MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Count Purdue coach Joe Tiller among those baffled about how to stop All-American center Greg Eslinger.
After Minnesota rushed for 301 yards in beating the Boilermakers 42-35 in double- overtime Saturday at the Metrodome, Tiller said the Purdue defense had no way of preparing for Eslinger and the Gophers' running game.
"They're obviously an excellent run team," Tiller said. "Your scouts can't come close to simulating what these guys are doing. We don't have anybody on our team who can pull the way their center can pull." The Boilermakers haven't been the only team to struggle against Minnesota's running game this season. The Gophers lead the nation in rushing at 325.5 yards per game, and running back Laurence Maroney is tops in the country with an average of 174.5 yards.
The Gophers' performance against Purdue was extra impressive considering the Boilermakers went into Saturday's game with the nation's No. 1 defense against the run, allowing just 16 yards per game.
Eslinger, a four-year starter from Bismarck, N.D., is unquestionably the leader of Minnesota's talented offensive line. And according to Gophers coach Glen Mason, he provides an example for the entire team.
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"He's a tempo-setter," Mason said Tuesday. "I think there's a couple of ingredients into building a team, one of which is you set the tone by the strong. I'm not just talking about the physically strong. I'm talking about the guys that are strong in every possible category.
"They're good football players, they're good people, they're good students, they're dependable, they're loyal, they're reliable -- all that stuff that goes with it.
"In every one of those categories, he's at the top of the list. So you put that guy out front and have everybody else try to keep up with him or catch him."
Eslinger -- a two-time firstteam All-Big Ten selection and a 2003 third-team AP All-American -- said providing leadership is one of his key responsibilities as a team captain.
"You have to step up when you're a captain," he said. "My style is more lead by example, although I will speak up sometimes if it's needed."
Eslinger's performance on the field has spoken volumes. Lightly recruited coming out of Bismarck High School, he impressed Minnesota's coaches with his work ethic and started immediately as a true freshman. He hasn't missed any of the 42 games the Gophers have played since he joined the team.
The 6-foot-3, 285-pounder is slightly on the small side for a Big Ten lineman, but he believes his style of play is well-suited for the Gophers' zone-blocking schemes, which require nimbleness and sound technique more than brute strength.
"I think it's a good fit," he said. "Centers in the Minnesota offense have to pull a lot. You've got to be quick to keep up with guys like Maroney and (running back Gary) Russell. Not to say that I do keep up with them, but you have to be quicker and a little more agile.
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"I definitely fit into this system a lot better than other systems I've watched. That's why I was recruited to play at Minnesota, and that's why I came here. My skills can be best used in a system like this."
Said Mason: "He's a perfect fit for what we do. He's almost a skill position in our offense. He's as good a football player as I've ever been around."
The Gophers (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten), ranked No. 18 in the nation, will play Penn State (4-0, 1-0) on Saturday in State College, Pa. Minnesota will be facing another team with a strong run defense; the Nittany Lions have allowed 85 yards rushing a game, 16thbest in the country.
Then again, Penn State has yet to face a team like the Gophers.
"Definitely our team chemistry is high, and our chemistry on the line is high, too," Eslinger said. "We're meshing well right now."
