Author: David Shama

The Sports Headliners pick is Ohio State but Gopher coach Tim Brewster likes LSU to win the national championship on January 7 in New Orleans.  Brewster told Sports Headliners that the game will be a “great match-up” but he favors LSU because of the Tigers’ speed and athleticism.  He also thinks the best team in college football right now isn’t playing in the national championship game.

Brewster acknowledged LSU has had “distractions” because of rumors that head coach Les Miles might go to Michigan and defensive coordinator Bo Pellini is the new head coach at Nebraska.  With or without the distractions being a factor, I am going with OSU because I think coach Jim Tressel is a better coach than Miles and I often prefer underdogs in bowl games.  The Buckeyes have extra motivation after their humiliating 41-14 loss to Florida in last season’s national championship game.

Brewster noted that in the previous two years Illinois was 4-19 and now the Illini, coming off a 9-3 season, are in the Rose Bowl where they have the task of meeting USC next Tuesday, New Year’s Day. No doubt Brewster, who was 1-11 this season, wants to not only copy the Illini’s explosive spread offense but also the success of challenging for a Big Ten title and earning a trip to Pasadena.  With all of his Big Ten loyalty, though, he isn’t predicting a win by the Illini over the Trojans.  He said “facing probably the best team in college football” means a long day for Illinois.

I agree with Brewster about the Rose Bowl. I also wouldn’t wager a Buckeye leaf that Michigan will beat Florida in Lloyd Carr’s last game as the Wolverines’ coach.  Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Tim Tebow, only a sophomore, is the future; Carr is the past.  On New Year’s Day in the Capital One Bowl the athletic Gators will make the present go very fast for Carr and Michigan.  Brewster agrees with my pick, noting it’s “going to be hard for Lloyd and his kids.”

The best of the bowls on New Year’s Day could be the Outback Bowl with Wisconsin and Tennessee.  Brewster foresees a competitive game and said the offenses are similar including use of play action passes.  The Badgers are impressive in bowl games, 9-3 since 1993. I say Bucky will give the Big Ten its only win on New Year’s Day.

The best storyline of the bowl season to many observers is Indiana.  The historically horrible Hoosiers are playing in the Insight Bowl on Monday night against Oklahoma State.  It’s Indiana’s first bowl game since 1993 and only the 10th in school history. Part of what drove the Hoosiers to bowl land was the team’s dedication to coach Terry Hoeppner who died before the season.  Brewster said the former IU coach “will be watching up above” and predicted the Hoosiers’ emotion will carry them to a win over the Cowboys.

Tomorrow night Joe Paterno’s Penn State team plays Texas A&M in the Alamo Bowl.  Looks like a close match-up but I like Paterno to win in what will be the 500^th game of his young career.  I can’t wait to see the ageless one in game No. 1,000.  Brewster is an admirer of Aggie quarterback Stephen McGee who he likens to the Gophers’ Adam Weber.  McGee, just like Weber, led the Aggies in passing and rushing for the season.

Michigan State isn’t given much chance in tonight’s (Friday) Champs Sports Bowl against Boston College and quarterback Matt Ryan, a Heisman Trophy hopeful earlier this season.  But, then again, remember underdogs often surprise in bowl games and this season of college football has delivered some of the most stunning upsets in memory.

Brewster said the recent national letter of intent signings of four outstanding junior college players is just a prelude to his first recruiting class that will be completed by February 6 when high school players can commit to colleges.

Last week the Gophers signed safety Tramaine Brock, quarterback David Pittman,  linebacker Rex Sharpe and cornerback Traye Simmons. Brewster described the foursome as “the cream of the crop” among junior college players.

Brewster said the junior college players are expected to make an immediate impact.  He doesn’t recruit junior college players to provide depth.  All four will have two years of eligibility and can participate in spring practice starting in late March.

Pittman is a versatile athlete who may play defense and that would mean all the junior college recruits are helping to rebuild one of the nation’s worst defenses.  The task is made more difficult by the loss of star senior safety Dom Barber but Brock and Simmons will help in the secondary.  Rivals.com rates Simmons the no. 4 junior college defensive back in the country.

The Gophers recruiting is rated No. 24 in the country by rivals.com.  Among Big Ten Conference schools only Ohio State, Michigan and Illinois rank higher.

