Minnesota/Illinois Pre-Game Thread: Articles, Links, Tweets & More

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BleedGopher

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per Shama:

U Bowl Fate & More Notes

With three games remaining on the regular schedule, the 5-4 Gophers need one more win to be bowl eligible and the only likely “w” is the Illinois game next Saturday. The 2-7 Illini will have the Gophers at home but Illinois is 0-5 in the Big Ten and the team’s only wins are over Western Michigan and Charleston Southern.

The Gophers’ other two remaining games are against 7-2 Nebraska in Lincoln and 5-5 Michigan State in Minneapolis. After yesterday’s 35-13 loss to Michigan at TCF Bank Stadium, the Gophers were still targeting a bowl game for the first time since 2009.

“We gotta look forward to the next game,” said cornerback Troy Stoudermire. “We gotta help the young guys keep their heads up. Gotta keep motivating Philip (Nelson) because if he goes in the tank, we don’t have a chance to get to a bowl game.”

The Gophers played a strong first quarter against Michigan but were dominated the rest of the game. Nelson, Minnesota’s freshman quarterback, believes the Gophers weren’t “embarrassed.” “At the same time there’s nothing to be happy about,” he said.

“We gotta erase it right now,” said wide receiver MarQueis Gray after the Michigan game. “Just start getting ready for Illinois tomorrow.”

http://shamasportsheadliners.com/

Go Gophers!!
 



per Sid:

Opposite game for U

After looking at the film of the Gophers' 35-13 home loss to Michigan from Saturday, coach Jerry Kill concluded that what happened was the complete opposite of the previous week's victory over Purdue.

"We made all the plays a week ago. And against Michigan, they made the plays and we didn't. That's as simple as it gets," Kill said.

Kill said Wolverines quarterback Devin Gardner -- who up until Saturday had been a wide receiver this season -- is a lot like the Gophers' MarQueis Gray in that he can play both wide receiver and quarterback and that he was able to make some plays with his feet.

"[Gardner] did a good job," Kill said. "I'm sure [Michigan starting QB] Denard [Robinson] would have been a difference for them. And [Gophers receiver A.J.] Barker would have been a difference." Both Robinson and Barker were sidelined by injuries for Saturday's game.

"We moved the ball. That defense is a very good defense. I think we only punted three times," Kill said. "We moved the ball, but they were great [defending] inside the red zone. They're stiff in there."

Then, referring to the failed fake field goal the Gophers tried, Kill said: "That's why you wanted to try anything you could do to get in there. They want you to kick field goals. We knew we had to get into the end zone to win the game. We just didn't get into the end zone. Like I said, they threw it up into double coverage and caught the ball. We did that a week ago, we couldn't do it this week."

Incidentally, ESPNU was here over the weekend and will feature the Little Brown Jug for its "Road Trip" show at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Offensive line young

Addressing the young roster the Gophers have, Kill said: "I think we're probably one of the younger teams in the country, to be honest with you. Our kids are playing hard. The good teams -- Nebraska, they found a way to make a play. Notre Dame, the guy misses a field goal for Pittsburgh.

"I think it's part of youth, it's part of paying your dues. You're going to have some up and down times. But as far as the effort the kids are giving, I can't complain about that. As we get older, we're going to get better. We'll get better this week. I know the kids will come back and wrk."

There is no doubt where the Gophers are hurting as far as youth goes is the offensive line, where four of the more experienced starters are missing, including brothers Ed and Tommy Olson, the left tackle and guard, respectively. The Gophers' patchwork offensive line had to go against a Michigan defensive line that started two seniors, a junior and a sophomore.

The Gophers had at center redshirt freshman Jon Christenson, their third starting center this year. They also started three redshirt sophomores -- Marek Lenkiewicz at left tackle, Zac Epping at left guard and Caleb Bak at right guard. Epping also has started at right guard and center this year. Only right tackle Josh Campion, another redshirt freshman, has started every game at the same position on the offensive line. Bak and Christenson are walk-ons.

However, one positive from all this is that Christenson has played so well that he might be the starter at center for years to come.

It will be difficult for the Gophers to beat such teams as Michigan, Nebraska and Michigan State with the offensive line as inexperienced as it is.

But the Gophers should have a chance to beat Illinois, the worst team in the Big Ten, this weekend. And that would be big for the program, because the Gophers would qualify for a bowl and thus also get 15 extra days of practice for a squad that has only eight seniors playing.

http://www.startribune.com/sports/vikings/177195141.html?page=all&prepage=1&c=y#continue

Go Gophers!!
 

Obviously this is a great chance to finally get a road conference win again (in the same location as our previous one too, and 2 of our last 4). Illinois has been struggling quite a while. A good start will probably be quite crucial here, as if we jump out on them, they'll likely fall back. But if we let them get out, it could lead to problems, similar to how we did teams sometimes the last two years, playing with nothing to lose and all that.

I think if we play like we did last Saturday, we'll be alright, meaning we move the ball and hopefully playing a lesser opponent than Michigan, we can cash in on a few more of our opportunities.
 



So what are the keys to winning this game? I think we need to get the running game going early to take pressure off of Nelson.

We also should be able to get after Scheelhaase. He's been sacked an average of 3.6 times per game, tied for 4th worst in the country.
 

GophersInIowa said:
So what are the keys to winning this game? I think we need to get the running game going early to take pressure off of Nelson.

We also should be able to get after Scheelhaase. He's been sacked an average of 3.6 times per game, tied for 4th worst in the country.
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Need to have some offensive success early in the game. This is a team in full on melt down mode that we should beat. it is always tough to win on the road but Illinois is clearly the worst team in the conference this season.
 

