Ohio prepares itself for Minnesota's stagnate defense on Saturday.
Ohio running back Daz Patterson said he only has one mindset going to Minneapolis this weekend: win.
"Beat Minnesota," Patterson said with a smile. "Beat the brakes off of Minnesota."
When Ohio visits Minnesota at TCF Bank Stadium on Saturday, Patterson and the undefeated Bobcats (3-0) will meet one of their most formidable foes this season.
After double-digit wins in all three victories this year, Ohio will have to decrypt one of the best defenses in college football.
"They are big and athletic," Ohio coach Frank Solich said. "They don’t just play straight up all the time, with their size and strength they are able to slant and move and can do things that sometimes bigger guys can’t do with the effectiveness they are able to do it. You look at their secondary, they support on runs very quickly."
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Minnesota's defense ranks 25th in the nation, only allowing five touchdowns this season and previously holding Ohio's Mid-American Conference rival Kent State to just seven points in week two.
Solich said during his press conference Monday that the Golden Gophers' safeties are "very active" in their run defense and that Minnesota (2-1) is not a team that can be "knocked around."
Patterson said the Bobcats will have to rely on their execution in order to put points on the board.
"They're a good team," Patterson said. "They're definitely a Big Ten team, we gotta be aware of that. And this will be a nice atmosphere for us, to get out and play in a big stadium like that. We're looking forward to it."
Patterson, along with running backs A.J. Ouellette and Papi White, could be relied on heavily Saturday, as quarterback Derrius Vick will throw against potential NFL corners Eric Murray and Briean Boddy-Calhoun. The tandem corners have helped Minnesota shut down passing offenses this season, allowing just 150 passing yards per game.
Vick averages 182 passing yards per game this season and threw a career-high of 327 yards against Southeastern Louisiana last week.
"Derrius [Vick] and JD [Sprague], while he was in there, have been passing the ball efficiently," Solich said. "Our receivers have done a great job of getting open and making catches. That part of the game seems to be working well. We’ll get tested heavily this week because their defensive backs are very good. It is not going to be a deal where we can just throw the ball up."
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