Coming off Saturday's 10-7 win over Kent State, the Gophers have hunkered down, looking for answers on how to kick-start the offense. Coach Jerry Kill has involved the players in the brainstorming sessions.
"There's a time to yell at somebody, and there's a time to teach, and right now is a time to teach," Kill said. "They feel bad enough as it is."
Kill met with the offensive position groups Sunday and asked for player input.
"It's kind of like talking to your kid," Kill said. "You've got to figure out why he's struggling in math, so you just talk to him. We've got to work together to fix it."
Kill said some players described being too tense and unsure on the field. The coaches have simplified some schemes to make sure the inexperienced players, filling in for injured veterans, aren't overwhelmed.
Some players have decisions to make each play at the line of scrimmage, based on what the defense does. Kent State threw some curve balls at the offense, and the Gophers' younger players had trouble making adjustments.
Kill said defensive backs coach Jay Sawvel spends 10 minutes after each practice making sure his group knows all the upcoming checks it needs to make. Other position groups have done more of that this week.
"It can be, 'Hey, OK, they're running the truck blitz, pick it up and so forth,' " Kill said. "We're doing it, but evidently we need to do more, and the kids said that helps them."