MINNEAPOLIS — When Minnesota (4-1) and #24 Illinois (5-1) face off on Saturday, it'll be a matchup of two of the top defenses in the country.
The Gophers and Illini are #1 and #2 in the NCAA in scoring defense and total defense. The Illini are allowing eight points per game, fewest nationally.
"Well, first of all, they are incredible aggressive. Probably one of the best defensive lines I've seen at being able to dominate your gap, get rid of the offensive lineman and then make the play in the hole. They are well-coached, very disciplined team, very aggressive, they all tackle well. I've been very impressed," Gophers head coach PJ Fleck said.
Illinois also boasts the #2 defense in the NCAA in terms of total defense, only giving up 228 yards per game. Both their rush defense and pass defense also rank in the top-10 nationally.
"In the secondary, they're going to challenge you. They're going to get up in your face and play man coverage. They really make cover one and cover two look the same until the ball is snapped, which presents a lot of challenges. They do a really good job at being who they are," Fleck said.
Those confusing looks they provide for offenses are a big reason why Illinois has nine interceptions this season, the fourth most in the country.
Not only will two of the best defenses in the country face off on Saturday in Champaign, Illinois, but also two of the best running backs in the nation, Minnesota's Mo Ibrahim (567 rush yards) and Illinois' Chase Brown (879 rush yards), will go head to head. Brown enters Saturday with the most rushing yards in the country.
"Chase Brown is one of the best backs in the country. Period. I think it's well-documented and he has been for a long time. He does a really good job, he's got a very similar style to Mohamed (Ibrahim) in breaking tackles. Getting a lot of yards after contact. One thing that separates him from a lot of people is he can break tackles, and then when he gets in the open field, he can end it, too," Fleck said.
The Gophers are coming off their first loss of the season to Purdue. They then had their bye weekend, which provided beneficial time for Mo Ibrahim's ankle injury recovery. Fleck says he expects Ibrahim to play in Champaign on Sunday.
"Oh it (bye) helped a lot. He looks really good this week and last week," Fleck said.
The Gophers and the Illini will kickoff at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, on Big Ten Network.
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