The Minnesota Golden Gophers (3-1) head to Columbus for a Big Ten road game against the No. 1-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes (4-o) at 6:30 p.m. CST on Saturday, Oct. 4, at Ohio Stadium.
Can Ohio State score on offense?
Redshirt freshman quarterback
Julian Sayin has been efficient to say the least, leading the nation with a 78.8% completion percentage. He has thrown for 987 passing yards and 10 touchdowns with three interceptions. It certainly helps that Sayin has a pair of future NFL wide receivers — Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate — to catch his passes. Sayin and the Buckeyes’ elite receiving corps have carved up zone coverage this season, so Minnesota defensive coordinator Danny Collins may challenge his defensive backs to run step for step with Smith, Tate, and co. The Gopher secondary was able to hold its own at times in man coverage against Rutgers’ talented wide receivers, but these receivers are on another level and will punish any busts in coverage.
If Collins opts for more of a bend-but-but-don’t-break approach on defense, Minnesota could try to take advantage of Ohio State’s struggles to finish drives. They’ve made 20 trips to the red zone this season and have only scored a touchdown on 13 of them. Limiting explosive plays in the passing game by playing zone coverage and stiffening up in the red zone to force the Buckeyes to settle for field goals could keep the game close.
Being aggressive in pass coverage could also open the door for Ohio State to lean more on their ground game, which is led by true freshman Bo Jackson. Jackson is averaging 8.5 yards per carry on 35 carries this season. West Virginia transfer C.J. Donaldson leads the team in carries (42) and touchdowns (3), and sophomore running back James People should also figure into the mix.
To be able to shut down this offense, the Gophers need to play as a unit. First and foremost, they have to be able to pressure Sayin, because it’s only a matter of time before his receivers create separation.
Please tell me the Gophers will be able to score
This is one of the best defenses in the country. Defensive coordinator Matt Patricia deserves a lot of credit for reloading a unit that lost eight starters from last year and now ranks 27th nationally in run defense (97.2 rushing yards allowed per game), 8th in pass defense (132 passing yards allowed per game), and 1st in scoring defense (5.5 points allowed per game). They’ve only allowed two total touchdowns through the first four games.
If I had to sum up the Buckeyes’ defense in one word, it would be: Versatile. This is especially true up front, where Patricia likes to use a “penny front” — three interior defensive linemen, one on the edge, and a linebacker on the opposite side. This creates more one-on-one matchups on the defensive line. It is going to make life very challenging for a Minnesota offensive line that has struggled to consistently generate push up front.
Gopher running back Darius Taylor doesn’t seem anywhere close to returning to action, so that means the pressure will once again be on redshirt freshman quarterback Drake Lindsey. He is coming off his best performance of the season, but this Ohio State secondary is a different animal. Safety Caleb Downs is the captain of the defense and one of the best defenders in college football. Not only are Downs and the rest of the secondary talented, but Patricia has them disguising coverages at an elite level.
It’s going to be very tough sledding for the Minnesota offense.
But who will score more points on Saturday?
I think the Gopher offense is too one-dimensional to effectively attack this Buckeye defense, and the cornerback play on defense has been far too inconsistent to match up well with Ohio State’s elite receivers. I don’t see Minnesota pulling the upset on the road, unfortunately. Ohio State 31, Minnesota 10.
