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102 ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 24, ISSUE 6 f R eplicating Minnesota's eight-win season, its best since 2003, won't be easy. But that's the task facing Jerry Kill, as the fourth- year Golden Gopher coach looks ahead to the 2014 sea- son. He'll face challenges, namely reloading a defense that was one of the better units in the Big Ten last sea- son and hoping his quarterback, Mitch Leidner, stays effective and healthy. It's that latter point that has fans worried. Leidner, a sophomore, is the Golden Gophers' only experienced option at QB — Philip Nelson transferred following the season — after he passed for more than 600 yards and rushed for 400 more as a part-time starter last season. "He's had a handful of starts," said Zach Johnson, publisher of GopherIllustrated.com, the Rivals.com site that covers Minnesota, "and even when he started, Minnesota Junior Theiren Cockran fits Minnesota's mold at defensive end, being a quick pass-rusher off the edge. He led the Go- phers with 7.5 sacks last season. Minnesota Golden Gophers 2014 OPPONENT PREVIEW • OCT. 18 • TCF BANK STADIUM, MINNEAPOLIS • TIME: NOON • TV: TBD and Denicos Allen and cornerback Darqueze Dennard, are gone. But Dantonio has made a habit of putting solid de- fenses on the field during his seven-year tenure at Michi- gan State. "I don't think the defense can be as good as they were a year ago, but I still think they have the pieces in place to be a top-10 defense, as they've been for the last three years," Konyndyk said. That group includes Taiwan Jones, a former outside linebacker who takes over for Bullough in the middle. Jones might not have the play-calling savvy of Bullough, but veterans in the front of the Spartan defense might be able to adjust. Junior end Shilique Calhoun could be poised for an even bigger season, after having 7.5 sacks last season. Between him, four-year starter Marcus Rush and backup Demetris Cooper, the Spartans have a trio of potentially great rush- ers. "From the front four, the pressure will be more consis- tent and I think that can take some pressure off the line- backers," Konyndyk said. "It's not that I think the lineback- ers are going to struggle, I just think it will be different without Max Bullough there." Senior Kurtis Drummond leads the secondary from his spot at free safety, but there are questions elsewhere in the defensive backfield, primarily at strong safety, where three will compete to start. Special teams are in good shape with veterans Mike Sadler (punter) and Michael Geiger (kicker). The Spartans have huge expectations, including per- haps an entry into the College Football Playoff, but they'll be tested early, including a trip to Oregon in Week 2. "You look at a transitioning defense, it's going to be hard to go to Oregon and win that game," Konyndyk said. "I don't see Michigan State getting into a playoff without a win at Oregon." — Kyle Charters OF NOTE: The Spartans have won four consecutive games against Purdue (2007-2010) after the Boilermakers had a four-game win- ning streak in the series (2001, 2002, 2005, 2006).