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.