Gophers defense corrects course just in time for key stretch run

The pattern looked disturbingly familiar.

Nebraska, just as Purdue and Illinois had done before, marched down the field on its opening possession and scored a touchdown against the Gophers. The Boilermakers and Fighting Illini would go on to beat Minnesota by scores of 20-10 and 26-14, respectively, the beginnings of a three-game losing streak that followed the Gophers' 4-0 start.

So, when Huskers running back Anthony Grant ripped off a 36-yard run on the first play from scrimmage Saturday, and backup quarterback Chubba Purdy scored on a 2-yard run eight plays later, a "here we go again'' feeling about the Gophers' proud defense hung in the air. It intensified on Nebraska's second possession, which led to a field goal for a 10-0 first-quarter lead.

But something else happened on the way to what was looking like a defeat. The Gophers defense bowed its neck and shut down the Huskers, enabling Minnesota's offense to work through its issues and produce four second-half scores in a 20-13 victory.

How did it happen? Nebraska's offensive approach wasn't what they expected, so the Gophers had to start over from scratch on defense. They'll need such quick thinking in the final three regular-season games: Saturday against Northwestern at Huntington Bank Stadium, Nov. 19 at home against Iowa and Nov. 26 at Wisconsin.

"We had to basically take that game plan and throw it out defensively,'' Gophers coach P.J. Fleck said. "I thought [defensive coordinator] Joe Rossi and his staff did a great job, along with our players, of adjusting in the second half.''

Turning the game's tide

The success started in the second quarter, when the Gophers forced Nebraska to punt for the first time. The Huskers had two more first-half possessions, going three-and-out and gaining only 2 yards. The Gophers kept it up in the second half, stretching the three-and-out streak to six possessions, with Terell Smith's interception early in the fourth quarter punctuating a stretch in which Minnesota held Nebraska to 16 yards over 18 plays.

"The players got a feel for how they were being attacked,'' Rossi said. "And then we were able to get after it a little bit in terms of having efficiency on first and second down. "… It put them in longer third-down situations.''

During those six three-and-outs, several Gophers made key contributions. Linebacker Mariano Sori-Marin made five tackles and had a quarterback hurry. Linebacker Cody Lindenberg, who led the team with eight tackles, had a sack and two tackles in that span. Smith had his interception, nearly had another and added a pass breakup.

Lindenberg, especially, is a player who has made strides this season, starting the past two games and collecting 31 tackles, three tackles for loss and a sack over the past four games.

"He works tremendously hard at the mental aspect of the game, just studying and preparing,'' Rossi added. "In our room at linebacker, that's kind of how it goes. That's what the standard is in terms of preparation.

"And that started with Thomas Barber, and how he went about his business, and then the baton got passed to Mariano,'' Rossi added. "… Cody is kind of the next guy, being able to embrace that.''

Gaining their coach's trust

The defense's turnaround against the Huskers also played a part in how Fleck and offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca managed the game. With the Gophers leading 20-13 with 3:12 left and facing third-and-7 from their 41-yard line, Mohamed Ibrahim appeared to gain 7 yards for a first down, but replay officials ruled him a half-yard short.

Ibrahim implored Fleck to go for it, but the coach decided to punt. His reasoning: He had confidence Nebraska couldn't march roughly 90 yards for the tying touchdown in the final 2:25 with no timeouts remaining.

Safety Tyler Nubin urged Fleck to keep Ibrahim in to run the ball, while reassuring the coach that the defense would step up if he chose to punt.

"I was just letting Coach know that the defense has his back,'' Nubin said.

Nubin lived up to his words with a big play to end the game. With Nebraska at its 47-yard line facing fourth-and-5, Nubin broke up a pass intended for Trey Palmer, ending the Nebraska threat.

"I knew when we came back out in that second half, and it started towards the end of the first half, that we were going to be able to control the game defensively,'' Fleck said. "And when we started doing that, that's where a ton of my confidence went into trusting the defense.''