The Minnesota Golden Gophers will be playing at home against the Illinois Fighting Illini at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday at Huntington Bank Stadium. Illinois took a loss in their last game and will be looking to turn the tables on Minnesota, who comes in off a win.
Minnesota gave up the first points last Saturday, but they didn't let that get them down. They enjoyed a cozy 27-12 win over Michigan State. The win made it back-to-back wins for Minnesota.
Minnesota can attribute much of their success to Daniel Jackson, who picked up 120 receiving yards and a touchdown, and Jordan Nubin, who rushed for 204 yards and two touchdowns.
Meanwhile, Illinois' 8-4 record from last season has become a distant memory after another unsuccessful outing. They fell to Wisconsin 25-21. Illinois was up 14-0 in the second but couldn't hold on to the lead.
Despite the defeat, Illinois got a solid performance out of Luke Altmyer, who rushed for 100 yards, and also threw for 100 yards and two touchdowns. Another player making a difference was Kaden Feagin, who rushed for 97 yards and a touchdown.
Minnesota has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four games, which provided a nice bump to their 5-3 record this season. As for Illinois, they have not been sharp recently, as they've lost three of their last four games, which put a noticeable dent in their 3-5 record this season.
Going forward, Minnesota is the favorite in this one, as the experts expect to see them win by two points.
Minnesota came up short against Illinois when the teams last played back in October of 2022, falling 26-14. Will Minnesota have more luck at home instead of on the road?