Wednesday, January 04, 2006
New deal for Minnesota coach
No more questioning where Minnesota football coach Glen Mason will end up. He agreed to a four-year contract extension, which is a reward for his leading the Golden Gophers to six bowl appearances in nine years. With its coach firmly in place, the program is looking to make a run for the Big Ten title in '06.
Honestly, this program has a long way to go if it wants to be among teams such as Ohio State and Michigan. Mason needs to get a more consistent effort from his guys, who have a tendency to be up one week and down the next.
For example, this season, the Gophers were 4-4 in Big Ten play. At home, they racked up almost 600 yards of offense against the Buckeyes, yet, amazingly, found a way to lose by 14 points. In a four-week stretch, Minnesota beat Purdue, got blown away by Penn State, narrowly beat Michigan, then lost to Wisconsin because of a botched punt.
The Big Ten is a very evenly-matched conference, in which, on any given Saturday, anyone can beat anyone else. However, 4-4 is not going to win a conference title in this lifetime or the next.
As most coaching contracts do, Mason's deal includes incentives; so, he'll get a bonus if the Gophers win a national championship. I don't think the school will have to worry about paying that out.
Honestly, this program has a long way to go if it wants to be among teams such as Ohio State and Michigan. Mason needs to get a more consistent effort from his guys, who have a tendency to be up one week and down the next.
For example, this season, the Gophers were 4-4 in Big Ten play. At home, they racked up almost 600 yards of offense against the Buckeyes, yet, amazingly, found a way to lose by 14 points. In a four-week stretch, Minnesota beat Purdue, got blown away by Penn State, narrowly beat Michigan, then lost to Wisconsin because of a botched punt.
The Big Ten is a very evenly-matched conference, in which, on any given Saturday, anyone can beat anyone else. However, 4-4 is not going to win a conference title in this lifetime or the next.
As most coaching contracts do, Mason's deal includes incentives; so, he'll get a bonus if the Gophers win a national championship. I don't think the school will have to worry about paying that out.
# posted by Steve Seepersaud : 9:34 AM
