Tressel displays tact discussing the struggling Golden Gophers

Ohio State is averaging 37 points a game while
Minnesota is surrendering 39.

COLUMBUS (AP) — The numbers are jarring: Minnesota is surrendering 39 points, 544 total yards and 408 passing yards per game.

On top of that, no Bowl Subdivision team in America has turned the ball over more than the Golden Gophers (16).

Yet in the days leading up to their game at Minnesota, the eighth-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes were careful to avoid any negative comments about the Gophers.

“Early on, they just got hit with some blitz cuts that really affected them,” coach Jim Tressel said cautiously. “You can see their evolution is growing from those things.”

With the Buckeyes averaging 37 points and 414 yards a game, Tressel was asked if it was reasonable to expect his offense to have a huge game against Minnesota.

Numbers are misleading

“I think if all you did was look at the stats, that might be the case,” he said, before arguing that the numbers are misleading and that the Golden Gophers are really much better than their sorry national rankings indicate.

The rest of the Buckeyes (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten) followed in lockstep.

“They have a lot of solid [defensive] guys over there,” quarterback Todd Boeckman said. “Some of their starters from last year are not even starting this year, so they must have some depth on defense.”

Backup tailback Maurice Wells added, “Minnesota’s a great defense. I watched film on them and they kind of let up on a couple of big plays but overall they can play pretty well.”

Minnesota (1-3, 0-1) is clearly struggling under first-year head coach Tim Brewster, hired to replace the fired Glen Mason after playing in a bowl game a year ago.

Through four games (an overtime win against Miami of Ohio, an overtime loss to Bowling Green and defeats to Florida Atlantic and Purdue) the Golden Gophers have surrendered nine touchdowns of 20 yards or longer, including passes of 53, 46 and 43 yards, a 95-yard kickoff return and a 43-yard interception return.

Boeckman conceded he had noticed those big plays on the statistics sheet.

“Hopefully we can do the same as these past teams and put a few yards on them,” he said.

Quick-strike capability

Ohio State’s offense got off to a slow start in the opening half of its first three games yet has shown a quick-strike capability that has to worry Minnesota’s coaching staff. The Buckeyes have eight scoring drives in their last two games that required three or fewer plays.

Dick Tressel, Jim’s older brother and the Buckeyes’ running backs coach, said he has not sensed that the players are eager to start lighting up the scoreboard at the Metrodome.

“I think our guys have a lot of respect for Minnesota,” he said. “I don’t think it’s different from week to week — guys visualize making a big play, whether they’re playing the No. 1 defense in the nation or No. 50.”

Or, in the case of Minnesota, the unit ranked dead last of the 119 in the Bowl Subdivision in total defense.

Minnesota is hopeful

Still, the Golden Gophers don’t sound overly concerned about getting sliced and diced by the Buckeyes offense.

“If they want to pass, they can pass. If they want to run, they can run. I think we’ll be fine,” defensive tackle Eric Small said. “We’re not going to change anything. We’re just going to keep doing what we’re doing, and eventually things are going to fall in our favor and we’re going to get the breaks that we should be getting.”

Brewster, a former tight ends coach for the Denver Broncos and San Diego Chargers, recognizes that it won’t be easy to turn things around.

“I’ve been in the National Football League for the past five years, and what I’m looking at [in Ohio State] looks like an AFC West team,” he said.

But he added, “If we take care of the things we can control and play as hard as we can play, we can beat Ohio State on Saturday night.”