Tim Brewster has been the head coach at Minnesota for three years and involved with coaching for 20 previous seasons but the Gophers preparation during practice last week for the Michigan State game was special, he told Sports Headliners yesterday.
Minnesota, playing without wide receiver Eric Decker, defeated the Spartans 42-34 at TCF Bank Stadium on Saturday to end a two game Big Ten Conference losing streak. “The story is our players and how they responded (having) for two years to lose our best player,” Brewster said. “This was the most prepared I have seen a team in 23 years of coaching. It’s a tremendous credit to the kids.”
Decker, the Gophers record setting receiver who will have surgery on his injured left foot later this week, will miss the last part of the season just as he did a year ago with an injured left ankle. But the players and coaches took inspiration from losing Decker and were motivated to improve their prospects for a bowl game as they prepared last week for Michigan State, a team that had lost four games by a total of 15 points.
Among Brewster’s coaching mantras is that how a team plays on Saturdays is how it prepares during the week. “The coaching staff did a phenomenal job,” Brewster said regarding the Michigan State game. “Jedd Fisch (offensive coordinator) did a great job. I was thrilled with our defense.”
The Gophers improved to a 5-4 overall record and moved within one game of bowl eligibility. The Gophers, who had been averaging 292.8 yards per game in total offense, had 505 against the Spartans. The defense played physical, aggressive football and made timely deflections of Michigan State passes. The defense held Michigan State to a fourth quarter field goal after the Spartans had first down on the Minnesota one yard line and an opportunity to take a 38-35 lead.
Gophers quarterback Adam Weber has been frequently criticized in recent weeks but he passed for 416 yards and five touchdowns. “He was absolutely spectacular,” Brewster said. “He played an extremely complete game. He did what great players do (responding to criticism).”
The Gophers led for most of the game but when the Spartans (4-5) narrowed the margin or even went ahead as they did at the end of the third quarter (31-28), Minnesota responded. The Gophers have come back three times in the second half to win games this season.
“This was a team that was going to find a way to win,” Brewster said. “It’s a belief in each other. We talk about it being a 60 minute fight.”