The Illinois Fighting Illini and the Minnesota Golden Gophers meet in week 10 college football action from Huntington Bank Stadium on Saturday.
Illinois Falls Flat Again
The Illinois Fighting Illini come into this game on the heels of a 25-21 loss to Wisconsin last time out. Luke Altmyer has thrown for 1,671 yards, 10 touchdowns and 9 interceptions on 63.2% passing while also rushing for 301 yards. Kaden Feagin has a team-high 329 rushing yards and Reggie Love III has 257 rushing yards. Isaiah Williams leads Illinois’ receiving group with 46 grabs for 562 yards while Pat Bryant has 319 receiving yards with 5 touchdowns. Casey Washington has a team-high 271 receiving yards and another two Illini pass-catchers have 100+ receiving yards on the year. On defense, Dylan Rosiek has a team-high 51 total tackles while Miles Scott has 50 total tackles. Jer’Zhan Newton has a team-high 3.5 sacks and Seth Coleman has 3 sacks. Xavier Scott also has a pair of interceptions for Illinois this season.
Illinois Fighting Illini Team Facts
- Illinois has won each of its last four November games as a road underdog against non-AP-ranked teams.
- Illinois has covered the spread in each of its last nine road games in November.
- Five of Illinois’ last six games as an underdog have gone UNDER the total points line.
Minnesota Wins Back-To-Back Games
The Minnesota Golden Gophers come into this game fresh off of a 27-12 win over Michigan State last time out. Athan Kaliakmanis has thrown for 1,123 yards, 7 touchdowns and 7 INTs on 54.6% passing while Darius Taylor has a team-high 591 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns. Jordan Nubin and Sean Tyler each have 200+ rushing yards while Daniel Jackson has a team-high 36 receptions for 507 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns and Corey Crooms Jr. has added 269 receiving yards. On defense, Maverick Baranowski has a team-high 50 total tackles while Danny Striggow has a team-high 4 sacks and Tyler Nubin has 3 interceptions. As a unit, Minnesota has combined for 16 sacks and 10 interceptions this season.
Minnesota Golden Gophers Team Facts
- Minnesota has won each of its last eight matches at Huntington Bank Stadium when playing with a rest disadvantage.
- The favorite has covered the spread in each of Minnesota’s last three games at Huntington Bank Stadium.
- Nine of Minnesota’s last 10 home games against conference opponents have gone UNDER the total points line.
Chris’ Pick
I’m leaning towards the under here. I don’t trust Illinois’ defense, but the Gophers have been one of the worst offensive units in the Big Ten so far this season and I don’t see that all of a sudden changing here. On the other side, Minnesota’s defense has been fairly solid and I look for this to be a prototypical Big Ten, black and blue matchup. Give me the under.
