Jim Souhan: Yes, they lost, but is that what matters now?

Admit it: You believed the Gophers would lose their first two Big Ten games worse than they actually did. But also admit this: Improvement is more important than winning at this point.

By Jim Souhan, Star Tribune

Last update: September 30, 2007 - 5:49 PM

Earlier this week, Tim Brewster, asked to assess his performance, gave himself an "A."

You can tell he attended Illinois. He grades on a curve bigger than Bert Blyleven's.

Brewster, the Gophers' intriguingly optimistic football coach, also persisted in calling the Minnesota fan base "Gopher Nation." Judging by the size of the splinter group that lasted through the 30-7 loss to Ohio State on Saturday night at the Metrodome, a better term might be "Alienation."

Five games into Brewster's caffeinated tenure, the Gophers are 1-4. On offense, the new-look Gophs, at least before they faced Ohio State's blue-chippers, were equally entertaining and error-prone. On defense, Minnesota has often been -- and I hate to say this about college kids, lest Mike Gundy object -- inept.

Brewster's first season will be a losing one, and the Glen Mason tradition of celebrating the holidays in a garden spot such as El Paso or Nashville will be discontinued. How can a Gophers fan properly celebrate Christmas without a margarita at El Paso's Casa Jurado?

For all the bluster and losing presented in Brewster's first September, though, we have to admit this: Realists expected his first two Big Ten games to be a lot worse.

The Gophers came within one unforced fumble of a return for a touchdown of making Purdue sweat, and they hung around long enough against Ohio State that, unlike last year's game in Columbus, this game featured actual turning points.

First of all, if you're the Gophers, playing at home without expectations of a bowl game, running out of the tunnel wearing garish gold uniforms that with maroon helmets make you look like red-hots slathered in French's yellow mustard, you should go for it on fourth-and-5 from the Ohio State 25 in the first quarter. Instead, the Gophers missed a 42-yard field goal.

After falling behind 14-0, the Gophers put together a nice drive, converting a fourth-and-1 on quarterback Adam Weber's bootleg and scoring on a Weber pass to fellow freshman Ralph Spry to make it 14-7.

The Gophers drove again late in the half. Eric Decker broke open at the goal line, and Weber threw behind him. The defense gave up a third-and-long conversion and compounded it with a late hit, and Ohio State tossed a 52-yard touchdown pass, and that was that.

Which begs the last relevant question of the 2007 season: In terms of the long-term health of the program, does the rest of this season matter?

Does it matter if the final record is 5-7 or 2-10? Does it matter if Brewster spends a couple of years recruiting and learning on the job?

To risk the wrath of Herm (You play to win the game!) Edwards, does it matter if Minnesota wins right now?

"We went toe-to-toe with the eighth-ranked team in the country," Brewster said.

The rest of the body parts favored Ohio State, but that's to be expected.

Gophers athletic director Joel Maturi hired an NFL position coach who had never been a head coach or coordinator above the high school level. He hired an excellent recruiter who is playing promising freshmen at quarterback, running back, receiver and defensive back.

Maturi is getting exactly what he bargained for -- a fanatical salesman and a fledgling head coach.

Last year, with an experienced coach and a senior quarterback, the Gophers went 6-7 and blew a record lead in a minor bowl loss. This summer, Brewster ditched two starting cornerbacks and a starting defensive end.

The loss to Florida Atlantic was embarrassing. The losses to Purdue and Ohio State, given the current circumstances, could have been a lot worse.

Jim Souhan can be heard Sundays from 10 a.m.-noon on AM-1500 KSTP. • jsouhan@startribune.com

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