DETROIT – The Gophers defense for Tuesday’s Quick Lane Bowl against Bowling Green will look quite a bit different than it did during the regular season, and that’s not only because of the departure of defensive coordinator Joe Rossi to take the same job at Michigan State.

Four players who started the majority of the regular season for the Gophers were listed as out in the pregame availability report that was released two hours before kickoff, while another was listed as questionable. Those out were Tyler Nubin and Darius Green and linebackers Maverick Baranowski and Devon Williams, while cornerback Tre’Von Jones was listed as questionable.

The Gophers received good news in who was not on the availability report. True freshman running back Darius Taylor, the team’s leading rusher, was not on the report, an indication that he will return after missing the past five games because of a leg injury. Taylor, a former Walled Lake (Mich.) Western High School standout, has rushed 103 times for 591 yards and four touchdowns.

Nubin’s absence was expected as he’s preparing for the NFL draft, as are tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford and wide receiver Chris Autman-Bell, who also will miss the game. The absence of Williams and Baranowski leaves the Gophers thin at linebacker, with Cody Lindenberg and Tyler Stolsky expected to start. At safety, Coleman Bryson and Kerry Brown would be in line to fill in for Nubin and Green.

Also listed as out on defense were linemen Chris Collins and Lucas Finnessy, linebackers Jack Tinnen and Zander Rokow and defensive back Jackson Powers. On offense, lineman Karter Shaw joined Spann-Ford and Autman-Bell in the out category.

The absences of Nubin, Spann-Ford and Autman-Bell marked the second consecutive year that the Gophers have had at least one prominent player sit out the game, eliminating the risk of injury as they focus on the NFL draft. All-America center John Michael Schmitz didn’t play in the Pinstripe Bowl last year and ended up as a second-round pick by the New York Giants.

Both Nubin and Spann-Ford have been invited to play in the Senior Bowl on Feb. 3 in Mobile, Ala. That marks the fifth consecutive year that the Gophers have had at least one player invited to the Senior Bowl.