Gophers running back David Cobb ranks sixth nationally in rushing at 144.4 yards per game and third in carries per game at 24.8.

The thing that jumps out to me is Cobb's determination and his ability to turn nothing into positive yards.

Cobb is not particularly fast, but he runs hard and he manages to turn a 4-yard gain into 8 to 10 yards by keeping his legs moving and refusing to go down after that initial contact.

The Gophers and NCAA don't track yards after contact as a statistic, but I'm guessing a high percentage of Cobb's rushing total has come after that initial hit. He's able to move the pile and gain extra yards.

I asked some of Cobb's coaches and teammates about his toughness in those situations.

"When we watch film, you'll see that a couple of guys missed their block and then he can make you look so good because he makes guys miss and gains an extra three, four yards," center Tommy Olson said. "It's cool to watch."

"Watching film, we would watch the runs just to watch Cobb," wide receiver Isaac Fruechte said. "Obviously, we're watching the runs for our blocking, too. But when you just rewind it a few times and just watch Cobb run, it's impressive. Sometimes it looks like there's nothing there and he's getting positive yardage all the time."

Said offensive coordinator Matt Limegrover: "When you go back on Sunday and you get the end zone copy and go, 'Man, there just wasn't a lot there' and all of the sudden it's a 9‑yard gain. That's pretty special quality. There's a lot of kids as high school running backs, they're just bigger, faster, stronger than whoever they're going against so they're going to have 200 yards a game. But it's that special kid that can translate over when he's going against everyone else who is as big and strong and fast when he can find a way to turn those 4‑yard gains into 10, or 10‑yard gains into 20. That's when you know you got something special."

Key defensive stats

We've talked a lot about the Gophers takeaways, but their defense has now created 15 turnovers in five games. They are tied for sixth nationally in takeaways.

Here's another important statistic: The defense has allowed only three passes of 30-plus yards. That's tied for the fifth-fewest in college football.

So, the Gophers aren't giving up big pass plays and they're creating turnovers. That's a winning formula.

"Anytime you play fast and physical you have a chance of doing that," defensive coordinator Tracy Claeys said. "Anytime people spread the field, so much comes down to athleticism and how athletic we are is probably as big of a deal as anything with regard to the turnovers."

It's interesting that the Gophers have caused that many turnovers despite collecting only nine sacks, which ranks last in the Big Ten. Claeys said the sacks total is down, but he's happy with the overall pressure because they're forcing quarterbacks to get rid of the ball fast.

"We time the ball and how quick it's coming out and except for a handful of [plays] this year we've gotten the ball out awfully quick," he said.

Crazy weekend

The Gophers enjoyed a fun weekend to have their bye. Players were able to sit at home and watch college football games as fans. Like everyone else, they marveled at the number of upsets and crazy finishes.

"I thought Katy Perry called some great upsets," tight end Maxx Williams joked, referring to the singer's appearance on ESPN's College GameDay. "It just shows that anyone can win on any Saturday. It was a crazy Saturday."

Said Olson: "I thought it was one of the best days to watch as a fan. All those upsets. Great day for the state of Mississippi."

Personal highlight

Williams said his one-handed catch in the final seconds of the third quarter against Michigan ranks among his personal best.

On third-and-7, Williams was covered by safety Jeremy Clark down the sideline. As Clark jostled with him, Williams lunged with his right arm extended and pulled in the pass

"I thought I was out of bounds," Williams said. "Everybody came up celebrating. It was one of my favorite moments."