No. 24 Illinois looks to rebound against red-hot Minnesota

 

[November 01, 2024]  By STEVE STEIN

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — 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 receiver Pat Bryant to a concussion. Bryant, who has caught 34 passes for 510 yards and seven TDs, 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 that negated a late onside kick recovery and ended a 21-point fourth-quarter rally against then-No. 12 Michigan in Ann Arbor.

Two streaks will be on the line when Illinois (6-2, 3-2) and Minnesota (5-3, 3-2) collide at Memorial Stadium.

Illinois is 5-0 at home this season and Bielema is 10-0 lifetime against the Gophers. He beat them seven times from 2006-12 when he was the coach at Wisconsin and he’s 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 smashmouth, 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,” said QB Luke Altmyer.

Minnesota passing attack
The Gophers have suddenly become a passing team under the direction of QB Max Brosmer.

For the first time in eight years under Fleck, the Gophers are calling more passing plays (54%) than running plays (46%).

Brosmer went 67 for 89 for 682 yards, six TDs and zero turnovers in Minnesota’s three consecutive wins.

Oregon linebacker Bryce Boettcher (28) sacks Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer (9) during an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024, in Eugene, Ore. (AP Photo/Lydia Ely)

He threw four TD passes last week vs. Maryland, becoming the first Minnesota QB to do that since 2019, and was named the 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.”

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