Danny Collins' defense has improved, but can it keep carrying the Gophers?
· Yahoo Sports
The Gophers’ defense faced its fair share of struggles last season under defensive coordinator Danny Collins. Now in his second year calling plays, Minnesota’s defense looks like one of the best units in the Big Ten.
The Gophers allowed 22.9 points per game last season, which ranked 50th in the country. That was the fourth-worst scoring defense in P.J. Fleck’s nine seasons as head coach, and a steep drop-off from the dominant seasons led by former defensive coordinators Joe Rossi and Corey Heatherman.
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Collins had been at least an assistant coach under Fleck since the 2015 season at Western Michigan. It was fair to think there’d be some ups and downs in his first season calling plays. He has begun to find his groove in Year 2.
Notable stats (FBS rank)
- 20.1 points allowed per game (34th)
- 288.7 total yards allowed per game (17th)
- 165.1 passing yards allowed per game (11th)
- 123.6 rushing yards allowed per game (44th)
- 12 turnovers (T-22nd)
Collins’ defensive unit has made some big improvements this season, but consistency is the next step. They’ve been an elite unit in all five wins this season, but they’ve been abysmal in the losses to Mississippi State and Purdue.
With a daunting schedule to finish the season, the Gophers’ defense might need to carry their struggling offense, but is it good enough? Saturday’s 13-10 win over Iowa should inspire a ton of confidence that this team can win ugly. The Michigan game was a similar performance, but it takes another level to show up on the road.
Minnesota’s strength has been its pass defense, more specifically, the cornerback position. John Nestor is its highest-graded player through seven games, according to Pro Football Focus (PFF). His 86.3 PFF grade isn’t that much higher than Michigan State transfer Aydan West’s 75.5.
Second-year safety Zack Harden continues to get better every week, with 42 total tackles, which ranks second on the team. Veteran linebacker Joey Gerlach has emerged as a big-time playmaker alongside the team’s leading tackler, Maverick Baranowski.
The pass rush was expected to be Minnesota’s strength this season. Anthony Smith, TJ Bush Jr., Karter Menz and Jaxon Howard have performed at a high level, but maybe not as well as some people expected. The area where they need more consistency is along the interior of their defensive line. Riley Sunram was beginning to emerge, but he missed the Iowa game with an injury. If they can get more consistency from players like Naquan Crowder, Theorin Randle and Xion Chapman, this defense could take another step.
Outside of Chip Kelly’s new-look Northwestern offense, Minnesota faces far more elite defenses down the stretch. If they want to beat Indiana, UCLA, Wisconsin or Penn State, they’ll probably have to win ugly. They’ve proven they can against Iowa and Michigan, but life in the Big Ten requires you to perform at a high level for an entire nine-game slate.
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This story was originally published by Bring Me The Sports on Oct 28, 2026, where it first appeared in the MN Gophers section. Add Bring Me The Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.