The story of Northwestern's 4-0 start has been more about its defense than its offense.
The No. 16 Wildcats rank 99th in the nation in scoring offense at 25 points per game, with victories over Stanford (16-6) and Duke (19-10), two teams with strong defenses.
"The biggest challenge with Northwestern is they're a very well-oiled machine on offense," Gophers senior cornerback Eric Murray said. "They have a lot of concepts they run, and if you don't have those concepts, big things can happen to you on defense."
The Gophers (3-1) will need to overcome their injuries and be ready Saturday when they visit Evanston, Ill., to face Northwestern in their Big Ten opener.
Defensive coordinator Tracy Claeys explained the Wildcats run a no-huddle offense with four or five different personnel groupings. Northwestern quickly alternates between using zero, one or two running backs, and one or two tight ends.
Of the Gophers' previous opponents this season, only Colorado State used that many combinations, and Northwestern does it at a faster tempo.
So Gophers coaches and players will need to react with quick decision-making and communication, which could prove difficult because of the injuries. When they were at full strength, with four seniors in their secondary, this wasn't the same concern.
At safety, Damarius Travis remains out because of a hamstring injury, but Gophers coach Jerry Kill said Thursday that Antonio Johnson could return. Johnson was going through Phase 2 of his concussion protocol but was not listed on the team's injury report.