Gophers enjoy tropical blend in prep for Missouri

ORLANDO – The weather alone was enough to make the Gophers smile Friday, as they arrived at Freedom High School in four coach buses with a seven-motorcycle police escort.

It was overcast, but it was 72 degrees for their first practice ahead of Thursday's Citrus Bowl against Missouri.

The forecast calls for more sunshine the next three days, with temperatures in the low 80s, before it dips to about 73 for the game.

"I don't know how you can complain about that," coach Jerry Kill said.

The challenge will be keeping the players focused, since their itinerary is heavy on football — and theme parks.

With the Citrus Bowl covering their admission prices, the Gophers were invited to Universal Studios after Friday's practice. On Saturday, they'll head to Best Buy to spend the $452 gift cards the bowl provides to each player.

The Gophers can hit Disney World on Sunday and Sea World on Monday.

"They don't have school, so they use the time they're not in school to have fun," Kill said. "We've got curfew and things of that nature. When we work, we expect them to work. They understood that pretty good [Friday], but we've got to carry that through the next four or five days before the game."

The Gophers are 0-6 in bowl games since their win over Alabama in the 2004 Music City Bowl, and that includes losses the past two years under Kill.

Minnesota (8-4) is a five-point underdog vs. Missouri (10-3), the SEC East champion.

"I think there's a different kind of focus than there was a year ago," Kill said. "I think the kids were disappointed in our performance [in the Texas Bowl loss to Syracuse]. I think that we've got a good senior group, and they're making sure the younger guys understand, and there's just more focus, great enthusiasm."

The Gophers were all business as they overtook the small locker room at Freedom High that sits right next to the concession stand.

Built in 2003, Freedom High does not have a powerhouse athletics program, but it is where Wisconsin practiced for this bowl game last year. The Gophers, who flew to Orlando on Christmas Day, had no complaints as they worked out on two of the school's grass fields.

"It's nice," quarterback Mitch Leidner said. "I like it. It's small. It's a good atmosphere."

Missouri, which arrived in Orlando on Dec. 22, is practicing at nearby West Orange High School.

Each team is allotted 15 bowl practices, and to prepare his team for the warmer weather, Kill had the heat cranked up at the Gophers' indoor practice facility this month. But it's different with Florida's humidity.

"It's just like anything," Kill said. "When you come down here, it takes two or three days to adapt, and they'll be fine."

The players already seem more than fine. As he sweated from practice, senior center Tommy Olson talked about how he couldn't wait to pull Leidner along on some of the amusement rides.

"I'm not a big fan of heights, but we'll see," Leidner said.

Several players have family members headed to Orlando to join the fun. For Olson, this is fulfilling a promise his father made more than a decade ago. Ed Olson Sr., a former Gophers lineman, said if the Gophers ever made a New Year's Day bowl game, they'd be there.

Minnesota came close when it reached the Sun Bowl, on New Year's Eve, in 1999 and 2003. The family's oldest son, Ed Jr., played four seasons on the offensive line before graduating last year. Now they'll be gathered to watch the youngest son play in the Gophers' first Jan. 1 game since the 1962 Rose Bowl.

"It's actually a dream come true," Tommy Olson said. "I've wanted to do this my whole life. To go out against a powerhouse from the SEC, it'll be so fun."