Kuznia impressed with new 'U' coach

Like a bicycle tire with a slow leak, the Minnesota Gophers football team was starting to go flat. It seemed like everywhere the players turned, they heard negative comments. Students, fans and media all cast doubt on the direction of the program.

But as quick as you can say Tim Brewster, the downtrodden Gophers were getting pumped back up.

"A lot of people have jumped back on our bandwagon," expressed Ben Kuznia, who will be a redshirt sophomore wide receiver next season. "You can see it everywhere. All around campus, everyone is talking about Gophers football again."

Brewster, who was an assistant coach for the University of Texas and more recently, a tight end coach for the Denver Broncos, made an immediate impact on the players, Kuznia said.

"He met all of us a couple of hours after he was named coach," said Kuznia, the Tribune 2005 Hengstler-Ranweiler award winner. "And we could tell right away he was the complete opposite (of former coach Glen Mason).

"Before it was like us against the world. Mason was always so guarded with the media and that made him come across as being kind of arrogant. I think that hurt recruiting a little."

But Kuznia made it clear that he and a lot of the players liked Mason.

"Speaking for myself, when he got fired, I was bummed," said Kuznia. "Especially since none of the assistants were brought back. You spend a lot of time with them, especially on the road, and you get to know them all so well.

"My position coach had just bought a house in the Twin Cities and he got married a couple of years ago. He had just settled down."

Still, the players knew something had to be done. And Kuznia feels Brewster was a good choice as coach.

"By the time he was done talking to us before his press conference," said Kuznia, "he had us all in a huddle together, chanting 'Rose Bowl, Rose Bowl'. You couldn't help but get pumped up a little and feel good about the upcoming season."

Now the team is anxious to get started. Apparently, so is Brewster. The team will begin spring practice next Thursday, earlier than normal.

"I feel like a freshman again," said Kuznia. "Everything is new again. The coaches are all new. We'll probably have different offensive and defensive philosophies. We'll have to prove ourselves all over again."

Kuznia is hoping he can get some playing time on special teams and then impress the new coaches enough so he can maybe get some time at receiver.

Either way, he and his teammates likely won't be flat going into the season.