Minnesota vs Illinois Prediction, Game Preview

Minnesota vs Illinois game preview, prediction, and breakdown for the Week 7 game on Saturday, October 15

Minnesota vs Illinois prediction, game preview, how to watch. Week 7, Saturday, October 15


Minnesota vs Illinois How To Watch

Date: Saturday, October 15
Game Time:12 :00 ET
Venue: Memorial Stadium, Champaign, IL
How To Watch: BTN
Record: Minnesota (4-1), Illinois (5-1)
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Minnesota vs Illinois Game Preview

Why Minnesota Will Win

The Gophers have their guy back.

To put it kindly, the 20-10 loss to Purdue didn’t reflect the program’s best work, but the clunker was overdue.

The team was playing at a high-level for four games, and then it lost its energy against the Boilermakers with star RB Mohamed Ibrahim out hurt. Now he’s back and ready to go.

Illinois might not be pretty, but the system works. Run, run more, play tough defense, rely on the passing game to hit the short throws, repeat. QB Tommy DeVito, though, is questionable with an ankle injury against the nation’s best defense. Even if everything is right with him, there won’t be anything happening down the field.

Granted, the Gopher defense has’t exactly dealt with the Alabamas and Ohio States of the college offense world, but it’s still fabulous allowing just 222 yards per game.

The offense leads the country in time of possession keeping the ball for 38 minutes per game, and overall, Minnesota – thanks to Ibrahim – should be able to beat Illinois at its own game.

However …

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Why Illinois Will Win

Minnesota is going to want to come in and get tough. That’s not going to work against this group.

Who’s playing with more confidence right now than the Illinois defense? It gave up one late touchdown drive to Indiana in the 23-20 loss, and that’s been about it.

The defense stuffed Virginia in a 24-3 win, got in a little work in the FCS paycheck game, and then basically got Paul Chryst fired with a dominant performance against Wisconsin.

You and your sewing circle could keep Iowa to six points, but throw that 9-6 win on the pile of great defensive games. Ever since the opener against Wyoming the Illini are allowing fewer than two yards per carry.

Again, though …

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What’s Going To Happen

Minnesota is playing better defense.

Illinois went to Madison and out-Wisconsined, Wisconsin. Minnesota is going to out-Illinois, Illinois.

Veteran quarterback Tanner Morgan will come up with a few more competitions, the running game will have far more juice this week, and the defense that did its share of the heavy lifting against Purdue will keep it going.

The Gophers won’t have turnover issues this week, the D will be great on third downs, and they’ll right the ship as they take back control of the Big Ten West.

It’s an Illinois game, though. Points will be scarce.

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Minnesota vs Illinois Prediction, Line

Minnesota 17, Illinois 16
Line: Minnesota -6.5, o/u: 39.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 3
Minnesota vs Illinois Must See Rating (out of 5): 4
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Minnesota vs Illinois Prediction, Game Preview

Minnesota Golden Gophers vs Illinois Fighting Illini prediction and game preview.

Minnesota vs Illinois prediction and game preview.


Minnesota vs Illinois Broadcast

Date: Saturday, November 7
Game Time: 3:30 ET
Venue: Memorial Stadium, Champaign, IL
Network: Big Ten Network

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Minnesota (0-2) vs Illinois (0-2) Game Preview

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Why Minnesota Will Win

The offense is more than fine.

The passing attack could be a little crisper, and there’s been a problem producing for a full four quarters, but the O isn’t really the problem. The weapons are still there.

Mo Ibrahim leads the nation in rushing yards per game by a mile. It’s only been two games, but he’s averaging 173.5 a game – almost 23 more than No. 2 man, Iowa State’s Breece Hall – coming off a 207-yard, four-touchdown effort in the collapse against Maryland.

The Illinois run defense has been fine, but the secondary has been next-level bad, allowing Wisconsin’s Graham Mertz and Purdue’s Aidan O’Connell to completed 88% of their passes for a combined 619 yards and seven touchdowns, averaging over 11 yards per throw.

But …

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Why Illinois Will Win

The Minnesota defense hasn’t shown up yet.

The pass protection might be among the team’s biggest problems, and the team hasn’t been remotely consistent, but the defense has been the biggest issue with its inability to come up with a meaningful stop against Michigan, and collapsing late last week as Maryland did whatever it wanted in the fourth quarter.

The Gopher D has been equally bad against the run and the pass, there’s no pressure into the backfield, and the third down defense has been non-existent in key moments.

But that pass protection – that’s going to be Minnesota’s issue against an Illinois pass rush that’s been among the Big Ten’s best over the first two games.

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What’s Going To Happen

Illinois doesn’t have the skill parts in the backfield to do to the Gophers what Maryland did, but it’ll make this a nasty battle on the lines.

Minnesota won’t mess around too much. It’ll have a more balanced attack, the running game will go for a full four quarters, and the passing game will be more explosive with Rashod Bateman and the offense overcoming another rough day from the defensive side.

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Minnesota vs Illinois Prediction, Line

Minnesota 38, Illinois 30
Bet on Minnesota vs Illinois with BetMGM
Minnesota -7, o/u: 61.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 2

Must See Rating: 2

5: ANYTHING to take your mind off of …
1: EVERYTHING in the real world

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