Jerry Kill encouraged by Barry Alvarez following loss

After their 38-13 loss to Wisconsin on Saturday, Jerry Kill was frustrated, yet upbeat about his Gophers. Kill was concerned about how public perception would effect the team after their third straight loss.

"There is so much negativity around. When you go into a program that hasn't won for a lot of years, there's instant negativity, and more so now because of all the social media and stuff. That can get to the kids. They don't need to hear it when they come in Sunday with the coaches, because they're so pounded down by then."

"There are some good things going on here. You've just got to really look hard at it right now." Kill said after the game.

One person in particualr took notice.

When Kill got to the bus, former Wisconsin coach, and current athletic director Barry Alvarez met him and offered some words of encouragement. Alvarez had been in a similar situation when he took over Wisconsin, the Star Tribune points out.

In his first three years in Madison, Alvarez's teams failed to produce a winning record (0-8, 2-6, 3-5). But those three seasons helped paved the way for over a decade and a half of success. Alvarez's career at Wisconsin resulted in an impressive overall record of 118-73-4.

"There are people who understand we're going the right way, but it's always reassuring to hear from people who have been there before." Kill noted of the conversation with Alvarez.

The Golden Gophers will look to get back on track against Purdue this weekend and end their three game skid. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30pm ET on the Big Ten Network.