The injury list grew in Week 4 for several former Minnesota standouts, and a few more Gophers are now heading into Week 5 with uncertainty hanging over them. Even so, the defensive group kept delivering, with Jack Gibbons, Boye Mafe and Justin Walley all turning in standout showings.
Walley had the biggest individual breakthrough of the week. In Indianapolis’ win over Washington in London, he logged 49 defensive snaps and five on special teams, then put together the best game of his NFL career. He finished with eight tackles, five solo, and grabbed his first NFL sack on a blind side blitz of former Gopher teammate Athan Kaliakmanis, who had to enter the game for the Commanders.
Mafe made his presence felt in Cincinnati’s matchup with Jacksonville. He was on the field for 51 defensive snaps and led the Bengals’ defensive line in workload.
The stat line matched the effort: five tackles, two solo, three tackles for loss and a sack of Trevor Lawrence. He spent the day living in the Jaguars’ backfield.
Gibbons was busy for Arizona in its game at New York, leading the Cardinals with 61 defensive snaps and adding seven more on special teams. He finished with a team-high eight tackles, including three solo stops. The Giants tested him in coverage three times, completing two passes for 18 yards.
There were other strong defensive notes across the league as well. Blake Cashman helped Minnesota beat Miami with 38 defensive snaps, a team-high eight tackles, three solo, plus a quarterback hit and a fumble recovery.
Tyler Nubin returned for the Giants and played 51 defensive snaps and nine on special teams, recording four solo tackles and two pass defenses. He was targeted five times and allowed one catch for 18 yards.
Danny Striggow also flashed for Jacksonville, even in limited action. He played nine defensive snaps and four on special teams, made two solo tackles and got to Joe Burrow for a sack.
The injury and availability concerns were real elsewhere. Antoine Winfield, JR played 55 defensive snaps and one on special teams for Tampa Bay before leaving late in the fourth quarter with what appears to be a fractured rib, and he is expected to miss several weeks.
Eric Murray left Jacksonville’s game in the third quarter after being evaluated for a concussion, making his status for this week questionable. Ko Kieft was inactive for Tampa Bay because of an elbow injury.
A few other Gophers saw reduced or limited roles. Rashod Bateman played 30 offensive snaps and one on special teams for Baltimore, catching both of his targets for 46 yards as the Ravens got more wideouts back.
Brevin Span-Ford logged 40 offensive snaps and 15 special teams snaps for Dallas, was targeted once and did not make a catch, but did add three special teams tackles. Aireontae Ersery played all 55 offensive snaps and six special teams snaps for Houston in the loss to Dallas.
Benjamin St. Juste was used only on special teams for Green Bay, playing 15 snaps there and not recording a stat.
Jordan Howden played one defensive snap and 26 on special teams for New Orleans. Max Brosmer was inactive as the Vikings’ third quarterback.
Some former Gophers were out entirely. Daniel Faalele was a healthy scratch for the third straight week.
John-Michael Schmitz missed the Giants’ win because he and his wife welcomed their first child, though the Giants’ backup center played well enough to make his future usage worth watching. Tyler Johnson was not called up from the Jets practice squad, and neither Kyler Baugh nor Esezi Otomewo was elevated for Pittsburgh.
Deven Eastern remained on Seattle’s practice squad, while Nick Kallerup was inactive for the Seahawks.
Cody Lindenberg got 19 special teams snaps for Las Vegas and made two tackles there, one solo. On the practice squad side, Washington’s Smith was not called up for Week 4.
In Other News...
Gophers Face A Road Test That Could Change How Fans See This Team
Minnesota heads to Purdue with a chance to add a second road win to its season, and the matchup brings a little extra edge because the Boilermakers have provided some of the more memorable chapters in this series. The Gophers have reasons to believe this trip can say something meaningful about where they stand, especially with the defense expected to set the tone and the offense asked to do enough to keep the game in range.
Purdue has its own threats, from linebacker Charles Correa to a rushing attack led by Fame Ijeboi, and this one figures to turn on whether Minnesota can keep the home team from controlling the line of scrimmage. The preview around the game points to a close finish, which makes the Gophers' challenge pretty clear: play clean, make Purdue work for every yard, and leave enough pressure on Browne to keep the Boilermakers from dictating the pace. [Read more 🡒]
Four Future Gophers Just Delivered A Statement Minnesota Fans Will Notice
Moorhead High Schools football team gave Minnesota fans a little early glimpse of what the Gophers 2027 recruiting class might look like on the field Friday night. The Spuds, which feature four players committed to Minnesota, used a heavy dose of their track formation on offense and leaned on that future Gopher connection to take down Maple Grove in a Class 6A game, with the second half turning on turnovers and a sharper tempo from the Moorhead attack.
Quarterback Jett Feeney and receiver David Mack were at the center of it, with Feeney stretching the field all night and Mack repeatedly turning catches into big gains. For Minnesota followers, the appeal is obvious: its one thing to see a recruiting class on paper, and another to watch several of those names driving a high school offense that can hang with one of the states better programs and finish the job. [Read more 🡒]
Minnesota's Front Has A Real Chance To Control This Purdue Matchup
Purdues long-awaited first Big Ten win in more than 1,000 days brought some relief, but it did not suddenly make the Boilermakers an easy matchup for Minnesota. Ahead of the game, Purdue beat writer Sean Williams pointed to the quarterback play of Ryan Browne and to lingering injury concerns along the offensive line as two of the biggest factors shaping how competitive Purdue can be, while also noting the defense has clear strengths and weaknesses that could swing the night either way.
From Minnesotas side, the encouraging part is that this sets up a game where the front seven can make its presence felt if it handles the line of scrimmage. Williams laid out the keys Purdue needs to pull off an upset and still projected a 35-24 Minnesota win, which leaves the Gophers with a chance to turn their edge up front into the kind of control that usually decides Big Ten games. [Read more 🡒]