Brewster can’t talk specifically about recruits at this time, including those who have made verbal commitments and players who are likely to do so.  “It will be a tremendous recruiting class,” Brewster said.

Among those players interested in the Gophers but not committed is quarterback MarQueis Gray, from Ben Davis High School in Indianapolis.   Gray is likely to commit to Minnesota or Oregon within the first several days of January.  He is rated by rivals.com as the No. 2 dual purpose quarterback in the nation.

Brewster has a few scholarships remaining for this recruiting class but he declined to say how many the Gophers will use in 2008.  No doubt other schools are aware of Brewster’s recruiting success and wondering who he may close his recruiting class with.  His son Nolan, among the nation’s best prep safeties, is verbally committed to Texas but speculation continues that he may sign with Minnesota.

Brewster has been spending the Christmas holiday in a two bedroom apartment in Denver where his family, wife Kathy and three sons, are in a housing transition.

Brewster was an assistant coach for Denver’s Mike Shanahan before accepting the Gopher job in January.  He described his former boss as “maybe the most prideful man I’ve ever met.”  Brewster expects Shanahan to have the Broncos well prepared for the Vikings on Sunday, despite the Broncos’ disappointing season and 6-8 record.

Former Notre Dame star Ryan Harris, who was born in Minneapolis and attended Cretin-Derham Hall, is an offensive tackle for the Broncos. He was a third round draft choice earlier this year.

In last Sunday’s loss to Washington the Vikings were held under 100 yards rushing for the first time this season.  Although they gained only 87 yards, the Vikings still rank No. 1 in the NFL in rushing per game at 164.1.

In his three last games rookie Adrian Peterson has gained a total of 108 yards. The defenses have made adjustments to stop Peterson and the team’s other runners but the question here is whether the knee injury he suffered on November 11 has impacted his explosiveness, physically and/or psychologically.

Quarterback Tarvaris Jackson’s performance has been among the more scrutinized in the NFL this season, certainly in this town.  What’s he like with the media?  He’s a personable 24-year-old who has had to learn how to deal with reporters.  Soft-spoken with a southern accent, Jackson is approachable and cooperative but cautious about what he says.

In Jackson’s last three games he has thrown two touchdown passes and five interceptions.  On the season his totals are seven and 12.

Former Gopher center Joel Przybilla had 16 rebounds for Portland on Tuesday night in the team’s 11th consecutive win.  He averages 7.3 rebounds and 5.1 points while playing about 21 minutes for Portland. The Timberwolves are at Portland tonight (Friday) playing the Trail Blazers.

Coach Tubby Smith signed five players to National Letters of Intent in the early signing period in November but none are from Minnesota.  Iowa and Wisconsin each signed two Minnesota preps.  Forward Andrew Brommer from Rosemount High School and guard Anthony Tucker from Minnetonka High will be at Iowa next season.  Wisconsin recruits include forward Jared Berggren from Princeton and guard Jordan Taylor from Benilde-St. Maragaret’s.

Smith is new this season to the Big Ten Conference as is Todd Lickliter of Iowa.  Those two, plus Tom Izzo of Michigan State, Bo Ryan of Wisconsin, Kelvin Sampson of Indiana and Bruce Weber of Illinois give the Big Ten six former national coach of the year winners during their careers, more than any conference in the country.

High scoring Indiana freshman Eric Gordon, averaging 23.5 points per game, may lead the Big Ten in scoring this season.  He may also set the league record for highest average ever by a freshman in conference and non-conference games.  Former Ohio State star Michael Redd holds the record with a 21.9 average, while ex-Gopher Kris Humphries is second at 21.7.

The Gophers are off to their best start since the 2000-01 season with an 8-1 record.  A year ago the team was 3-6 playing under interim coach Jim Molinari who had succeeded Dan Monson earlier in the season.  Monson, now head coach at Long Beach State, was featured in an article in the Los Angeles Times on Wednesday.  The story contrasted his high visibility at Minnesota with the relative obscurity of coaching a mid-major program like Long Beach State. His team is 3-6.

Starting tonight the Gophers play their next three (and final) non-conference games in the Duel in the Desert tournament in Las Vegas.  The first opponent is Nicholls State, 4-8 and a member of the Southland Conference.  Nicholls State is located in Thibodaux, Louisiana. There will be no telecasts here of the Gopher games this weekend.