Familiar faces reunite Saturday when Gophers host Michigan State

P.J. Fleck considers Joe Rossi a friend, having employed him as Gophers defensive coordinator from the middle of the 2018 season through 2023.

Ditto for Greg Harbaugh Jr. and Danny Collins, who worked with Rossi as quality control coaches during Fleck’s first season in Minnesota in 2017 and later as assistants in 2023.

“Coach Rossi did a tremendous amount for this program and the University of Minnesota, and I have a lot of respect for him and what he’s done,” Fleck said. “… He’s just an awesome man."

Come Saturday, though, Fleck and his two coordinators — Harbaugh on offense and Collins on defense — will try to make life difficult for Rossi, who is in his second year as Michigan State defensive coordinator.

Rossi’s Spartans (3-5, 0-5 Big Ten) visit the Gophers (5-3, 3-2) in a 2:30 p.m. game that carries weight for two teams coming off losses in rivalry contests.

Minnesota is licking its wounds after a 41-3 loss at Iowa in which any bounce from the previous week’s 24-6 victory over then-No. 25 Nebraska disappeared immediately under a Hawkeyes blitzkrieg at Kinnick Stadium.

Michigan State played a competitive game against Michigan but fell 31-20 for its fifth consecutive defeat, putting additional heat on coach Jonathan Smith, the man who hired Rossi away from Minnesota.

“He’s just a great person that I always looked up to, and he taught me a lot to get me where I’m at today,” Collins said of Rossi. “And I’m excited to see him, but again, it’s about us. It’s about Minnesota vs. Minnesota at the end of the day.”

For the Gophers, that means not beating themselves.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Drake Lindsey endured his first clunker as a starter, throwing three interceptions against Iowa, one that was returned for a touchdown.

Fleck’s mantra is for his team to start fast, accelerate in the middle and finish strong, but Minnesota’s offense has had trouble getting out of neutral to start games.

The Gophers have been outscored 48-38 in the first quarter this season, but 35 of their points were scored against Northwestern (La.) State, a 1-7 FCS team. Against FBS competition, the Gophers have been outscored 48-3 in the first quarter.

The Gophers will try to attack a Spartans defense that statistically ranks among the worst in the Big Ten.

Michigan State is allowing 32.5 points per game, which ranks last among the 18 Big Ten teams. The Spartans give it up on the ground (149.4 rushing yards allowed per game, 14th in the Big Ten) and through the air (230.8, 15th). They have only six takeaways this season (16th in the conference).

That’s a departure from the success Rossi had with the Gophers.

In three of his five full years as Minnesota’s defensive coordinator, the team finished in the nation’s top 10 in total defense (10th in 2019, third in 2021 and ninth in 2022). In addition, his 2022 defense allowed only 13.8 points per game (fourth nationally) and his 2021 squad gave up 17.3 points per game (sixth).

“We’re in the business of winning football games, and we don’t feel we’ve played a complete game as an offense, defense and special teams,” Rossi said earlier this season. “The flashes give you what you’re capable of. The dips are the lack of consistency. The flashes give you the belief you can do it and the motivation. If there weren’t the flashes, then you’re sitting there saying, ‘Hey, we’ve got some issues.’ We’ve got to be more consistent.”

“I think we stick with that,” Smith said. “That was kind of the hope of him coming down to the sideline. Joe does a great job with the whole unit in regards to communication, direction.”

For Rossi, the defense’s improvement comes down to earning confidence.