Week 12 Iowa opponent preview: Breaking down the Minnesota Golden Gophers’ defense
When the Iowa Hawkeyes travel to take on the Minnesota Golden Gophers this Saturday in Minneapolis at 3 p.m. CT, there is going to be nothing easy given to the offense. This game is going to be another episode of grinding it out, field position, and not turning the ball over.
At kickoff, it is going to be below 10 degrees with the wind chill. That sets up quite the day for a pair of defenses that like to hit hard, defend the run, and make life difficult for opponents. Iowa’s defense is nationally known for their success but Minnesota is right there.
In what will be a heavy dose of the run game, field position, and protecting the ball, this matchup will come down to which offense can find success and not turn it over.
This will likely be a low-scoring affair and could come down to a defensive score or game-changing play by one, or both, of these defenses.
Minnesota 2022 Statistics
Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports
Iowa’s defense is out-of-this-world good but Minnesota’s is not far behind at all and in some categories, they are right there. They did play three out of conference games against New Mexico State, Western Illinois, and Colorado that helped boost these numbers but even with that, they are impressive.
The Golden Gophers are giving up just 13.1 points per game, 106.8 rushing yards per game, and 167.2 passing yards per game. They don’t let teams move the ball. They’ve allowed just 14 touchdowns all season.
Tyler Nubin, S
Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK
Iowa has their secondary that is very well-known, but a name to get familiar with is Tyler Nubin, a product out of St. Charles North High School in Illinois. He is going to be very impactful on Saturday against the Iowa offense.
Nubin leads the Gophers with four interceptions on the season and has added in 47 tackles, two of them tackles for loss, which puts him second on the team. Nubin is an NFL talent that will be playing at the next level.
Tyler Nubin jumps the route, INT! Nubin and Minnesota’s defense can to play today! pic.twitter.com/0pt302Wf36
— Cam Mellor (@CamMellor) October 1, 2022
Mariano Sori-Marin, LB
Harrison Barden-USA TODAY Sports
Mariano Sori-Marin is the Golden Gophers’ leading tackler on the season and mans the middle of this defense. In what appears to be a bitterly cold forecast, the game plan for the Hawkeyes is pound the rock. Sori-Marin will be involved most of the game.
He has tallied a team-leading 69 tackles so far. After being an All-Big Ten Honorable mention selection in 2021, he has continued his strong play in 2022.
Danny Striggow, DL
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
The Golden Gophers have just 16 sacks on the season so their pressure hasn’t been an overly deciding factor for them. When they do pass rush, Danny Striggow has been the most successful at creating havoc and getting home.
He leads Minnesota with 3.5 sacks. To go with those, he has added 4.5 tackles for loss. Should Iowa drop back to pass, Striggow is priority number one to block.
Cody Lindenberg, LB
Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports
Another stout member of the Minnesota defense in the middle is another linebacker, Cody Lindenberg. The duo of him and Sori-Marin make the Gophers second level very stout.
Third on the team with 45 tackles, Lindenberg also has four tackles for loss and a sack. Iowa has to climb to the second level against Minnesota’s linebackers to find success in the ground game.
[listicle id=13051]
[listicle id=13046]
[listicle id=13042]
Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions.
Follow Riley on Twitter: @rileydonald7
Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.
