Minnesota Golden Gophers' Defensive Players to Watch vs. Ohio State Buckeyes

The Minnesota Golden Gophers defense is one of the best in the nation in causing turnovers

The Ohio State Buckeyes offense has been up and down throughout this season. But over the last couple of weeks, has really begun to hit its stride. 

That is bad news for the Minnesota defense, which catches the Buckeyes - and Heisman contender Marvin Harrison Jr. - just one week before their massive showdown with the Michigan Wolverines. 

Overall, the Golden Gophers' defense has been very below average in the Big Ten. They rank bottom five in the conference in scoring, pass, rush, and total defense. 

Despite this, Minnesota has shown stints of being a solid unit, holding four teams to 15 points or less, including then-No. 24 Iowa.

Below are the Gophers' key defensive players to watch against Ohio State in Columbus Saturday:

DL Danny Striggow

Striggow has been a bright spot for the Minnesota defensive line. He's recorded six sacks this season, good for third in the Big Ten and top 50 nationally.

Thanks to a lean build, he has a good speed and strength to get the quarterback quickly, which he has consistently done through pressures if not sacks.

Striggow will also be key in stopping an Ohio State running game that has been picking up steam since the return of TreVeyond Henderson

LB Maverick Baranowski

The Gophers have a new leader of their defense in 2023, and it comes in the form of freshman linebacker Maverick Baranowski, who leads the team with 52 total tackles, to go along with two pass breakups and a sack.

Baranowski will have a big task ahead of him, however, facing one of the top offenses in the Big Ten, and trying to contain Henderson.

Minnesota's secondary - 11 INT, T-19 nationally (only 3 games without a pick)

Perhaps the most notable stat about the defense is they have recorded 11 interceptions in 10 games, tied for No. 19 in the nation. The defense only has three games without an interception.

Senior defensive back Tre'Von Jones has been everywhere for the secondary, ranking among the top in the Big Ten with two interceptions and five pass breakups.

Besides that, senior cornerback Justin Walley and junior defensive back Jack Henderson have also helped on the back end.