With the recent announcement that Minnesota star receiver Eric Decker will miss the remainder of the season, it is time for coach Tim Brewster to make MarQueis Gray the GophersâÄô starting quarterback. Without Decker, Weber will not win more than one game the rest of the season. The Gophers are at a crossroads, and BrewsterâÄôs career in Minnesota rests on the path he chooses. In his third year, Brewster has failed to change the atmosphere around Gopher football. Yes, we have a beautiful new stadium, but we still canâÄôt beat Wisconsin or challenge the Big TenâÄôs elite. In the past two weeks the Gophers have been outscored 58-7, with Weber throwing three interceptions and no touchdowns. Both Ohio State and Penn State have fast, athletic quarterbacks who can take control of the game. This is what Gray can do for the Gophers. For the past 10 years, Minnesota quarterbacks have been big, bumbling gunslingers who throw too many interceptions and canâÄôt move in the pocket. This was not as pressing of an issue when the Gophers featured Laurence Maroney and Marion Barber, two future NFL starting running backs. But today, the GophersâÄô running game is non-existent, with the leading rusher (Bennett) averaging 38 yards per game. So with four games left in the season, we will see what Brewster decides. Even though he has proclaimed firmly that Weber is his starter, I believe he will put in Gray at the first sign of trouble. With solid play from the defense, the Gophers could easily go 3-1 to finish the season, with Gray gaining good experience to bring to next year. On the other hand, if Weber throws interceptions and remains immobile in the pocket, the Gophers could easily go 1-3 or âÄî gulp âÄî 0-4. By the end of the year we will see whether Brewster is laughing straight to the bank or closing his TCF account with 50 cents remaining. Chris Frid University undergraduate student Please send comments to [email protected].