In their season-opening victory over Buffalo last week, the Gophers played things close to the vest offensively, calling plays that avoided mistakes and turning the game over to the defense to protect a seven-point lead from halftime on in an eventual 17-7 victory.
So, might we see Minnesota's offense loosen the reins against Oregon State on Saturday night?
"Um … … …," offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca said Wednesday, his long pauses indicating he's not about to divulge any secrets about their plans.
The Gophers will continue to use senior Conor Rhoda and sophomore Demry Croft as co-starters at quarterback, and Ciarrocca is eager to see how they'll improve from the opener.
"The biggest thing we came away from last week is our details have to improve," Ciarrocca said.
"As our details improve, so will the amount of volume that we carry. ... We're going to do 'A' before we do 'B.' We're going to do 'B' before we do 'C.' "
Much of that will fall on Rhoda and Croft, who both led their only touchdown drives in the first quarter.
"I think we've grown a lot in just the three practices that we've had since the game against Buffalo," Rhoda said, "and like Coach [P.J. Fleck] said, we've done a ton of individual work to correct some small things, so we will be ready for anything."
