The Gophers continued their winning streak last weekend with an important 25-17 win over the Illini of Illinois. The Illini came into the game with a great season put together as they were ranked 24th in the country heading into Saturday. However, even with an 11:00 am start time on the road in Champagne the Illini came up short!
With their 4th win in a row Minnesota improved to 6-3 and sit 6th in the Big Ten standings. The Gophers 6th win puts them in bowl eligibility, but another win could significantly improve the quality of that game. That would be a huge bonus as a team trip to Detroit for the Motor City Bowl was never the goal when the season began.
Brosmer and the Gophers played a lot tighter game this week, but they were up for the challenge. After Illinois captured a 4th quarter lead, Minnesota was able to quickly respond with a Jameson Geers go ahead touchdown catch from the 1 yard line. The Gophers were then able to tack on another field goal late, which brought it to an 8 point game. That was the last straw for the Illini as they were not able to pull off a late game comeback.
However, the biggest highlight of the game was a clutch deep ball catch by Daniel Jackson late in the 4th quarter. Not only did the catch put the Gophers in position to win the game, but also gave him the 5th most receiving yards in program history. The grab brought him past Gopher alumni Rashod Bateman and Ernie Wheelwright.
Daniel Jackson ended up with 5 catches for 74 yards while Brosmer was 22-37 passing on the day with 213 yards and a touchdown. However, running back Darius Taylor shined with 131 yards and a touchdown on the ground. While the offensive did not get going quite like it did last week, the hope will be to bring everything together for one final push.
We all know that beating Illinois is not the true goal for this team. As we look ahead, at Rutgers next week seems to be a winnable game. Especially with the rivalry surrounding former Gopher quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis leading this year’s Scarlet Knight squad. Minnesota will then have a key matchup against a one-loss Penn St. team. The Nittany Lions will come into Minnesota with a likely 9-1 record, the only loss being to Ohio State’s #3 ranked powerhouse lineup.
A win over Penn St. would set the Gophers up to play a struggling Badger team to become 9-3 to finish the season. Although this record feels as if it would just be a high quality bowl game, there is a slim chance it could mean the college football playoff. According to PlayoffStatus.com the Gophers have the 38th best chance to make the 12 team CFP. Furthermore, the site gives the Gophers a 4% chance if we win out. Although it is slim, there is still hope for a late season Gopher run.
As we move into the end of the season, fans of the Gophers will hope the team can clean up on the road to add to the drama of the Penn St. game. With that being said, we all remember last time Penn St. was in Minneapolis in a marquee matchup. The result: a game that sent the Gophers into the national spotlight.
