Gophers will try to stand up to Bears

Gophers football head coach Tim Brewster has waited for this moment and isn’t about to back away.
The moment comes in Saturday’s matchup with No. 8 California , the highest-ranked non-conference opponent the Gophers have faced in 19 seasons .
“This is the stage that we want to be on at the University of Minnesota,” Brewster said. “We want to play in meaningful, significant games.”
The Bears trampled Maryland and Eastern Washington in their first two games, but their visit to TCF Bank Stadium will be their first road contest of the season .
In addition to scoring more than 50 points in each game, the California offense has had 16 plays go for at least 20 yards the past two weeks.
Brewster said that success is based on personnel.
“It’s not about plays, it’s about players,” Brewster said. “It’s not about schemes; it’s about the players that execute those plays.”
Perhaps the best player on the field Saturday will be Bears junior tailback Jahvid Best , who was fifth in the nation last season with 1,580 rushing yards , and is in the Heisman Trophy discussion.
Brewster compared Best to former Texas running back Ricky Williams, who won the Heisman Trophy in Brewster’s first year as an assistant coach with Texas.
“He’s got great speed,” Brewster said. “He’s a very multi-dimensional type of player, and he’s a tremendous threat. You’ve got to understand where he’s at, at all times.”
Complementing Best are junior quarterback Kevin Riley , who leads the Pac-10 starters in passing efficiency , and sophomore tailback Shane Vereen , who has scored five total touchdowns .
“They put their players in position to make plays,” Gophers senior linebacker Lee Campbell said. “They try to exploit one-on-one matchups.”
Minnesota’s defense has allowed just one touchdown in its last 90 minutes of football , and will once again be vital to the Gophers chances on Saturday.
“It’s going to take a solid effort from all 11 guys in our defense to stop them — to stop all those guys,” senior linebacker Nate Triplett said .
After preparing for and stopping Air Force’s triple-option offense last week, the Gophers feel ready for their next challenge.
“I have extreme confidence, and especially, in our defense,” Campbell said. “I think we can play with the best in the country, and, you know, we’ll see if that’s true this weekend.”
It could help that the Gophers have faced mental and emotional, as well as physical, adversity in the first two weeks of the season.
In the opener at Syracuse and in the emotionally charged atmosphere of the opening game at TCF Bank Stadium , Minnesota has seized two come-from-behind victories.
“To go through some of those experiences has been really good for this football team,” senior wide receiver Eric Decker said.
Although Minnesota has been a resilient second-half team, junior quarterback Adam Weber said the offense will need earlier success against California, which has outscored its opponents 90-10 after the first quarter this season .
“We’ve got to go out there and establish something,” Weber said. “We’ve got to go out there that first couple drives and really focus on moving the ball.”
Brewster has said he wants more offensive consistency, but that might be difficult to find against the Bears, who have held opposing rushers to 2.1 yards per carry and have recorded 10 sacks and 19 tackles for a loss .
Nevertheless, Brewster said he believes Saturday’s matchup can only be good for the Gophers.
“I think it’s a real benefit to play a squad like Cal’s that you have so much respect for and that you know you’re going to have to play your absolute best if you expect to be in the game with them,” Brewster said.
That attitude has caught on with the players as well.
“As a competitor you’ve got to love this type of challenge,” junior defensive back Kim Royston said. “Going against a Heisman Trophy candidate in Jahvid Best and the rest of their talented offense, you can’t ask for much more.”