.

Second Best Player

Defensive end Willie VanDeSteeg. VanDeSteeg finished third in the conference in sacks last season with ten. He's big (6'4" 255) and active (40 tackles). And he will probably be especially effective when former book-end Steve Davis blitzes right behind VanDeSteeg, forcing on-the-fly decision-making from the offensive line. With the loss of Dominic Jones at cornerback, VanDeSteeg's contributions in the pass rush become even more crucial, because it's not likely that whoever replaces Jones will be able to stay with his man as long as Jones could.

Best Chance For a Big Loss

Purdue. Yes, Minnesota is picked to win this game in the schedule above. But you now how Purdue games are. This could be one of those 44-17 games where you're shocked by the score as they flash some highlights during halftime of another game you're watching. Plus, with Minnesota's iffy situation at cornerback, a game against Purdue (after opening with Bowling Green, Miami (OH) and Florida Atlantic) may not be a positive situation to be in.

Most Important Game

Wisconsin. This will be Tim Brewster's first shot at Paul Bunyan's Axe--and it's at home. The Gophers haven't beaten Wisconsin since 2003, so you know Brewster wants this one for all kinds of reasons.

Best Road Game To Pack Up The Family Truckster And Travel To

At Michigan. All Gopher fans should travel to Michigan Stadium once, so that they can see how much louder their 50,000-seat stadium will be compared to Michigan's 110,000-seat stadium--which is basically just a big mass of iron and tweed.

Best Reason They Won't Be Undefeated

Because Tim Brewster could be an updated version of John L. Smith.

Best Reason They Will Be Undefeated

Remember in "Days of Thunder" when Robert Duvall tells Tom Cruise that he put "special tires" on his car so that he could take corners faster than normal? Brewster is a lot like Duvall's character in the sense that he tells his team a whole lot of half-truths. The scary part, however, is that Brewster actually believes it.

Game They Shouldn't Lose, But Could

Bowling Green. Some of the most painful television comes from watching teams try to run the spread for the first time against a real opponent who is better at it and sees it every week.

Player People Are Expecting Too Much From

The quarterback. Whoever it may be, expect him to struggle. The quarterback will get the brunt of the criticism, but keep in mind that everybody on the offense is starting over in a new system. It's going to be hard for the entire offense to be on the same page when this is their first time reading the book.

Player People Will Be Pleasantly Surprised By

Middle linebacker Mike Sherels. Sherels led the team in tackles last year with 104. However, he only had 4.5 tackles for loss and didn't record a single sack. Minnesota is implementing a more aggressive defense this season, which should allow Sherels to not only make his usual plays from sideline to sideline, but also in the backfield.

Best Newcomer

Cornerback Harold Howell. While not a highly-regarded player, and not one of great stature (5'8" 160), Howell may make the biggest impact of the incoming freshman. Brewster plans to use him as both the punt and kick returner and makes no attempts to hide his feelings about Howell.

"We are extremely excited and fired up about Harold Howell. He's really fast." Howell will also be looked at on defense, but when asked if Howell can tackle, Brewster replied with, "That's what we'll find out." How's that for an endorsement.

Game On The Schedule That Would Make Bret Bielema Jealous

North Dakota State. It will be interesting in the next few years to see what Brewster does with Minnesota's schedule. Will he continue down the path put forth by Glen Mason, or will he try to take on "all comers" in an effort to show everybody what a great brand of football Minnesota plays? Don't hold your breath for the latter, because the Minnesota fans--and trustees--have already shown that seven or eight wins aren't enough.

Something They Do Well

Return kicks and cover kicks. The Gophers kick coverage was top notch last season, and looks to be again this season. They also finished first in kick returns and second in punt returns. Of course, Dominic Jones was responsible for most of those returns, which is why Harold Howell is being counted on so heavily in 2007. It remains to be seen if Howell can step in seamlessly, but the fundamental foundation has obviously been laid for the return game.

Something They Don't Do So Well

Defend the pass. The last four games of the season last year saw the Gophers give up an average of 366 yards per game through the air. For the season, they gave up 268 yards. Enter 2007, and the departure of their two top corners. They do return three safeties who all started games last season, but there are too many questions at cornerback to consider this an area of strength.

What's Improved?

Attitude? Tim Brewster has come to campus talking about Big Ten Championships and National Championships and bringing pride back to the state of Minnesota. It actually seems like Brewster treats this job as his last stop. And if he believes half of the stuff he spouts, it may just be.

What's Gotten Worse?

Acceptance of bowl games in the state of Tennessee. Whatever you do, Coach Brewster, stay away from the Music City Bowl. They HATE the Music City Bowl! (They also don't like bowl games in Arizona where they lead by 31 points in the third quarter and lose.)

Anything Else We Should Know About?

Tim Brewster has said that "everything is about recruiting". Which is why in his short tenure already, he made it a point to have his staff visit every high school in the state of Minnesota. 392 high schools, to be exact. His goal is to build his team from within the state, and then go outside to fill in the cracks.

"What we tried to do is to share our program with the people in the state of Minnesota and they've responded in a big way."

Anything Else?

Just a couple of words for the folks that got rid of Glen Mason. Glen Mason gave you people steak to eat every year, and you gobbled it up because it had been so long since you had had consistent steak. And then you wanted more steak. And then you wanted steak wrapped in bacon. But when Glen Mason was only able to provide the same type and amount of steak year after year, you grew tired of it. You grew tired of this "manna" steak. You grew to hate it and you thought you deserved better, never stopping to think that this was all you really needed. Glen Mason fed your bellies and built you a new home, and still you were not happy. He took your school to seven of its twelve bowl games (including five in a row), and yet you wanted more. Here's hoping Tim Brewster wins a BCS Championship within the next couple of years like you apparently feel you deserve.

One Prediction

Wisconsin will beat Minnesota by a touchdown or less this season.

Did you know (Media Guide factoid)

Bronko Nagurski is the only college player to be named a first-team consensus All-American at two different positions (1929).

Coach Speak

What Tim Brewster says: "To me, if you're a pup and you'll bite, you'll bite as a dog."

What it means: It means Brewster is channeling Yoda through John Cooper.

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