MNVCGUY said:
Need to have some offensive success early in the game. This is a team in full on melt down mode that we should beat. it is always tough to win on the road but Illinois is clearly the worst team in the conference this season.
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Yep, I've got to believe that if we get up on them early, they will self implode.
 



I'm looking for Illinios to be up for this game. They are looking for this as possibly their only chance at a win for the rest of the season and unlike last year when we beat them, they have a new coach who they possibly are still playing for. We are going to have to bring our best game, and being able to run the ball, like MNVCGUY said, will be huge for us.
 

nokomismod said:
I'm looking for Illinios to be up for this game. They are looking for this as possibly their only chance at a win for the rest of the season and unlike last year when we beat them, they have a new coach who they possibly are still playing for. We are going to have to bring our best game, and being able to run the ball, like MNVCGUY said, will be huge for us.
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Actually it was Gopher in Iowa that brought up the running game but we all agree the offense needs to start fast and get some points on the board early. Illinois may be up for this game but it is very clear this is a bad football team right now. It is not like they are losing close games, they are getting dominated week in and week out by everyone they play. Their offense is a mess and their defense gets torched a lot.

We will have to play a good game and execute to win because we don't have enough talent to go there, play bad and expect to win. That being said our coaching staff should be able to figure out ways to exploit Illinois's weaknesses because eveyrone else has figured out how to do it with the expetion of Western Michigan and Charleston Southern. Hell even Indiana beat them at Illinois by 14 points.
 









AP: Gophers still trying to get over that Big Ten hump

"When you first take a program over, they're usually open because there's a reason for it. There's a struggle there. And your first year, you're just not very good," Gophers coach Jerry Kill said. "The second and third year, and you hope you can move it quickly, is that you win some games, but then you're close in a lot of games that you don't win because you're not quite good enough to get over that hump, and I'd like to see us be able to get over that hump a little bit."

http://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/Gophers-still-trying-to-get-over-that-Big-Ten-hump-4013696.php

Go Gophers!!
 

It took 3 overtimes to beat a terrible UNLV team when we were fully healthy. This is not going to be easy in any way. I hope we win, but I don't fully expect it. Get a lead and hold on.
 

tikited said:
It took 3 overtimes to beat a terrible UNLV team when we were fully healthy. This is not going to be easy in any way. I hope we win, but I don't fully expect it. Get a lead and hold on.
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I think the team has improved a bit from then, but yeah, we haven't shown much on the road to indicate this won't be anything but a struggle to grab a big win for the program. We've actually only played three and none of them really turned out so well. It'll be interesting to see how the team responds against a winnable squad in a road situation again.
 



USA Toay: Always a fighter, Brendan Beal hasn't given up on NFL dream


“I know I’m not yet the player I was but I’m back and I’m healthy,” Beal said. “Speed-wise, I’m faster than I was before, but there’s a lot of fundamental stuff I have to work on. I am coming around every week. I see some of these guys in the NFL that I knew coming out of high school and I think, ‘Oh my God, that should be me!' It just makes me so determined to get there.”

http://www.usatodayhss.com/amfam/article/brendan-beal-minnesota-linebacker-nfl-dream

Go Gophers!!
 

BleedGopher said:
USA Toay: Always a fighter, Brendan Beal hasn't given up on NFL dream


“I know I’m not yet the player I was but I’m back and I’m healthy,” Beal said. “Speed-wise, I’m faster than I was before, but there’s a lot of fundamental stuff I have to work on. I am coming around every week. I see some of these guys in the NFL that I knew coming out of high school and I think, ‘Oh my God, that should be me!' It just makes me so determined to get there.”

http://www.usatodayhss.com/amfam/article/brendan-beal-minnesota-linebacker-nfl-dream

Go Gophers!!
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Very interesting read. Obviously we all hope he gets back to the all world talent he was coming out of high school but at this point that looks like a long shot. Hopefully no matter what happens he can manage to stay healthy for an extended period of time given all the bad luck he has had to endure through this point in his career.
 

Wow...Illinois tickets on stub hub for four bucks. Crowd in the mid to upper 30's.
 

Going to be a gorgeous day in Champaign too - early forecast calling for 66 degrees and mostly sunny.
 

nokomismod said:
I'm looking for Illinios to be up for this game. They are looking for this as possibly their only chance at a win for the rest of the season and unlike last year when we beat them, they have a new coach who they possibly are still playing for. We are going to have to bring our best game, and being able to run the ball, like MNVCGUY said, will be huge for us.
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This game will be a walk in the park for us. On to a Bowl we go.
 


Minnesota Golden Gophers at Illinois Fighting Illini: Preview, prediction, TV info

The game comes down to: Has Illinois quit on coach Tim Beckman? The former Toledo coach was expected to enhance an elite defense with his wide-open MAC offense. Instead, the defense is among the worst in the conference and the offense has struggled for consistency amid a rash of injuries and the inconsistent play of QB Nathan Scheelhaase. Beckman needs to rally his troops after getting blown out last week at Ohio State.

Prediction: Minnesota 31, Illinois 17

http://www.cbssports.com/general/bl...is-fighting-illini-preview-prediction-tv-info

Go Gophers!!
 

BTN says...

Minnesota (5-4, 1-4) at Illinois (2-7, 0-5) – 3:30 p.m. ET, BTN/BTN2Go

Tom’s pick: Minnesota, 29-24 – It’s six losses in a row and counting for the Fighting Illini. Make it seven, as the Golden Gophers will be motivated to capture win No. 6 to attain bowl eligibility. Has Illinois hit rock bottom yet?

Brent’s pick: Minnesota, 31-13 – The way Illinois’ defense is playing, don’t be surprised if Minnesota true freshman QB Philip Nelson puts up numbers worthy of Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week in this one.
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http://btn.com/2012/11/07/week-11-we-predict-all-five-games/
 

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