BleedGopher
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per La Velle:
Bret Bielema owns the Gophers like Aaron Rodgers owns the Bears. Like the Yankees own the Twins. Like any playoff opponent has owned the Twins since 2002, come to think of it.
The dominance was confirmed, once again, on Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, where the Gophers were favored to beat the Illini but watched Bielema's offense roll up 472 yards against one of the nation's best defenses en route to a 26-14 victory that was more lopsided than the score suggests.
Gophers quarterback Tanner Morgan, before he was knocked out of the game in the fourth quarter while scrambling, was limited to 21 yards passing as the Illini pressured him and the secondary stuck to Minnesota receivers. Mo Ibrahim's 44-yard run in the second quarter and a 92-yard kickoff return by Quentin Redding to open the third were the Gophers' biggest plays of the day. Except for a handful of effective runs by Ibrahim, the Gophers offense was handled by an Illini defense that entered Saturday leading the nation in scoring average.
"They put you in third-and-long," Gophers coach P.J. Fleck said. "And it's going to be a long day."
If Pedro Martinez played for the Gophers, he would call Bielema his daddy.
Fleck has enough on his plate, having lost consecutive games to Purdue and Illinois and the prospects of a three-game losing streak looming as the Gophers travel to Penn State next week. That challenge could be tougher if Morgan, who left the game after being struck in the head by Illinois freshman linebacker Gabe Jacas during a tackle, is unable to play.
Now he's looking at the scoreboard. Bielema 9, Gophers 0. And 2-0, and counting, against Fleck.
www.startribune.com
Go Gophers!!
Bret Bielema owns the Gophers like Aaron Rodgers owns the Bears. Like the Yankees own the Twins. Like any playoff opponent has owned the Twins since 2002, come to think of it.
The dominance was confirmed, once again, on Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, where the Gophers were favored to beat the Illini but watched Bielema's offense roll up 472 yards against one of the nation's best defenses en route to a 26-14 victory that was more lopsided than the score suggests.
Gophers quarterback Tanner Morgan, before he was knocked out of the game in the fourth quarter while scrambling, was limited to 21 yards passing as the Illini pressured him and the secondary stuck to Minnesota receivers. Mo Ibrahim's 44-yard run in the second quarter and a 92-yard kickoff return by Quentin Redding to open the third were the Gophers' biggest plays of the day. Except for a handful of effective runs by Ibrahim, the Gophers offense was handled by an Illini defense that entered Saturday leading the nation in scoring average.
"They put you in third-and-long," Gophers coach P.J. Fleck said. "And it's going to be a long day."
If Pedro Martinez played for the Gophers, he would call Bielema his daddy.
Fleck has enough on his plate, having lost consecutive games to Purdue and Illinois and the prospects of a three-game losing streak looming as the Gophers travel to Penn State next week. That challenge could be tougher if Morgan, who left the game after being struck in the head by Illinois freshman linebacker Gabe Jacas during a tackle, is unable to play.
Now he's looking at the scoreboard. Bielema 9, Gophers 0. And 2-0, and counting, against Fleck.
Neal: No surprise that Bret Bielema, Illinois dominated Gophers
The Illini coach is now 9-0 against Minnesota, and the Gophers and P.J. Fleck have a lot to consider.
www.startribune.com
Go Gophers!!
