CHAMPAIGN — Illinois returned home battered and bruised after a 38-9 beating by No. 1 Oregon last week.
In addition to being blown out, the Illini lost star wide receiver Pat Bryant to a concussion. Bryant, who has 34 catches for 510 yards and seven touchdowns, is in concussion protocol this week.
Defensive backs Terrance Brooks, Torrie Cox Jr., Kaleb Patterson and Tyler Strain also were hurt during the Oregon game, but Illinois coach Bret Bielema thinks they’ll be able to play Saturday when the No. 24 Illini try to regroup against Minnesota, one of the hottest teams in the Big Ten.
The Gophers have won three straight since a controversial offside penalty negated a late onside kick recovery and ended a 21-point fourth-quarter rally at then-No. 12 Michigan.
Two streaks will be on the line when Illinois (6-2, 3-2) and Minnesota (5-3, 3-2) collide at Memorial Stadium.
The Illini are 5-0 at home this season, and Bielema is 10-0 against the Gophers. He beat them seven times when he was Wisconsin’s coach (2006-12) and has won all three matchups since he became Illinois’ coach in 2021.
Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck isn’t concerned about ending Bielema’s domination of the Gophers.
“This is going to bore you, but 1-0. It’s all we’re worried about,” he said. “I have a lot of respect for Coach Bielema. He always has a smash-mouth, tough football team. It’s his DNA. We’ve got to play our best football, playing a ranked opponent on the road. We’ve got to ‘DIB’ — do it better.”
Illinois also isn’t thinking about Bielema’s record against the Gophers. The Illini just want to win and get rid of the bitter taste of the loss to Oregon.
“I’ve never been more anxious to get back on the field because of the failure we had as a team,” quarterback Luke Altmyer said.
Minnesota passing attack
The Gophers have suddenly become a passing team under the direction of quarterback Max Brosmer.
For the first time in eight years under Fleck, the Gophers are calling more passing plays (54%) than running plays (46%). Brosmer was 67 of 89 for 682 yards with six touchdowns and no turnovers in Minnesota’s three consecutive wins.
He threw four TD passes last week in a 48-23 win versus Maryland, becoming the first Minnesota QB to do that since 2019, and was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week.
“We wanted to move the football without just being able to run the football,” Fleck said. “To be able to do that, you must have trust in your players. You also must have a lot of consistency, and the players must be able to process at a really high level.”
Bryant’s status
“Pat told me Sunday that there isn’t a chance he won’t play against Minnesota,” Bielema said. “I said, ‘Unless you stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night and got a degree that I’m not aware of, you don’t get to make that call.’”
Home-field advantage
Bielema is looking for the same energy and volume from the Illinois crowd Saturday that the fans brought to the Illini’s win two weeks ago over defending national champion Michigan.
“Whether it’s a coffee, a mimosa, a Bloody Mary, a Red Bull — whatever gets you going — get here and get seated by 10:30 (for the 11 a.m. CT kickoff) and be a part of a really good Big Ten football environment,” he said.
‘Complete opposites’
There’s an unlikely friendship between Bielema, who is 24-19 in four years at Illinois, and Fleck, who is 55-37 in eight seasons with Minnesota.
“We’re complete opposites. That’s probably why we get along,” Bielema said. “I respect how he goes about his business.”
Illinois’ confusing defense
Fleck said Illinois has one of the more unusual defensive schemes in college football.
“It’s really hard to peel back the onion and dissect it and get tendencies,” he said. “Plus, they’re really good tacklers, they play really hard, they swarm to the football and they’re smart. They understand their system, play it at a high level and play for each other.”
Minnesota (5-3, 3-2 Big Ten) at No. 24 Illinois (6-2, 3-2)
- Time/TV: 11 a.m. Saturday, FS1.
- Line: Minnesota by 3.
- Series: Minnesota leads 40-33-2.
Facts & figures
Illinois has been ranked for seven consecutive weeks, the most since the 2001 Big Ten champions were ranked for 10 straight weeks … The Illini are the only Big Ten team with three wins over ranked teams this season. Their only losses are to No. 1 Oregon and No. 3 Penn State. … Illinois QB Luke Altmyer is seventh in the Big Ten in passing yards (1,667) and passing efficiency (143.9), fourth in TD passes (15) and tied for first for fewest interceptions (3). … The Gophers have allowed only five passing TDs this season. … Illinois DB Xavier Scott is tied for third in the Big Ten with three interceptions and has 29 tackles, two tackles for a loss, a sack, two pass breakups and a forced fumble. … Minnesota, which beat then-No. 11 USC on Oct. 5, hasn’t beaten two Top 25 teams during the regular season since 2000. … The Gophers last had a four-game Big Ten winning streak in 2021 — a streak the Illini ended with a 14-6 win at Minnesota. … The Gophers’ 48 points versus Maryland last week were their most in a conference game since they beat Maryland 52-10 in 2019. The 25-point margin of victory was their largest in a Big Ten game since a 31-3 win over Northwestern in 2022. … Minnesota safety Koi Perich leads the Big Ten and is No. 2 in the nation with five interceptions. The freshman also leads the conference with 14.2 yards per punt return.
