Nov. 3, 2021: After getting ranked No. 20 in the initial CFP top 25, the Golden Gophers will look to extend their winning streak to five as they head into a potential trap game with Bret Bielema and Illinois.
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Broadcast Info:
- Date: Sat., Nov. 6
- TV channel: ESPN2
- Time of kickoff: 11:00 a.m. (CST)
- Broadcast team: Roy Philpott (play-by-play) & Kelly Stouffer (color)
- Betting line: Minnesota (-14.5) v. Illinois; over/under (44)
Opponent Information (Illinois):
- 2020 record: 4-6
- 2021 record: 3-6
- @ Nebraska 30-22 W
- v. UTSA 27-30 L
- @ Virginia 14-42 L
- v. Maryland 17-20 L
- @ Purdue 9-13 L
- v. Charlotte 24-14 W
- v. Wisconsin 0-24 L
- @ Penn State 20-18 9OT W
- v. Rutgers 14-20 L
- Head Coach: Bret Bielema (1st season)
- Returning starters: 13
- Players to watch: Chase Brown (RB), Brandon Peters (QB), Tarique Barnes (LB), Vederian Lowe (LT), Sydney Brown (S)
Bret Bielema is set to make his triumphant return to the Twin Cities, to take on a red-hot, freshly No. 20 ranked Gophers team. Bielema’s Fighting Illini host one of the worst offenses in the country rankings 122nd in the NCAA in points per game (17.6) and 123rd in passing yards per game (144.9). His hard-nose smash-mouth style of coaching has caused teams to play the gross brand of football that he would like, most notably leading to a 20-18 upset win over Penn State. The Gophers will look to keep their oars in the water, avoid the trap and row their way to seven wins on the season.
Illinois season storylines:
- Bret Bielema takes over for Lovie Smith:
After totaling a 17-39 record over five seasons as head coach for Illinois, Lovie Smith was kicked out the door and former Wisconsin and Arkansas head coach Bret Bielema was brought in to be the next head coach of the Fighting Illini. Now 51 years old, Bielema has 100 wins and 64 losses during his 13 total seasons as a head coach.
So far this season, Bielema has led Illinois to a 3-6 record, while Smith is now the defensive coordinator of the Houston Texans? Nevertheless, Bielema is a funny character to have back as a head coach in the Big Ten, and it’s always fun to have another guy to root against. For a program that has been to six bowl games since I have been alive, it will be interesting to see how much success Bielema has in Champagne.
- 9OT win @ No. 7 Penn State, after publicly throwing his team under the bus:
The highlight of Illinois season thus far, was when it went into Happy Valley and took down Penn State in a 9OT “thriller”. It wasn’t a highlight for many people watching, as starting quarterback Artur Sitkowski totaled only 38 passing yards with nine extra periods. Star sophomore running back Chase Brown had 33 carries for 223 yards and a touchdown, en-route to knocking off the No. 7 ranked Nittany Lions.
Before the game, he had one of the oddest quotes completely bashing his team, but it clearly lit a fire under them.
“Certain positions haven’t maybe played out the way they envisioned them to, particularly the offensive line. I don’t think we have a player in the two-deep that they’ve recruited here over the last two years that is significantly doing anything for us in the playing department,” Bielema said.
My biggest takeaway from the game is that this Illinois likes to play dirty, and if you get stuck in the mud it might be tough to get out. It might not look like it sometimes, but they can hang tough with much of the conference, only having two losses by more than one score this season.
- Worst offense in the Big Ten?:
Illinois’ problem all season has been its inability to move the football. Ranking 122nd in the NCAA in points per game (17.6) and 123rd in passing yards per game (144.9), its offense looks more fit to play football in the 60s. Longtime starting QB Brandon Peters returned from injury last week against Rutgers, and he led the Fighting Illini to a “little more” success throwing for 190 yards through the air.
At the end of the day, this team likes to run the football, and sophomore running back, Chase Brown might be the best player on their team. With 111 carries this season for 704 yards and four touchdowns he is averaging a remarkable 6.3 yards per carry. The only chance this team has of scoring points against the strong Gophers’ defense will be if Brown has a big day.
Gophers’ path to victory:
I would imagine that this week’s game plan from freshly extended P.J. Fleck will be much of the same as last week’s win over Northwestern. Forcing Brandon Peters to throw this football is a terrific plan for a dominant win. Peters has never really shown to have the ability to consistently make throws, so getting the ball out of Chase Brown’s hands will make life that much harder for this putrid offense.
For Minnesota offensively, I would say this is a perfect opportunity to let Tanner cook. Opening up the passing game, after losing your third scholarship running back this season would only make sense. Illinois ranks 86th in the NCAA allowing 241.8 passing yards per game this season and they just simply do not have the guys to play with the Gophers on the outside.
I see Minnesota having the advantage in likely every position group, but the skill positions might be the widest. Chris Autman-Bell could be in-line for a big game. I hope to see the passing game used early, if it is we might not see it much in the second half, because Illinois simply does not have the players to score with Minnesota. There is always the chance for Bret Bielema to make this game a dog fight, but if the Gophers keep their oars in the water and not in the mud I see them having zero issues getting by Illinois.