When sophomore tailback Tyrell Dortch played cornerback last week against Iowa, it wasn’t just an isolated experiment.

After recording five tackles in 39 plays at cornerback, head coach Bobby Williams said Dortch will start there at Minnesota on Saturday.

“I thought Tyrell Dortch did some very good things at that corner position,” Williams said. “He was aggressive at times. Certainly he does have a lot to learn about playing that position. We do an awful lot in our coverage on the defense.”

Even though he didn’t play any offense against Iowa, Williams said Dortch will continue to practice and play on both sides of the ball.

“Tyrell definitely has the ability to play over there,” he said. “We’re going to continue to work with him at the defensive back position, but it starts with his attitude, and his attitude has been tremendous about being a team player.”

After both starting cornerbacks got injured in the bye week, Dortch was the first player who came to mind to move to the defensive, secondary coach Troy Douglas said.

“You can see the guy is a running back and you can see his feet,” Douglas said. “You can see he can change direction, you know he’s got a little toughness - it’s just natural.”

But for now Dortch is relying on his athleticism until he gets a grasp on all the formations, he said.

“I was shocked they threw a lot of plays at me,” Dortch said. “But like I said before, it’s just zone or man. I just go out there and be an athlete