The Minnesota Golden Gopher football team scored their first win of the season on Saturday as they blew out the Illinois Fighting Illini by a score of 41-14.
The Gophers opened the game strong with a nine-yard touchdown by Treyson Potts to get on the board. In the second quarter, a leaping catch by Rashod Bateman doubled Minnesota’s lead and helped the Gophers take control of the game.
Perfection from Rashod Bateman. 😍
It's his first TD of the season for @GopherFootball: pic.twitter.com/HEoHsVGoes
— Minnesota on BTN (@MinnesotaOnBTN) November 7, 2020
The rest of the second quarter belonged to Mohamed Ibrahim. After scoring four touchdowns in a loss to Maryland, the junior visited the endzone on a one-yard plunge to give Minnesota a 21-0 lead.
The Illini answered with a Mike Epstein touchdown run, but Ibrahim matched it with his second score of the game to give the Gophers a 28-7 advantage heading into halftime.
Ibrahim added two more touchdowns in the second half to lead the charge with 224 yards on the ground. With Bateman putting up 139 yards through the air, the Gophers were able to cruise to their first victory of the season.
Next week, the Gophers (1-2) will host Iowa on Friday night at TCF Bank Stadium.
