Gophers preach less fun, more focus for Citrus Bowl

ORLANDO – A year has passed. The Gophers feel they can admit it now. They lacked focus last December getting ready for the Texas Bowl and were upset by Syracuse.

It was their second consecutive year in Houston for a bowl game. They'd been big underdogs when they blew a late lead against Texas Tech in the 2012 Meineke Car Care Bowl. Last year, they switched to a different hotel, by Houston's sprawling Galleria mall, but the result was the same: another blown lead, another loss.

"We had a little too much fun," senior running back Donnell Kirkwood said Monday. "I'm mature enough to say it. And we didn't really focus like we were supposed to on the game."

The Gophers insist they've had a completely different mind-set this month, getting ready for Thursday's Citrus Bowl against Missouri. They're heeding lessons learned in Houston.

"It's the mall, it's Christmastime, you've got everybody there," Kirkwood said. "You've got 20-year-olds, and it's just women, you know, it's just food — the two things we like. So things just happen."

The Gophers are 0-6 in bowl games since the 2004 Music City Bowl win over Alabama. This year, their team hotel is on International Drive in Orlando, surrounded by tourists and restaurants. The bowl has offered players free admission to Universal Studios, Disney World and Sea World.

Several players have enjoyed the theme parks, "but you would be surprised how many people just stay in the room," Kirkwood said. He noted that several players skipped Sunday's optional trip to Disney World to get their rest.

"Last year, we weren't that much in shape," senior safety Cedric Thompson said. "I think this year, we took care of that, and we're taking care of it now. I know everybody's taking care of their bodies. They're eating a lot better. They're drinking a lot of water. Coach [Jerry] Kill said when he's walking around, he doesn't want to see anybody without a bottle of water in their hand."

Defensive backs coach Jay Sawvel told the players that the key to winning a bowl game is going in with the right motivation.

"I think last year was hard for people to be motivated because we were in the same exact place as we were the year before," Thompson said. "Being in a new place, playing in a Jan. 1 bowl, playing an SEC team, everybody's excited.

"So everybody's focused in practice. Everybody's watching extra film, and most importantly, everybody knows how to separate having fun and getting the work."

Kill sounded pleased after Monday's practice.

"We haven't had a day that these kids haven't gone to work," he said. "It's a different feeling than it has been in the past. That's a credit to the players and seniors."