Wackey’s Ghost

Jim Wacker coached the Minnesota Golden Gophers football team for five seasons. His teams were 2-9, 4-7, 3-8, 3-8, and 4-7. His Rodents ran a pass-happy offense and a defense that rarely stopped anyone. The coach was at his best as the eternally optimistic cheerleader. "Geezo-beezo," he would say. "I tell you what, this is one heck of a team." Jim Wacker, who was a far better man than he was a football coach, died of cancer in 2003.

Against evidence to the contrary (never a head coach, at any level) I hoped that new coach Tim Brewster's cheerleading personality was the only thing he had in common with poor Wackey. It took only two offensive series by Bowling Green University in the Humphrey Dome to disabuse me of that notion. Series one: four plays, four-for-four passes, 81 years, 1 minutes 19 seconds, BGU 7, U of M 0. Series two: 11 yard run, quick slant, face mask penalty, Minnesota, four plays, 87 yards, Falcons 14, Golden Rodents 0. It was a continuation of the ignominious last half of football of the Mason era in Phoenix.

Half time score: Bowling Green 21, Minnesota 0. The Gophers came back to take a lead late, before losing in overtime. Once again, when it counted, the defense couldn’t stop anything. Thefly-around-the-field defense, did just that, but its flying was mostly where the ball carrier wasn’t. The spread offense, didn’t spread anything. In fact, take out the power running of Amir Pinnix – plays that looked direct from the Barber and Maroney book – and the exciting (can we say pass-happy?) offense was anything but.

So far the Brewster era is an 0 and 1 and a lot of hot air.