Week 12 Preview: No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Minnesota Golden Gophers

The Ohio State Buckeyes and Minnesota Golden Gophers kick off from Columbus Saturday.

The No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes have a date with Michigan in two weeks. But first, Ryan Day's team will face the Minnesota Golden Gophers on Saturday in a Big Ten cross-divisional matchup.

The Buckeyes are on a roll thus far this season. Junior quarterback Kyle McCord looks to be hitting his stride, junior running back TreVeyon Henderson has been among the explosive backs in the Big Ten and the defense might be the best in college football. And junior receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. is turning into a Heisman front-runner.

In fact, with his 149-yard, three-touchdown performance against Michigan State Saturday, Harrison became the first player in school history with two, 1000-plus-yard seasons.

Meanwhile, the Gophers have not exactly had a memorable season, recording their worst 10-game start since 2018. Although they have one notable win over current No. 22 Iowa, they haven't scored more than 27 points in a win this season.

Minnesota controls the ball for more than 32 minutes per game, good for third in the conference. That said, they have left a lot to be desired on the offensive end, ranking middle-to-bottom of the pack in passing, scoring and total offense.

One strong suit for the Gophers was the run game and freshman back Darius Taylor, who, despite missing the last three games, still leads the team in rushing with 591 yards.

If Taylor comes back — and he's listed as active — expect him to give the Buckeyes a good test on the ground.

However, the Gophers have not looked bad on the defensive end — three players rank top 20 in pass breakups in the conference and the defensive line, led by senior Danny Striggow, ranked fourth in the Big Ten with six sacks.

In other words, the Buckeyes are certainly the superior team, but cannot afford to lose focus before their big date with Michigan on Nov. 25. 

Minnesota Golden Gophers

2023 Record: 5-5, 3-4 Big Ten

Head Coach: P.J. Fleck

Offensive Leaders:

Passing: QB Athan Kaliakmanis

Season stats: 129-247, 1582 yards, 13 touchdowns, seven interceptions

Rushing: RB Darius Taylor

Season stats: 103 carries, 591 yards, four touchdowns

Receiving: WR Daniel Jackson

Season stats: 45 receptions, 681 yards, seven touchdowns

Defensive Leaders:

Tackles: LB Maverick Baranowski - 52

Interceptions: DB Tyler Nubin - 4

Sacks: DL Danny Striggow - 6