Scoggins: 'Spiteful resiliency' has served Gophers defense well before

His mouth was moving, but Tracy Claeys looked lost in thought as he conducted his weekly media session.

He began with a few unusually brief answers. He stared at the floor while talking at one point.

Not that he was rude or terse. He just seemed consumed.

Ever had a conversation with someone and it became obvious they were thinking about something else? That's how the Gophers defensive coordinator looked standing behind a podium.

The reason was simple. And perfectly understandable.

Melvin Gordon.

"He's awfully good," Claeys said. "Awfully good."

So, too, is Claeys, which makes that particular matchup in Saturday's Gophers-Wisconsin division showdown so compelling.

Gordon's historic season has elevated him to frontrunner for the Heisman Trophy. Claeys was selected this week as a nominee for the Broyles Award, given to college football's top assistant coach.

Those two won't have direct contact during the game. Claeys won't even be near the field. He coaches from the press box.

But Gordon is playing better than anyone in college football, and Claeys' challenge is to find a way to slow down the Roadrunner.

This chess match should be entertaining.

"That kid has just been on fire," Gophers coach Jerry Kill said.

Gordon's season ranks among the best ever by a college running back. He leads the nation in rushing (191.7 yards per game), rushing average (8.3) and scoring (27 touchdowns). He ran circles around Nebraska in compiling 408 yards.

In November alone, he's rushed for 941 yards, which ranks ahead of 114 other teams.

So, yes, Kill was correct when he noted that Gordon is on "another planet."

Gordon's speed separates him from the pack, literally. He leads the nation in runs of 40-plus and 50-plus yards.

He's a tailback who hits home runs. Long home runs. He is capable of busting one every time he touches the ball. The Gophers can't afford to let Gordon make the game a track meet.

"He doesn't need much to make something happen," Gophers cornerback Briean Boddy-Calhoun said. "Very fast, big back, super explosive. Control him and I think we'll be in good shape."

Every defense writes that at the top of its scouting report, of course. Being able to execute it is the tricky part.

Claeys' defense has answered different challenges time and again, which is why he is a candidate for a national honor.

The Gophers are ranked 30th nationally in scoring defense (22.5 points per game) and ninth in takeaways (27).

Perhaps just as impressive, Claeys' defense has held 19 of the past 24 opponents under their scoring average. In nine of those instances, the Gophers held the opponent more than 10 points below its average.

Now they face Gordon, their toughest individual test yet.

"I think any competitor at the highest level wants to face the best and wants to have their grit tested," Gophers defensive tackle Cameron Botticelli said. "I think this defense plays with Coach Kill's style of spiteful resiliency."

What an interesting motto. Spiteful resiliency. They will need a dose of that in trying to corral Gordon, who got only 12 carries for 69 yards in their meeting last season after Gordon fumbled on his first carry.

A hallmark of Claeys' scheme is aggressiveness. He is not afraid to bring pressure or attack a certain area at the risk of leaving himself vulnerable in other spots.

Gordon might as well tape a bull's-eye to his red jersey. Everyone in the stadium knows where the ball is going when the Badgers take the field on offense. Claeys, however, noted that they do different things to avoid becoming predictable.

"They've ran more formations and shifts than we have room on our white board for," he said.

It's probably overly simplistic to suggest the Gophers should focus solely on Gordon and not worry about anything else. Whatever it takes, right? Put extra defenders near the line. Use a spy. Untie Gordon's shoelaces.

Botticelli appreciates that theory but said it's more complicated than that.

"It gets tricky game-planning for single players," he said. "You can make all the adjustments you want for a single player, but if you don't play sound football as a cohesive unit, it doesn't matter if you stop one player because you're not going to be productive on defense."

Gordon requires group effort, solid tackling and probably some of that spiteful resiliency. He's that good, that hot right now.

Claeys understands the difficulty of this challenge, which explains why he appeared so intensely focused this week. Nobody needed a psychic to know what was on his mind.

Chip Scoggins • chip.scoggins@startribune.com