Ask members of the Gophers' offense their impression of Ohio State's defense, and the superlatives flow like a waterfall.
"As far as the speed, size and strength, they're probably second to none," center Tony Brinkhaus said.
"They're extremely talented across the board," tight end Jack Simmons said.
"Big, strong, physical, fast, aggressive, and they blitz," coach Tim Brewster said.
The statistics provide more validation. The Buckeyes rank second nationally in total defense, third in scoring defense, fifth in pass defense and seventh in run defense.
The eighth-ranked Buckeyes have allowed 29 points total in four games. The Gophers allow 38.5 points per game. Ohio State has given up 481 passing yards total. Minnesota's defense allows an average of 407.8 yards passing per game.
You get the idea. The matchup is a daunting challenge for a Gophers offense that will start a redshirt freshman quarterback, possibly a true freshman running back, a freshman slot receiver and two redshirt freshmen on the right side of the offensive line.
"We're going to go into this deal with a very aggressive game plan," Brewster said. "We're in it to win it. We're going to shoot our guns and not hold anything back."
The Gophers appear confident they can move the ball and put up points against this stout defense. The Gophers rank 15th nationally in both total offense and rushing and average 35.5 points per game.
The scoring average is even more telling when you consider Minnesota has committed 16 turnovers -- tied for the most in Division I-A -- including 11 the past two games.
Those turnovers have fueled double-digit deficits and forced the Gophers to play catch-up too often. The Gophers realize they cannot afford to put themselves in that position against Ohio State's defense.
"We just can't shoot ourselves in the foot," redshirt freshman quarterback Adam Weber said. "You can't have any turnovers and you can't miss out on any opportunities. If they give us something, we have to be able to hit it."
Presumably, every defense has a weakness, but the Buckeyes don't look particularly vulnerable in any one area. Their line is big, fast and physical. Their linebackers, led by All-America and Wayzata product James Laurinaitis, are among the nation's best as a unit. The secondary is young but talented.
"We just have to attack them," freshman tailback Duane Bennett said.
Bennett will get plenty of opportunities in possibly his first career start. Brewster said the Gophers also will need help from running backs Amir Pinnix and Jay Thomas. And Weber, too.
Weber carried the ball 20 times last week against Purdue -- four more than the three running backs combined. Everyone agrees that Weber needs to reduce his workload in the running game, but the competitor in Weber finds that difficult.
"You have to believe you can make a play any time," he said. "But there's also a common sense that comes with that."
On certain plays Weber reads the defense to determine whether to hand off the ball or keep it. He said he can do a better job of reading the defense in those situations so that he doesn't keep the ball as much.
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