Minnesota is not expected to be a defensive juggernaut. Let’s get that out of the way first. I could pick and choose stats all day long, but a few jumped out to me from their 2020 season: 206.7 opponent rushing yards/gm (99th in the county), 4.00% sack rate (114th), and 64.06% opponent completion percentage (92nd). On paper, you’re basically telling me they struggle to stop the run, they don’t pressure the quarterback, and the opponent is able to complete a high percentage of their passes due to said lack of pressure.
In reality, the 2020 version of the Golden Gophers lost a lot of talent from their 2019 defense (recurring theme for Minnesota).