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The Minnesota Golden Gophers should come into this matchup well-rested after a week off from action. Minnesota and the Illinois Fighting Illini will face off in a Big Ten battle at noon ET on Saturday at Memorial Stadium. These two teams have allowed few points on average (the Golden Gophers 8.8, Illinois eight), so any points scored will be well earned.
Minnesota came up short against the Purdue Boilermakers two weeks ago, falling 20-10. QB Tanner Morgan had a memorable game, but not in the way you want to be remembered: besides failing to produce a single touchdown, he threw three interceptions.
Meanwhile, it was all tied up 6-6 at the half for Illinois and the Iowa Hawkeyes last week, but Illinois stepped up in the second half for a 9-6 victory. The Fighting Illini's RB Chase Brown did his thing and picked up 146 yards on the ground on 31 carries.
Special teams was responsible for all of the team's points. K Fabrizio Pinton delivered a perfect 3-for-3 game.
The Golden Gophers are the favorite in this one, with an expected 6.5-point margin of victory. Those burned by picking them against the spread two weeks ago might want to keep in mind that the squad has not yet dropped back-to-back games against the spread this season.
Illinois' win lifted them to 5-1 while Minnesota's loss dropped them down to 4-1. Giving up four turnovers, the Fighting Illini had had trouble holding onto the ball. We'll see if Minnesota can exploit that vulnerability.
