It certainly wasn’t the prettiest game, but the Gophers did what they had to do to pull out a 24-17 victory over Illinois on homecoming.
“It wasn’t the best performance by both teams, I bet, but you had to find a way to win that football game, and we did,” said P.J. Fleck.
By the Numbers
153 Rushing yards for Kobe McCrary who also scored a touchdown. McCrary filled in for an injured Shannon Brooks and was stellar, especially after contact.
“[Kobe] is so big and so powerful,” said Fleck. “He is going to play a lot. He is earning himself playing time by the way he runs the football. He runs hard, he has good vision and good feet. He has done a tremendous job. We have called him. We have some guys banged up in the back field and it is nice to have your spare be that big.”
10 Points off turnovers for the Illinois. Minnesota’s defense was dominant throughout the game, holding Illinois to 282 yards while forcing four fumbles and an interception. The score was much closer than it should have been as Illinois simply capitalized on turnovers.
8 Tackles for a loss for the Gophers. Carter Coughlin had a strong day at defensive end, recording two sacks and forcing a fumble.
“Thank goodness we have Carter Coughlin because he’s getting better every week,” said Fleck.
6 Points on the pick-six for Jonathan Celestin to put the game out of reach in the fourth quarter. After the game, Fleck praised Celestin who’s had to battle adversity on and off the field.
“The big story to me is Jonathan Celestin’s interception,” said Fleck. “There was some other greater power making that work. I am proud of him and all that he has been through. I think I speak for the entire team when I say that.”
27 Percent third down conversion rate for the Gophers. Going 3/11 looks even worse as Illinois converted on 8 of their 16 attempts.
1 Big Ten win under P.J. Fleck. Again, it wasn’t pretty, but we’ll take it.