I attended my first game at the brand new TCF Bank Stadium on Saturday when the Minnesota Golden Gophers hosted the Illinois Fighting Illini. Before we get to the actual game, I'd like to be positive for one second and talk about the stadium itself.
They didn't screw this thing up. When attending a game at the Metrodome (my last Gopher game was September 2003), you didn't feel like you were at a college football game. It felt like the Vikings moronic cousin was playing on their field. The band played at halftime, but really who cared?
Now the Gophers have a home of their own. We've heard that before and it sounds cliche, but it's true. The experience as a fan is even better. I sat 7 rows from the field at the corner of the endzone with the scoreboard. Even sitting 7 rows back felt like you were right on top of the field, as I was about 30 feet from the actual corner. The place is intimate and a sea of maroon and gold filled the stadium, although it was about midway through the 2nd quarter before it was full.
Of course, there are some structural flaws. The concourse is the concourse for the entire stadium. So when halftime hits, even though the concourse is bigger and wider overall than the Metrodome, it doesn't matter because 50,000 people want their hot dog and pop at the same time. They also don't use cash registers at the concession stands who were about to run out of bratwurst right before halftime. Good luck with that one.
Overall, the experience for the fan is great...except for the team on the field. The Gophers are in trouble once again. When Tim Brewster was hired by the Gophers following the 2006 season, he was supposed to take the Gophers to the next level. What "Gopher Nation" has gotten is more Insight Bowls rather than Rose Bowls.
It all starts with Brewster on this one. I still don't think he knows what type of team he wants, a dangerous thing when it comes to coaching. Especially when you've been coaching for three years at the school. He's had 2 offensive coordinators and 3 defensive coordinators at the U of M. This has really screwed with recruiting on the offensive end.
First there was Mike Dunbar who wanted to run the spread offense. Brewster went and got team speed. He had Adam Weber, who thrived in his freshman season in the new offense. He acquired MarQuies Gray who was known for his running as well. Then Dunbar left, and he brought Jedd Fisch in. With the new change, Brewster decided he wanted to add a power running game to his spread offense. Power running and spread offense go together like peanut butter and mustard. Not healthy or delicious. Throw in the fact that the running backs they have aren't very good, and the offense sucks.
Suddenly, the quarterbacks have turned to garbage. Confusion reigns supreme on both sides of the ball. One has to ask themselves whether or not Brewster is the right guy to lead this team to the next level. The question is, can the Gophers get anyone better?
The answer was yes. The two candidates the Gophers passed over were Lane Kiffin (who got a NFL job after being rejected by the Gophers and then going to Tennessee) and Charlie Strong (who is in the process of competing for a 3rd national championship at Florida). Strong is still available, and the Gophers could avenge their mistake, but they need to get the right guy. A big name might help (look at the Gopher basketball program), but is it the right big name.
The bottom line with this is that Brewster has to turn things around quickly. I had to buy my tickets for the game from a season ticket holder. If the Gophers keep this up, I may be able to employ my Timberwolves strategy in which I buy a 40 dollar ticket for 5 bucks on StubHub and then walk down to the lower level. The Gophers haven't been to the Rose Bowl in 50 years. Now is the time for a change.
No comments:
Post a Comment