Gophers defensive coordinator Joe Rossi is producing another top-ranked defense in college football. Many elements go into repeating as a dominant defense, but out of all potential factors contributing to their production, none are as credited by Rossi as his change in mentality while coaching.

“When I was a young coach, I didn’t always appreciate playing to the guys’ strengths,” Rossi said. “And as you get older, you get a little wiser because you make mistakes. Then you say, hey, maybe we should do the things the guys are good at.”

Rossi’s time in the league has taught him to drop the coaching ego in favor of incorporating players’ strengths into his schemes. And because of it, the Gophers are in the upper echelon of college football defenses.

One of the more apparent strengths exhibited by the defense this year has been their speed both physically and mentally. Whether it is shutting down a deep pass or recognizing a read option, defensive players have played at an elite level and at a faster pace.

Rossi was tasked to handle New Mexico State (NMSU) and Western Illinois’ (WIU) dual-QB offenses in the season’s first two games.

Offenses would typically roll with a single starting quarterback and then depend on a backup for emergencies, poor performances or blow-outs. A dual-QB system is different because the QBs rotate with each other depending on the team’s situation on the field.

The offense acts as a visual processing test for defensive players. It presents them with the challenge of constantly identifying the quarterback and the strategies needed to counter their habits.

Before, Rossi might’ve schemed the defense only according to his research. But after having time to mature and develop his mindset as a coach, he talks about teaching players pattern recognition skills that let them focus more on winning with their strengths.

“It depends on, number one, what type of quarterback you’re facing. Is it a guy who’s a scrambler or is it a pocket guy?” Rossi rhetorically asked when talking about preparing his pass rushers against different QB styles. “If it’s a pocket guy, you’re more reckless because that guy doesn’t really want to run. If it’s a guy that’s going to scramble, [we] talk about where does he scramble? At what depth is he scrambling?”

In the game against NMSU, the Gophers slowed down the Aggies’ offense by forcing the QBs to hold onto the ball for a longer amount of time. Both of their QBs are good scramblers, so by preventing them from getting off quick plays, the defense closed off the edges to keep the ball in the QBs’ hands.

Cornerbacks played in tight coverage, putting NMSU’s QBs into a panic. This well-schemed, player-friendly defense forced the QBs into four total turnover-worthy throws, according to PFF advanced statistics.

The game plan against rushing WIU’s quarterbacks was different, especially in regard to quarterback Nick Davenport. Davenport’s go-to, last resort decision is throwing the ball deep to a receiver in hopes of a big play. To eliminate the possible big plays from Davenport, the Gophers had to give him less time to get in throwing motion.

The defense did not blitz Davenport on any of his dropbacks, drew in seven pressures and dropped his average time to throw by 10%. Rossi trusted the players to utilize their strengths and prevailed.

In Week Three, the Gophers played Colorado, a run-heavy team with a one-quarterback system. Knowing that getting off to a fast start would force Colorado to play into their weaknesses, he needed to ensure all players were prepared enough to play at full speed.

“Guys play their best when they’re playing fast,” Rossi said. “If they can play fast and play with a clear mind, they’re going to play at their highest level.”

Rossi’s mindset of playing to the strengths of the player rather than to his typical scheme has helped the Gophers get off to a fast start. In part by adopting this mindset, the defense has showcased their speed through winning games by creating three-and-outs, tracing quarterbacks on reading options and forcing quick turnovers.

His utilitarian mindset on defense has opened unique strategies for players to maximize their impact while involuntarily processing the proper offensive counters. And ultimately, his mentality has helped Gophers football get off to one of their best starts in recent years.