The Gophers' 12-10 victory at Iowa last week included several strange things: Iowa absorbing rather than delivering a late punch to the gut; the winning team doing so without visiting the end zone; and grown men racing to hoist a 98-pound statue of a hog.
Gophers defense finding its identity, especially among the players up front
When the Gophers needed a stop last week at Iowa, they usually got it, and they'll look for that to continue Saturday vs. Michigan State.
October 27, 2023 at 12:30PM
One scene that didn't appear on TV might have taken the cake. There was Gophers defensive coordinator Joe Rossi, wedged between the top of a locker and the ceiling, getting a bird's-eye view and cheering as his boss, P.J. Fleck, body-surfed atop Minnesota players in a pink locker room.
"I got a good view of coach when he came in, and the players, so it was good," Rossi said. "We've had a bunch of games that have come down to the wire against [Iowa]. I know this one means a lot to the players, too."
And it's over now. Rossi quickly turned his attention to Michigan State, Saturday's opponent at Huntington Bank Stadium. Though the Spartans (2-5, 0-4 Big Ten) carry a five-game losing streak into the game, Rossi knows that the Gophers need to keep the defensive pedal down no matter who lines up on the opposing side. The 37-34 overtime loss at Northwestern, in which the Gophers squandered a 21-point fourth-quarter lead, is a prime example of not finishing a game.
"We recognize that team's way better than the record," Rossi said of the Spartans. "They've got a lot of really, really good players. They've got length, they've got athleticism, they've got speed.
"… When we have a positive game. Well, what are we going to do in the next game?" Rossi continued. "That's the conversations we have as coaches."
The Gophers will avoid a slip-up against Michigan State if they can bottle the type of complementary defense they used against Iowa, which gained only 127 yards, rushed for only 11 and committed three turnovers.
Granted, Iowa ranks last nationally in total offense, but solid coverage by the secondary enabled the Gophers to sack Hawkeyes quarterback Deacon Hill four times, forced him to lose two fumbles and pressured him into a last-gasp interception. And improved play at linebacker shut down an Iowa run game that produced 200 yards on the ground the week before in a victory at Wisconsin.
"It was mainly just doing our assignment," said defensive tackle Jalen Logan-Redding, who was named to Pro Football Focus' college team of the week after posting a career-best 90.7 grade. "There were some details in the weeks before that we just didn't hit, and I felt like that we honed in on the details and execution."
The Minnesota defensive line has steadily improved, and it showed at Iowa, along with Logan-Redding, who had one sack and two tackles, the Gophers got inspired play up front from tackle Deven Eastern (six tackles and a PFF grade of 82.5), tackle Kyler Baugh (four tackles), end Danny Striggow (two tackles, one sack) and end Anthony Smith (three tackles).
"You're watching a team grow up in front of your eyes," Fleck said. "That does not promise you wins, and it does not promise you anything, but it gives you a better chance. We knew that these are going to be the challenges of this particular team."
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For Rossi, the bye week following the 52-10 loss to Michigan enabled the Gophers to reassess and correct for the second half of the season.
"Bye weeks are always important," he said. "They're important for health, but they're also important for, 'Hey, where are we at? What do we need to get better at? What do we need to emphasize?' "
Rossi likened the improvement to what the Gophers accomplished in 2020 after a rough start from the defense. By the end of that season, the defense was on better footing, and that core group helped produce top-10 total defense finishes in the 2021 and '22 seasons. His hope is that the 2023 transformation has started in midseason.
"We've got a new group now, and they're finding their identity," Rossi said. "So, I was pleased with the work. I thought the linebackers played their best game individually and collectively. Now they get to do it again against a different offense, a different scheme. Just because you do it once doesn't mean it's gonna happen again, but I thought they took a really good step."
Sam Rinzel had two of the Gophers’ three power play goals against the Irish.
