Before each Ohio State game, Eleven Warriors catches up with a media member who covers the opposing team to get his or her perspective on the Buckeyes' upcoming opponent.
Minnesota
golden gophers
This week, Ohio State hosts Minnesota in its home finale and the final tune-up before the Buckeyes clash with archrival Michigan in Ann Arbor on Nov. 25. The Gophers, picked by several pundits to win the Big Ten West in preseason polls, have underachieved by those expectations, entering Saturday with a 5-5 record including a 49-30 drubbing by Purdue last week.
To break down the matchup, we're joined by Randy Johnson of The Minneapolis Star Tribune, who discusses what has gone wrong for the Gophers this season, the struggles the team has had on offense and the success of safety Tyler Nubin.
Minnesota came into the year with relatively high expectations but has been somewhat disappointing with a 5-5 record. What do you make of how the season has played out so far?
Randy Johnson: It’s been a disappointing season for the Gophers, especially the past two weeks when they got a late lead over Illinois only to see the Illini’s backup QB drive his team 85 yards in three plays to score the winning TD with 50 seconds left. And last week, Minnesota’s defense didn’t show up in a 49-30 loss at Purdue, giving up 604 total yards.
The Gophers seemed to have a favorable matchup on paper against Purdue last week to get bowl-eligible, then got drubbed 49-30. What went wrong against the Boilermakers?
Johnson: The biggest issue the Gophers had was that Mike linebacker Cody Lindenberg missed the game because of an injury and his backup, Maverick Baranowski, left the game for good on the first defensive series. That forced the Gophers to play a true freshman and redshirt freshman who basically hadn’t played before. They also were without safety Aidan Gousby, who plays a lot on passing downs. Purdue also played its best offensive game of the year.
It seems quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis has struggled with inconsistency so far this year with a 52.2 completion rate, how would you assess his performance in the 2023 season?
Johnson: Inconsistent is the word. Over the past two weeks, he’s completed 20 of 33 passes for 334 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions in the first half of those games but is 9-for-31 for 125 yards and two TDs in the second half.
Looking at Minnesota’s offense, the Gophers rank 113th nationally in total yardage, though losing star running back Darius Taylor perhaps is part of that. Considering Ohio State is one of the nation’s top defenses, is there a path for the Gophers to move the ball against the Buckeyes?
Johnson: Not much of a path. If Taylor plays, that’ll be a boost to the running game, which is on its fifth option in converted defensive back Jordan Nubin.
It seems safety Tyler Nubin anchors the team defensively, a side of the ball Minnesota has been much better on. How do you think Minnesota’s defense matches up with OSU’s offense?
Johnson: If Lindenberg and Baranowski aren’t healthy, it’ll be another long day for the Gophers. Tyler Nubin is an outstanding safety, but he can’t do everything. They have a decent pass rush with Jah Joyner and Danny Striggow, but a thin secondary is not ideal against a team like Ohio State.
Who are some offensive and defensive playmakers we haven’t mentioned that are worth paying attention to on Saturday?
Johnson: Joyner, Striggow and defensive tackle Kyler Baugh have had decent seasons. Justin Walley is the team’s best cornerback, so I imagine he’ll get Marvin Harrison Jr. duty.
The last time these two teams played two years ago, the Gophers gave the Buckeyes all they could handle for a little more than three quarters. Yet, OSU has won 11 in a row against Minnesota and has won 27 of the last 28 games. How do you see this game playing out Saturday and give us a score prediction if you have one?
Johnson: This is a much different team than the one that pushed the Buckeyes in 2021. They no longer have an All-America running back in Mohamed Ibrahim and an All-America center in John Michael Schmitz. I expect Ohio State to get out to an early lead and keep building on it. Minnesota’s defense just isn’t healthy enough to suggest any chance of an upset.
