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The Western Illinois Leathernecks will hit the road for the second straight week as they head to Huntington Bank Stadium at noon ET on Saturday. The Minnesota Golden Gophers should still be riding high after a victory, while WIU will be looking to get back in the win column.
The matchup between the Leathernecks and the UT Martin Skyhawks last week was not particularly close, with WIU falling 42-25. WIU was down 35-13 at the end of the third quarter, which was just too much to recover from.
Meanwhile, Minnesota got themselves on the board against the New Mexico State Aggies last Thursday, but New Mexico State never followed suit. The Golden Gophers claimed a resounding 38 to nothing win over the Aggies at home. The contest was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 24 to nothing. Minnesota's RB Mohamed Ibrahim was one of the most active players for the squad, rushing for two TDs and 132 yards on 21 carries.
Minnesota's defense was a force to be reckoned with, as it collected four interceptions and one fumble. DB Terell Smith picked up that interception and then proceeded to rub salt in the wound by taking it back the other way for a touchdown.
Western Illinois' defeat took them down to 0-1 while Minnesota's win pulled them up to 1-0. A win for the Leathernecks would reverse both their bad luck and Minnesota's good luck. We'll see if WIU manages to pull off that tough task or if the Golden Gophers keep their momentum going instead.
