BMOC Title Still Up in the Air

So who will be the Minnesota Golden Gophers next big man on campus (BMOC)? Well, there is probably a lot of different guys at the U who think they are the BMOC, but to the general public, the BMOC is the football team’s quarterback. Right now, junior Tony Mortensen, redshirt freshman Adam Weber and coach Tim Brewster’s son, Clint in the competition for the starting job left open by the U of M’s all-time leading passer Bryan Cupito. The three are currently getting educated on the new and complex spread offense implemented by Gophers offensive coordinator Mike Dunbar. The offense is generally pass-oriented, and the players said they are making strides in adjusting to the new offense. Whoever gets the job, Tim Brewster said he doesn’t want to rely on the quarterback to win games single handily. “We need the quarterback to minimize his mistakes as much as possible and just do a good job of driving the car. Vince Young is not our quarterback,” he said in a quote on the Star Tribune’s website.

Fox, USA get the gold

Updating a previous blog entry, Team USA won the Pan-American Gold medal in women’s basketball last week. The victory comes following a nadir in American international sports, in which men’s basketball, baseball and hockey have all struggled in international competition. With the women getting the job done, the U.S. is re-claiming some of its former swagger. The game included a Minnesota Golden Gophers women’s basketball player in Emily Fox (she's my favorite), who was a solid contributor throughout the Pan-Am tournament but did not score in the championship game. The game was played against Brazil in front of 13,000 yellow and green clad screaming Brazilians in Rio, but Team USA wasn’t phased, winning easily at a final score of 79-66. Fox finished the tournament averaging 6.3 points and 55.6 percent from three-point range.

Gopher Player Helps Battle for the Gold

The Pan American Games can provide international matchup excitement, and this year’s Pan Am games are no different. USA will face host Brazil in the women’s gold medal basketball game on July 24 in Rio de Janeiro. The Minnesota Golden Gophers women’s basketball team has a representative in Rio in Emily Fox, a sharp-shooting Gopher guard. Fox made her only three-point field goal attempt in the semifinal victory versus Canada, scoring three points. She is five-of-nine in the Pan American tournament from three-point range, ranking her as fourth in the tournament. The USA/Brazil matchup will certainly have more fireworks than the Canada game, as the arena will surely be packed with Brazilian sports fans with anti-United States sentiments. Hopefully the women’s USA Pan American hoops team can do some diplomacy and bring home a gold medal fair and square.

Gopher Football Stadium

Gopher Gal definitely has football on the brain with all of the Minnesota Vikings advertisements on TV and with the news media covering more football related stories. With all of the football buzz, there is no denying that the month of August and the official start of training camp is just around the corner and today marks the official ground breaking of the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers Football Stadium. Built by Minneapolis based MA Mortenson Company who also built the Xcel Energy Center, Gopher Gal is certain the Gophers TCF Bank Stadium is going to be top notch and at $288.5 million it better be!

Gopher fans can expect the stadium to open in the fall of 2009! That’s only two Gopher football seasons away! The new stadium will be built right across the street from Williams Arena and Mariucci Arena, making that little corner of Minneapolis a Gopher Sports metropolis! Gopher Girl can’t wait to be one of the 50,000 fans cheering on her Minnesota Golden Gophers at the brand new Gopher Football TCF Bank Stadium!

Brewster is a Gopher Good Guy

Minnesota Golden Gophers head football coach continues to reach out to the community, quickly cementing a personable reputation in the realm of Minnesota collegiate athletics. Some critics of former head coach Glen Mason claimed Mason was a football-genius who “ruled from a tower.” If this criticism of Mason was true, Brewster seems to be out to prove that he is the opposite of running the team from on high. Brewster latest showing of community goodwill included an appearance at the 2007 Minnesota Summer Special Olympics games, where he handed out medals and spoke at the podium. Brewster said he was delighted to see the smiles of the participants. The Minnesota Gophers football team not only has a great football mind to lead them, but a willing community leader and overall nice guy to help sell tickets to the Gophers faithful.

Big Ten Network to Air Gophers Football

The Big Ten Network’s inaugural season of covering Big Ten sports will kick off with coverage of Big Ten football across the conference. The Gophers first two games of the season against Bowling Green and Miami (Ohio) have been scheduled to air on the Big Ten Network, with later games selected to television networks as the season progresses. The Big Ten Network will be airing different games at the same time but will regionally split its broadcasts.

New Gopher Football Stadium

Want to see a great picture of the new Gopher Football Stadium? Visit: Gopher Football Tickets

Gopher Hockey Player to Sit Out

I just read over on Gophers Hockey Tickets .com that Gopher center Mike Carman will sit out the first half of his sophomore year. Carmen had a stellar freshman season with the Gophers and his absence will definitely be noticed by his teammates and Gopher hockey fans. Head coach Don Lucia would not officially comment on why Carman will miss the fist half of the season, but word on the street is due to academic ineligibility. I know there have been some other Gopher hockey players that have had academic issues as well and I hope that does not become a trend for the Gopher hockey program. Mike Carman has a good thing going for him, last year he scored 9 goals and made 11 assists and was selected in the third round of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft by the Colorado Avalanche. It would be sad to see a good player like Carman lose his competitive edge due to academic hurdles. Let’s get it together gopher hockey players, both on the ice and in the classroom!

Kyle Okposo Back at Mariucci

I just read on Gophers Hockey Tickets that Kyle Okposo has turned down the big apple and is returning to Mariucci arena for his sophomore year. Okposo was selected by the New York Islanders last year in the NHL Entry Draft, but decided he was better off playing another year under the coaching of Don Lucia and the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Gopher Girl is happy to hear that Kyle will be returning for another great year of Gopher hockey!

Brewster is the Guy for Gophers

New Minnesota Gophers football head coach Tim Brewster is serious about winning the Big Ten championship. No seriously, Tim Brewster wants to win the Big Ten title. He has nine assistants on the prowl text messaging and hounding Gopher football prospects because he knows it starts from the ground up. The text messaging phenomena is a tactic that is becoming increasingly popular amongst college football coaches, and Brewster is making sure to use it to its fullest potential. Brewster isn’t stuck in the mires of traditional football recruiting. He’s committed to use any tactic to “recruit the best players in the nation,” and that’s good news for Gopher football fans. That is if there is any that are truly die-hard. According to Tom Dienhart of Sporting News, Brewster knows about the Gophers infamous indifferent fan base. It’s just another obstacle that Tim Brewster is determined to overcome in his quest to – don’t snigger – win a Big Ten championship.