Gophers' defense must go all-in for four quarters vs. talent-rich Ohio State

The Gophers have a defense that could give Ohio State's prolific offense fits Saturday. But if the defense's alter-ego shows up again, things could get ugly fast.

If the Gophers blow assignments the way they did when Purdue scored 31 first-half points, or when Illinois put up 14 in the first quarter, Ohio State could have a cold-weather picnic.

But if Minnesota brings the discipline and tenacity it showed in holding Michigan, Northwestern and Iowa to an average of 15 points, the TCF Bank Stadium crowd could be in for a treat.

Iowa entered last Saturday's game averaging 41.3 points in its previous three games and had dominated the Gophers the past two seasons. But after giving up an opening drive touchdown, Minnesota held the Hawkeyes to 60 yards combined on their next 11 drives.

"I think our kids played with a great deal of confidence and discipline, and we tackled well, created some turnovers," said coach Jerry Kill, whose Gophers debuted in the College Football Playoff rankings Tuesday at No. 25. "Against Ohio State, with the athletes they have, we're going to be in some one-on-one situations, and we're going to have to tackle very well."Ohio State and Oregon are tied for fourth in the nation in scoring offense, at 46 points per game. Freshman quarterback J.T. Barrett's prowess was on full display in last week's 49-37 victory over Michigan State.

"It's an exotic attack," Gophers senior Cameron Botticelli said. "They'll do some stuff with their quarterback. They've got a dynamic running back [Ezekiel Elliott]. They'll put a wide receiver back there and run the wildcat. It's kind of the mirror opposite of Iowa.

"We knew what Iowa was going to do. They were going to run the full zone. They were going to try to run the ball. If you stopped them doing that, they were going to try to throw. Ohio State has a few more cards in their deck."

But the Iowa game was more proof that Gophers defensive coordinator Tracy Claeys is counting cards. Minnesota allowed 31.7 points per game his first season, then 24.7, then 22.2 and now 21.3 this year, which ranks 23rd in the country.

This year's number doesn't tell the whole story, though, because there have been some inexplicable lapses. The Gophers gave up 20 fourth-quarter points to Eastern Illinois after jumping to a 35-0 lead. They led Middle Tennessee State 28-0 at halftime, and gave up 24 points in the second half.

Claeys could live with those letdowns, but he was furious when the Gophers trailed Purdue 31-20 at halftime. The defense stiffened, and Minnesota pulled out a 39-38 victory.

One week later, Illinois jumped to a 14-0 lead against the Gophers. The defense held Illinois to one touchdown over the final three quarters, but the Illini scored a late defensive touchdown to pull off a 28-24 upset.

"I think our kids were embarrassed by the way we played, more so against Purdue than Illinois," Claeys said. "We didn't get started out good at Illinois, but the last three quarters, I thought we played awfully well."

Throw in the Iowa game, and the Gophers' defense has given up only 21 points over the past seven quarters.

Iowa scored its first touchdown by picking on the Gophers' top defensive back, Eric Murray. He gave up two receptions and had a pass interference penalty, while purposely playing back, trying to gauge the speed of Iowa's receivers.

Claeys said the coaches' message to the defense after that drive went like this: "Make sure you keep stopping the run, and we'll be just fine. They aren't going to beat us throwing the ball."

Mark Weisman had rushed for 147 yards and 177 yards, respectively, in Iowa's victories over Minnesota the previous two years, but this time he managed 21 yards on 14 carries.

And Murray didn't get beat again the rest of the game. He came on cornerback blitzes to help thwart Iowa's next two drives, and got a hand on an Iowa punt that traveled only 14 yards.

"It reminded me a little bit of his Nebraska game last year," Claeys said. "He started off a little slow, and Kenny Bell caught a couple balls on him, and after that it was over."

This defense has that shutdown ability, but the Gophers know they can't afford any lapses against Ohio State.