Author: David Shama

Tim Brewster admires Indianapolis’ Tony Dungy as a football coach but listen to what he has to say about him as a person.  Although Brewster knew Dungy before taking over as Gopher coach, he has become much better acquainted with him since January of 2007.

“…Just the classiest human being that maybe I’ve ever been around and met,” Brewster told Sports Headliners this week.  “And the way he carries himself with such dignity, and the way he treats others is just amazingly inspiring.  And to know that he’s a Minnesota Golden Gopher makes me extremely proud.”

Dungy, of course, quarterbacked the Gophers in the 1970s, later was an assistant coach at Minnesota and then worked as Denny Green’s defensive coordinator for the Vikings from 1992-1995. Although Dungy has been the Indianapolis head coach since 2002, this Sunday will be the first time he’s brought the Colts here for a game against the Vikings.

The Dungy name is part of the coaching gold standard in the NFL.  He became the first African American to coach a Super Bowl winner when his Colts won XLI in 2007.

The Colts, 0-1 after losing their opener to Chicago, are favored to again win the AFC South.  Indianapolis has won the last five AFC South titles.  Dungy’s record with the Colts is 73-24 and his overall NFL wins and losses including his time at Tampa Bay as head coach is 136-75.  His Colts have won 12 games or more each season for five consecutive years, an NFL record.

Why does Brewster have several photos of the former Gopher on his office wall?  “Because it says everything about who we are to be associated with a guy like Tony Dungy,” he said.  “He stands for everything that’s great in coaching in dealing with people.  If I could be a quarter of what Tony Dungy is as a man, that would be more important to me than anything about being a coach.”

Brewster said Dungy was encouraging to him after his first Gopher team finished 1-11.  He said a five minute phone conversation with Dungy can make him feel better.

The Vikings, 0-1 after Monday night’s loss to Green Bay, will be following precedent if they lose to the Colts on Sunday.  Indianapolis has won 21 of 22 games in September and October since 2004.

With 10 games remaining on the schedule there’s no need to rush to judgment about the Gopher defense.  Still, Minnesota has won its first two games and in the process the defense has indicated its predicted improvement from last season is reality.

In wins over Northern Illinois and Bowling Green the Gophers have given up a total of 34 points.  In the first two games last year, a loss to Bowling Green and a win against Miami of Ohio, the total was 67 points.  (All are Mid-American Conference teams.)

In the first two games this season the Gophers have held opponents to 100 yards per game rushing, 293.5 passing and 393.5 total offense.  For all of last season the totals were 229.3 rushing, 289.3 passing and 518.7 total yards.  In the first two games last season opponents averaged 129.5 rushing, 415 passing and 544.5 total yards.

With several new starters, added athleticism and a fresh approach with new defensive coordinator Ted Roof, the Gophers want to believe they’re revitalized defensively.  Senior linebacker Deon Hightower talked about the defense’s success in the first two games and the resulting confidence.

“I think it helps our confidence tremendously because making plays in practice is great, but also it comes down to executing when it’s not going against your buddies,” he said. “Going against somebody else that wants to score just as much as you want to prevent them to score.”

Senior linebacker Steve Davis was literally wearing a construction job hard hat in the Gopher football offices this week, a reward for an aggressive hit he put on a Bowling Green player in last week’s game.  Coaches named him the weekly winner of the team’s “Hard Hat” award.

Davis has played on some much criticized Gopher defenses in the past.  “I am convinced this is a very sound defense that we have right now,” he said last week.

Davis believes there’s more ability on this defense than in the past.  “Athletic wise, yes, I feel like this is the most talented so far,” he said.  “…We’ve still got a lot of young guys who have to learn a lot of things as far as like technique wise and assignment wise. …”

He and other seniors are playing for their third defensive coordinator in four years.  Roof is a former head coach at Duke and was one of the great linebackers in Georgia Tech history.

“Coach Roof is the type of guy where he can get on you when you’re doing wrong and correct you,” Davis said.  “Since he is a guy who was like a great, great football player himself, so you kind of take…that to heart, especially as a linebacker.  At the same time he can be that guy that laugh with you, joke with you.  Be your friend. …We respect his words a lot. …”

The Gophers may improve their defensive numbers tomorrow against Montana State, a team that lost 69-10 to Kansas State last week.  The Bobcats, though, pulled a surprise two years ago defeating Colorado of the Big 12 Conference, 19-10.

EA Sports announced yesterday that Minnesota Timberwolves rookie forward Kevin Love has been chosen for the cover of the newly named EA SPORTS™ college basketball videogame NCAA® Basketball 09 for Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system, and the PLAYSTATION®3 and PlayStation®2 computer entertainment systems.

Gophers’ wide receiver Eric Decker leads the Big Ten in receptions with 16.  Quarterback Adam Weber is second in total offense at 287 yards per game.

Iowa’s Karl Klug, the Big Ten Conference defensive player of the week for his nine tackles, two sacks and forcing a fumble against Florida International, is a defensive end from Caledonia, Minnesota.

Marc Ryan, Gopher associate athletics director, told Sports Headliners that about 10,000 tickets have already been sold for the men’s Midwest first and second round NCAA basketball games at the Metrodome next March.  A local committee, with University and civic officials, has made a bid to host a men’s Final Four at the dome in the 2013-2016 period.  Ryan said a seating configuration of 70,000 will be required.

Invitations have been sent to an October 2 reception at East Cliff to honor Harvey Mackay as a recipient of the University of Minnesota’s Outstanding Achievement award.  The award is given to distinguished alumni and Mackay’s many accomplishments include being a New York Times best selling author.  Mackay is also a former Gopher golfer.  East Cliff is the official residence of University presidents.

Vikings defensive end Kenechi Udeze, who is undergoing treatment for leukemia, will serve as the Honorary Viking and sound the Gjallarhorn at Sunday’s home game against Indianapolis.

With one sack, E.J. Henderson will rank fifth all-time in sacks by a Vikings linebacker.  Strong safety Darren Sharper leads all active NFL players in interceptions with 53.

Former Packers Ryan Longwell and Sharper heard the boos from Green Bay fans on Monday night at Lambeau Field.  Longwell said: “Sharper came up to me on the bench after a couple of my kicks when they were booing so loud and he says, ‘At least I talk trash. They had a reason to boo me.  I don’t know why they’re booing you so loud.'”

Relief pitcher Matt Guerrier was the losing pitcher yesterday in Kansas City’s 3-2 10^th inning win against the Twins.  Twins’ bullpen pitchers have been charged with the losses in eight of the team’s last 11 defeats.  Twins’ starter Francisco Liriano pitched eight innings for the first time since July 28, 2006.   He gave up two earned runs and lowered his ERA to 1.58 since his recall from Triple A Rochester on August 1.

The MIAC led all NCAA Division III conferences in football attendance in 2007, with the nine teams averaging 3,594 fans per game. Total attendance was a Division III-best 176,129 fans.  For the seventh straight season, Saint John’s was first among Division III programs, averaging a school best 8,769 fans per game with total attendance of 52,614. Concordia College-Moorhead was second in the nation with an average of 5,441 fans per game.