Illinois drop second straight in loss to Minnesota
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Max Brosmer threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to Jameson Geers and Dragan Kesich kicked his fourth field goal of the game in the final five minutes, rallying Minnesota to a 25-17 victory over No. 24 Illinois on Saturday.
It was the fourth consecutive win for Minnesota (6-3, 4-2 Big Ten), while Illinois (6-3, 3-3) dropped its second straight.
Brosmer completed 22 of 37 passes for 213 yards and a TD. Darius Taylor ran for 131 yards and a TD on 22 carries and was the Golden Gophers' leading receiver with nine catches for 58 yards. Elijah Spencer had six catches for 67 yards.
Luke Altmyer was 20 of 33 for 226 yards and a TD for Illinois, but lost two fumbles.
Illinois' final drive ended deep in Minnesota territory when Altmyer was sacked by Jah Joyner and his fumble was recovered by Danny Striggow on the Gophers 27.
Pat Bryant had five catches for 72 yards and Zakhari Franklin caught five passes for 71 yards and a TD for Illinois. Josh McCray rushed seven times for 71 yards and a TD.
Illinois took a 17-16 lead with 9:03 to go when Altmyer threw a 21-yard TD pass to Franklin after Minnesota punter Mark Crawford's run on a fake came up short, giving the Illini the ball on their own 46.
The takeaway
Illinois: The Illini are no longer perfect at home this season and coach Bret Bielema is no longer perfect vs. Minnesota in his coaching career. The Illini fell to 5-1 at home and Bielema is 10-1 vs. Minnesota. He beat the Gophers seven times from 2006-12 while he was the coach at Wisconsin. This is his fourth season at Illinois.
Minnesota: The Gophers haven't lost since they were defeated by Michigan on Sept. 28. During the four-game stretch, they've beaten then-No. 11 Southern Cal and now No. 24 Illinois. A big reason is a stingy pass defense. The Altmyer-to-Franklin touchdown pass was only the sixth TD pass allowed by Minnesota this season.
Poll implications
After being ranked for seven straight weeks, the most since the 2001 Big Ten championship team was ranked for 10 consecutive weeks, Illinois probably will be booted next week. Minnesota could be a candidate to join the poll.
Up next
Illinois: Hosts Michigan State on Nov. 16.
Minnesota: At Rutgers next Saturday.
