His team has lost eight consecutive games, the defense looked disinterested in the first half Saturday, and morale is not exactly high these days. But Gophers football coach Tim Brewster said he isn't worried that his team will cash it in during the final two weeks.
Of course, what else is he supposed to say?
"These guys are good kids," Brewster said Sunday. "They're great-character kids. Their effort is there, so I really don't think it is hard with this particular group of kids. I think they will play their butts off these last two weeks, because they're trophy games."
The Gophers can only hope that the allure of playing their two biggest rivalry games -- Saturday at Iowa and at home against Wisconsin in the finale -- will be enough to keep the players interested. The season has spiraled into a disaster, and things could become even worse if the entire team checks out emotionally for the final two games.
"To me, it goes back to what kind of people you've got, what kind of character you've got," Brewster said. "These kids have played their hearts and their guts out all season long. You can say they're not good or you can say they've played bad. But they have played with great heart and great character."
The defense, however, looked emotionally defeated throughout the first half of a 44-17 loss to Illinois on Saturday. The Illini entered the game ranked 10th in the Big Ten in total offense, scoring offense, first downs and third-down conversions and last in passing offense.
Minnesota knew that the Illini wanted to run the ball and still did not come close to stopping them. Illinois finished with 655 total yards (448 rushing), 27 first downs, a season high in points and was 8-for-12 on third down.
It undeniably was the low point in a 1-9 season, and it caused fans to flee the Metrodome in waves long before the game ended.
"Our record doesn't demand a lot of respect," freshman quarterback Adam Weber said. "But we have to go out there and earn respect from the other teams. We're playing for the pig [Iowa] and the ax [Wisconsin], so these are two big games for us."
Interesting comment
Gophers senior safety Dominique Barber said Illinois "shocked" the defense by running a no-huddle offense early in the game, even though the Illini often go no-huddle.
"They shocked us with some no-huddle," Barber said. "We've seen it all year, so we still should have been prepared for it. It was obvious that it was a struggle for us to get lined up. They attacked us hard."
Brinkhaus injured
Brewster said senior center Tony Brinkhaus suffered a concussion early in the game, but he did not know whether Brinkhaus will be available this week. Sophomore Jeff Tow-Arnett filled in for Brinkhaus.
Backup tight end Troy Reilly also is sidelined because of a concussion.
Tracking sacks
Iowa has allowed 39 sacks this season, which ranks 115th nationally. The Gophers rank last nationally in sacks, with only seven. That figure is even more glaring when you consider that opponents have attempted 390 passes against Minnesota.
Chip Scoggins • ascoggins@startribune.com
gophers/ncaa
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