Gophers football coach Tim Brewster is going to turn up the heat on his team this week, both in the literal and figurative sense.
In preparation for Saturday's game at Florida Atlantic, Brewster said he will shut the doors to the indoor practice facility and crank up the heat in order to simulate conditions the Gophers will face in south Florida.
The team's first road game will be played in Dolphin Stadium in Miami at 1 p.m. Florida time. As an assistant coach for the Denver Broncos two years ago in Miami, Brewster saw firsthand what effect the heat can have on a team.
"Our football team was washed out in warmups," he said. "I learned a lot about playing in south Florida this time of the year."
Heat can lead to fatigue, which in turn often results in mental mistakes. The Gophers had enough of those the past two weeks in the comfy conditions of the Metrodome. Brewster vowed to clean them up this week after watching his team avoid disaster with a 41-35 triple-overtime victory against Miami (Ohio).
"The great news is that we won the game," Brewster said. "Making corrections and getting after their butts and fixing things is a whole lot easier and better after you win. I promise you we are going to flat get after it [Sunday]. We're going to fix some things and get this football team better."
The major areas of concern come as no surprise. The Gophers gave up 418 yards passing, blew a 16-point fourth-quarter lead, had a punt blocked and missed three field-goal attempts.
For the second consecutive game, the Gophers could have won the game in regulation but failed to make plays defensively with the game on the line. Their defensive backs again dropped sure interceptions that could have sealed the game.
"The most important thing is we have to understand we've got to make plays," Brewster said.
That includes the offense, too. Brewster was mostly pleased with the offense's performance after it rolled up 577 total yards and got a strong performance from freshman quarterback Adam Weber. But the offense also had breakdowns, particularly on a sequence late in the first half.
Leading 14-9, the Gophers had the ball at the Miami 5 on third-and-1. Tailback Amir Pinnix got stopped for no gain, setting up fourth down. Brewster called it a "no-brainer" to go for it on fourth down. Pinnix was stopped again for no gain, turning the ball over to Miami.
"I'm going to take a very aggressive approach to my play-calling and decision-making," Brewster said. "If we can't make a fourth-and-1 [at] the 5-yard line, that was extremely disappointing. We didn't knock them off the ball up front. And we've got to have a tailback in that situation that, regardless of whether or not we block anybody, can go gain a yard. That is extremely bothersome."
Recruiting opportunity
The Gophers will travel to Florida on Thursday, a day earlier than normal, so coaches can spend Friday visiting recruits and attending games. Brewster has made south Florida a key recruiting territory. The Gophers are aggressively pursuing 10 to 15 recruits there.
Etc.
• Brewster said middle linebacker Mike Sherels is cleared to play Saturday after suffering a chest contusion in the first half.
• Brewster said the coaching staff would address the kicking situation later Sunday. Jason Giannini missed three field-goal attempts, including a 26-yarder in the second overtime. Kickoff specialist Joel Monroe could replace Giannini as the placekicker this week.
Chip Scoggins • ascoggins@startribune.com
gophers/ncaa
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