It was a happy homecoming for PJ Fleck after he earned his first career Big Ten win with a 24-17 victory at TCF Bank Stadium.
Kobe McCrary took over the backfield with 153 rush yards and the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter, meanwhile Rodney Smith put up a respectable 103 yards rushing of his own.
However, the play of the game for the Gophers came in the fourth quarter when senior linebacker Jonathan Celestin intercepted an Illini pass and returned it all the way to the house to put the game out of reach.
Check out the highlights from Saturday’s homecoming win!
Demry Croft got the nod as the starting quarterback for the Gophers.
In a start that had some ups and downs, he led the team on an opening possession drive where he found wide receiver Tyler Johnson for an eight-yard touchdown.
However, he was only able to complete 5/15 passing for 47 yards.
The Gophers made two things clear Saturday: Their rushing attack (295 yards Saturday) is lethal. Meanwhile, the passing attack is a work in progress.
The Gophers will hit the road and head to Iowa next Saturday. The Hawkeyes (4-3, 1-3 in Big Ten) came up short in an overtime loss at Northwestern on Saturday.
