Even with David Cobb and Maxx Williams, the Gophers still hit some untimely offensive ruts last season.
They had a scoreless first half at Texas Christian and a scoreless first quarter that led to a deflating loss at Illinois. They grabbed a 17-3 lead at Wisconsin, then sputtered on seven of their final eight drives. And they failed to score after taking a 19-17 third-quarter lead over Missouri in the Citrus Bowl.
The coaches did some soul searching after the bowl game and realized it was time for change. A team that prided itself on winning the time-of-possession battle — keeping the opposing offense off the field — figured that methodical one-tracked approach could take them only so far.
So with Cobb and Williams headed for the NFL, the Gophers have spent spring camp working almost exclusively on a no-huddle attack. They've sped up the pace and worked more on short, quick-passing routes designed to get the ball out of quarterback Mitch Leidner's hands quicker. It's definitely a work in progress, but the Gophers feel good about what they've accomplished heading into Saturday's spring game at TCF Bank Stadium.
"I'm surprised by how quickly we've learned," coach Jerry Kill said. He added that a recent scrimmage left him "in shock at how far along we were, to be honest with you."
But Kill has seen some ugly moments this spring, too. He said the team's defense is ahead of the offense, which is often the case in spring practice. The Gophers hope for a strong finish Saturday, when they take about 90 snaps in an offense vs. defense scrimmage format at the stadium.
"We've had our ups and downs," offensive coordinator Matt Limegrover said. "I mean, we basically are trying to implement something that's completely new. We basically said we're going to start from scratch."
The Gophers felt like they had the personnel to try something new this spring. They miss Williams, but they look less reliant on their tight ends now. Their receiving corps is more athletic, if still raw, with the addition of redshirt freshmen Isaiah Gentry, Desmond Gant and Melvin Holland Jr.