P.J. Fleck brings out inner elementary school teacher with 'capsules of confidence'

Fleck explained the idea of the confidence capsules on the Jim Rome Show.

Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck looks on during the second half against Southern Cal at Huntington Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Oct. 5, 2024. / Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

How did Gophers football coach P.J. Fleck come up with the idea to give his team “capsules of confidence” ahead of their matchup against then-No. 11 Southern Cal? It was simply Fleck bringing out his inner elementary school teacher. 

The interesting strategy ultimately proceeded a 23-17 upset victory over the Trojans. Fleck was asked about the idea by Jim Rome on the Jim Rome Show, and for Fleck, it was an opportunity to put his elementary education degree to use.

"That's what happens when you put an elementary school teacher in charge of a Big Ten program, you have things like this," Fleck told Rome. "... Our team felt we're a really good football team. Maybe our 2-3 record didn't show that, but that's not how good of a football team we are. The result is what we get judged on from the outside, but it's not how we judge each other on the inside. And I think that was critical for us to understand that this was a huge game going in to play the No. 11 team in the country. They have to believe and have to have confidence.

"And we've had it, but maybe we haven't had it for 60 minutes, so as an elementary school teacher, we gave them all a little capsule on Wednesday morning and said, 'Hey, listen, we had this whole team meeting about confidence and belief.' And it wasn't anything they haven't heard before, but it was done in a very unique and different way where the message got across in a different way. And then we all cheers to each other and took this little capsule of confidence/Sprite."

.@Coach_Fleck on what exactly was in those "confidence capsules" he gave his team ahead of the USC win. @GopherFootball. pic.twitter.com/ZYYcPkIXez

— Jim Rome (@jimrome) October 10, 2024

And on Saturday, they took down the Trojans for one of the biggest victories of Fleck's Gophers tenure.

"It was a great exercise, it wasn't why we won, but it just adds to that belief system," Fleck said.