OHIO STATE Gophers gaining momentum

No. 21 Minnesota plays its biggest game of the season today against the Buckeyes.
COLUMBUS (AP) -- Slowly, Minnesota has made its way into the rankings, its record bolstered by victories over Southwest Texas State, Louisiana-Lafayette and Buffalo.
Now the No. 21 Golden Gophers (7-1, 3-1) are positioned for a spot in the Big Ten race as they head into today's showdown against No. 6 Ohio State. Iowa (8-1, 5-0) is first, with the Buckeyes (9-0, 4-0) right behind.
Ohio State coach Jim Tressel thinks the Gophers are a threat -- for now.
"October is for pretenders. November is for contenders,"' he said, quoting former Ohio State coach Earle Bruce. "That's the truth. We understand in November, that's when the decisions are made."
Others, including Buckeyes safety Donnie Nickey, see Minnesota as a paper tiger propped up by a weak schedule. "Their competition ... they definitely haven't seen anybody like us. I don't think they've seen a defense as strong as ours, especially against the running game," Nickey said. "You've got to take into account who they played."
Strong ground game
Minnesota leads the Big Ten in rushing with almost 300 yards a game on the ground. Terry Jackson and Thomas Tapeh have both topped 100 yards rushing in the last three Gophers games.
In his first season as a starter, Jackson is the top rusher in the conference with 171 yards a game -- over 50 yards more per league game than second-place Antoineo Harris of Illinois (118.5). Tapeh is fifth in the Big Ten in rushing at 115 yards.
"I don't know if we're a great rushing team but I'm very pleased with the way we've been rushing the football," Minnesota coach Glen Mason said.
Mason, a former Ohio State player and assistant under Woody Hayes, also served under Bruce in the early 1980s on the same staff with Tressel. They were the two finalists for the job when Tressel was hired two years ago.
The last time Mason brought a team to Columbus, the Buckeyes were 5-0 and ranked No. 5 early in the 2000 season. The Gophers pulled off a 29-17 upset.