Two weeks ago the Minnesota Gophers were the darlings of college football, rocking a 4-0 record and getting hyped as a team that could reach the College Football Playoff. Then a thud at home against Purdue, a 20-10 loss that sent the Gophers back into oblivion.
If this Gophers team is for real, they have to prove it on the road against No. 24 Illinois on Saturday. Lose to the Illini and suddenly the Gophers are nothing more than a team destined for a run-of-the-mill bowl game.
That’s the sole reason why Illinois is a must win for Minnesota.
Win Saturday and the Gophers are 5-1 overall, 2-1 in the Big Ten, and in the mix for the Big Ten West division title. It would have them back in contention just in time for the ultimate statement game at Penn State on Oct. 22, when they’ll have a chance to show the country how good they are.
Lose Saturday, however, and the season risks losing all meaning. Minnesota would be 4-2 overall and 1-2 in the conference – and probably a healthy underdog against the 10th-ranked Nittany Lions. In a flash the Gophers could see their season go from 4-0 to 4-3.
A loss to the Illini would also put them two games back in the West. Illinois would be 6-1 overall and 3-1 in the Big Ten, tied atop the West with the winner of Saturday night’s game between Purdue (4-2, 2-1) and Nebraska (3-3, 2-1).
No longer would Minnesota be the favorite to win the West.
But here they sit, headed to Illinois as a surprising 6.5-point favorite against a Illini team that has surrendered 19 points in their last four games, which include back-to-back wins over Wisconsin and Iowa.
Illinois may not have their No. 1 quarterback Tommy DeVito, who injured his ankle against Iowa, but they still have Chase Brown, who has four games of 140-plus rushing yards and leads the nation in rushing with 879 yards.
Even so, there’s a reason the Gophers are favored and it has a lot to do with their elite defense. Even in their loss to Purdue, they only allowed 20 points. Entering this week, Minnesota ranks No. 2 nationally in scoring defense (8.8 points per game), No. 1 in total defense (222.0 yards per game), No. 6 in rushing defense (81.4 yards per game) and No. 2 in passing defense (140.6 yard per game.
It was the offense that went silent against the Boilermakers, and that might’ve had something to do with Mohamed Ibrahim missing the game with an ankle injury. Ibrahim will be in the backfield against the Illini on Saturday.
Related: Mohamed Ibrahim back for massive Gophers-Illinois showdown
