Gopher football coach Tim Brewster told Sports Headliners that selection of plays for the Insight Bowl against Kansas will be a “collaboration” between himself, newly arrived offensive line coach Tim Davis and offensive coordinator Mike Dunbar.
Davis replaced coach Phil Meyer after Minnesota’s season ending loss to Iowa. In two of the last three games the Gopher offense didn’t produce a touchdown. The arrival of Davis as offensive line coach and running game coordinator offers a new start for an offense that rushed for 189 yards in the last three games, including seven against Iowa, and finished last in Big Ten Conference rushing at 105.8 yards per game.
Brewster described Davis as a “spectacular hire.” Davis has had coaching stops at USC, Wisconsin and most recently Alabama. “I believe he’ll help our offensive line improve across the board,” Brewster said.
Vikings quarterback John David Booty, while playing at USC, roomed with linemen who had Davis as their position coach. “He’s just real high energy…and really a lot of fun to be around,” Booty said. “And I think that’s what a lot of these guys coming out of high school saw. …”
Davis, who Booty described as “big time” for his sincerity with players, is expected to impact not only the coaching but will also help upgrade the Gophers personnel. “He’s a fantastic coach and recruiter,” Brewster said.
The Gophers begin practice this afternoon for the December 31 bowl game. Brewster said Dunbar, the offensive coordinator for the last two seasons, will “verbalize” the calls during the game, but that he and Davis will have input, plus advance preparation of the game plan.
Brewster disagreed with the suggestion that the Gophers may run the ball more in the bowl game, asserting that the offense has been balanced between the pass and run in the past and likely will have a similar mix in Tempe, Arizona, site of the Insight Bowl. What’s likely to be new, though, is that quarterback Adam Weber will be under center at times and the Gophers will do some power running.
The Gophers receive 15 practices from the NCAA to prepare for the bowl game. Brewster said the Gophers are among the “two or three” youngest teams in the country and he’s excited about having the equivalent of “two spring practices” to work with the team. “We’re really going to improve between now and the bowl game,” he said.
Brewster is justifiably proud about the progress of his team and program. The Gophers, 1-11 last season, were one of the surprise success stories of college football this fall. The talent pool Brewster and his staff took over in 2006 was minimal by Big Ten standards and it takes to time build a program.
After starting 7-1, the Gophers lost their last four games. Brewster said the team’s lack of depth was a contributing factor and the Gophers just “ran out of gas.”