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University of Minnesota Athletics
Camp Blog: Brewster Meets the Media
8/5/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
The University of Minnesota football team hasn't held its traditional testing run on the first day of camp. The Gophers have yet to hold their first practice of the 2010 preseason training camp. But head coach Tim Brewster said Thursday that his team and coaching staff are well into their preparations for the Gophers' Sept. 2 season-opener at Middle Tennessee State.
"Middle Tennessee State is a good football team and they've got our full attention," Brewster said, meeting with the Twin Cities media in his annual pre-camp press conference. "We've studied them extremely hard."
Brewster went on to say that the Gophers' coaching staff and team have been prepping for the 2010 season-opener since the end of last season.
"Our only focus right now is to be 1-0 on the evening of Sept. 2," Brewster said. "We're going into their backyard and playing them and it's going to be a great challenge for our team. But again, it's a challenge we embrace."
Brewster told the assembled members of the media that talent, mixed with work ethic, gives the Gophers an opportunity to be a good football team in the upcoming season.
"They've paid the price this summer to improve this fall," Brewster said. "It gives us a chance. It doesn't mean we're going to be an improved football team, but that's the goal for the 2010 team-to continue to be an improved football team. There's a very strong willingness amongst this group of men to work. And again, that gives you a chance. Then you look at the fact that we're probably the most talented that we've been since I've been at the University of Minnesota. You can see a drastic change in talent and athleticism and again, that's what it takes to continue to improve."
The Gophers will hold their physical testing run at 6 a.m. Friday morning at the Gibson-Nagurski Football Complex. There will be two practice sessions to follow on Friday. The newcomers will work out at 9 a.m., while the returning players will go at 4 p.m. This procedure will be followed for the first three days, before the team comes together to practice as a full group on Day 4.
"It's going to allow us to do a better job of teaching the young freshmen," Brewster said of splitting up the youngsters for the first three days. "It will really help the number of reps they get. It will help them from a learning standpoint, a fundamentals standpoint and then, most importantly, from a confidence standpoint. They will go into the fourth day with the older guys, much more confident, as opposed to if they were with the older guys from Day 1."
-Andy Seeley
