Minnesota may have a winning record....

... but how good are they really? Let's let the stats have their say...

2009 Big Ten Rushing Offense

2009 Big Ten Rushing Defense

2009 Big Ten Passing Offense

2009 Big Ten  Passing Defense

The stats say... not very. Even Purdue had a notable strength in its passing game. And while the Boilers have been in every game they've played, Minnesota was never truly "in" its most recent game, a 20-0 shutout at the hands of Penn State. The offense is the only one ranked behind the Buckeyes' in the conference. That, my friends, takes work.  This, um, sounds eerily familiar:

Moving forward, expect Minnesota's offense to have sporadic success when their offensive line is not dominated.  Minnesota's running backs aren't big enough to compensate for nonexistant holes, Adam Weber is not good enough to overcome a lack of blocking, Eric Decker needs at least a few seconds to shake defenders, and the defense needs time to catch some wind on the sideline.  Without blocking, a team is bound to lose badly.  If just two or three top tier offensive lineman had played for Minnesota, I'll maintain that this game could have been much closer.  Offensive line as it is, Minnesota never had a chance against Penn State's NFL-calibur defensive front.

Now how scary is it that Ohio State supposedly has not just two or three, but four "top-tier offensive linemen", and can't block Purdue, much less Penn State? Okay, that's enough hand-wringing for now. Exchange "Adam Weber" with "Terrelle Pryor", "Eric Decker" with DeVier Posey/Dane Sanzenbacher, and you basically have the Ballad of the Buckeye offense. These are two offense mired in confusing amounts of inadequacy, and it's looking like the difference this Saturday will again be the Buckeye defense. Minnesota's defense, on the other hand, is not particularly good at anything, but of course, neither was Purdue's. 

I can personally guarantee that Minnesota is looking almost exclusively at Purdue game tape right now, and that Tim Brewster - say what you will about his coaching, he's probably not retarded - is emphasizing the quick release to Adam Weber more than ever this week. Defensively, the Gophers are going to try to do what everyone else is doing with great success; sticking eight in the box and daring Pryor to do what he hasn't done yet this year against a team with a defensive pulse: make 'em respect the pass.

Remember how I said this was the stretch in which Pryor has to prove himself? Well, he isn't right now, and Minnesota is his last chance against a live defense to do so before the trip to Happy Valley. I dunno about you, I'll take any progress I can get here, even against a team that's probably not as good as its record indicates. Just limiting turnovers, Pryor-inspired and otherwise, would be an excellent start.