Focus On Passing Game Is Paying Off For Gophers
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The Gophers football coaches made no bones about it at the start of the spring: If their team is to get better, their passing game has to get better.
So has it?
"Yeah, definitely," quarterback Mitch Leidner said. "I feel like we've taken a huge step."
The Gophers tweaked a number of things in their offense this spring.
"Tampered with things, tried new things," receiver Drew Wolitarsky said. "A lot of our route concepts have changed this year to get us open, get us the ball."
The guy getting them the ball -- Leidner -- has shown some good growth, too.
"His composure over the last three or four practices has been really good," Coach Jerry Kill said.
Leidner agrees.
"Especially over the last week, the progression with making my reads out there on the field has improved a lot since the beginning of spring," Leidner said. "I know it was something Coach Kill had emphasized."
Installing the no-huddle offense has helped, too.
"I would say more confidence, honestly," Wolitarsky said. "With the no-huddle offense, if you do make a mistake, you don't really have time to dwell on it, you've gotta keep going and keep going. And so that kind of allows you to forget about it and move on. I think that's something that the offense really needs, is just kind of to move on to the next play. And I think that's been evident in the spring this year."
But in his typical fashion, Jerry Kill is far less focused on the progress they feel they've made, and much more so on the work that still needs to be done.
They've now got one more week to do it -- four more practices culminating in the Spring Game.
"Just get better," Kill said. "Get everything polished up."
The Spring Game is April 24 at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
