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MINNEAPOLIS  - Jerry Kill and the rest of Minnesota's new
coaching staff did their best in the offseason, trying to prepare
the Gophers players for the possibility of what happened last
weekend at TCF Bank Stadium.


      Still, no amount of talk could brace them for actually seeing
their leader down on the sidelines, shaking violently in the throes
of a seizure in the closing seconds of a loss to New Mexico State.
The assistants who have been with Kill for more than a decade had
been through this before and knew that it wasn't as bad as it
looked.


      For those who were playing just their second game under Kill, it
was an experience that shook them to the core, and one they have to
try to put out of their minds as they get set for Saturday's game
against Miami of Ohio.


      "Even though this isn't new to us, it's new to them," said
offensive coordinator Matt Limegrover, who has coached with Kill
for 12 years. "We need to be understanding of that. It's a shock
to the system to see something like that come about."


      Kill remained in a hospital for precautionary reasons on
Tuesday, but two of his closest confidantes said they expect him to
be on the sideline this weekend.


      Limegrover and defensive coordinator Tracy Claeys took over for
Kill at his weekly media briefing. They've each been with him for
at least a dozen years, so they've seen him go through this before.
Kill twice had seizures on game day while coaching at Southern
Illinois, so they knew how to deal with it.


      The players were still coming to grips with it.


      "You just don't know how to prepare for that," center Ryan
Wynn said on Tuesday. "It was very shocking and I hope I don't
ever have to witness that again, from him or anyone else."


      The episode had coaches around the country watching with
concern, knowing full well the toll that their demanding profession
can exact on the body.


      "Absolutely it did hit home with me and my family," said
Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio, who missed two games last
season after suffering a minor heart attack following a victory
over Notre Dame. "My immediate reaction was to pause and say some
prayers for coach Kill and his family.


      "What people need to understand I think is that coaches are
just like everybody else in this world, and there are going to be
times when things happen to all of us. Sometimes people think these
things don't happen to people in the public eye, but they do."


      Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema has been a friend for years and was
watching the game at home when he saw Kill go down.


      "Since I've known coach Kill for a long time, I was well aware
of his history," Bielema said. "My place was quiet. I had a few
people over to watch the game. It was spooky. I said some prayers,
and my thoughts went out."


      Even though he has only played two games for Kill, Wynn is
already all too familiar with his coaching style. On game day, Kill
is a red-faced ball of energy, hollering at officials, encouraging
his players and stomping up and down the sidelines at a furious
pace.


      Team physician Pat Smith said a combination of stress,
dehydration and the warm temperatures all may have contributed to
the seizure. He said doctors were looking at adjusting his
medication and giving him more fluids during the game to prevent it
from happening again.


      Calming the coach down may be another matter.


      "That's the tough thing about Coach Kill, it's his passion that
makes him a great coach," Wynn said. "So I feel that if he came
in there more calmed down like he was on a muscle relaxant out
there, it wouldn't be the same coach. I just hope he and the
doctors have figured out something to help him prepare for his game
demeanor."


      Claeys has spoken to Kill several times and visited him in the
hospital, and he said the coach is already raring to go again.


      "He definitely lets it be known he's ready to be back and right
now," Claeys said. "I think that Doc Smith put it best, when you
have him caged up, can do some things, you need to do it, because
once he's out, he's going to hit it full stride again. They're just
making sure, that's all."


      Kill has never missed a game after having a seizure, and his
assistants don't expect that to change this time.


      "There's a plan there in place in case he doesn't," said
Claeys, who would take over if Kill couldn't make it. "I would be
totally shocked. He showed up every time. I will be shocked if he's
not there."

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Jerry Kill and the Minnesota's coaching staff did their best to prepare the Gophers players for the possibility of what happened last weekend at TCF Bank Stadium.

Kill's coaches don't expect him to miss any games

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