5 things that stood out in the Gophers’ win over No. 24 Illinois

It came down to the wire, but the Gophers football team ultimately defeated a team coached by Bret Bielema.down No. 24 Illinois 25-17 on Saturday in Champaign, Ill., for its sixth win of the season to secure bowl eligibility.

Here were five things that stood out in Minnesota’s performance:

In recent weeks, Minnesota has moved away from its patented run-first offensive style, and Darius Taylor has become more involved as a receiver. Saturday may have been his best performance in a Gophers uniform, as he covered the entire field with 189 yards from scrimmage.

He had a team-high nine catches for 58 yards through the air and added 131 rushing yards on 22 carries. The Gophers struggled to consistently connect on deep passes, but Taylor helped the offense move the ball.

Daniel Jackson had averaged 9.5 catches and 103 receiving yards in the Gophers’ last two wins over UCLA and Maryland. Illinois defensive coordinator Aaron Henry called him “the most underrated wide receiver in the country” during the week, but they clearly had a good plan for him. He still finished the day with five catches for 74 yards. Overall, Illinois was very physical against Minnesota’s receivers, and it seemed like it disrupted the timing of the entire passing game.

Longtime Gophers starting left guard Tyler Cooper was ruled out before the game due to injury, forcing Minnesota to shake up its starting front. Instead of bringing in a replacement, they started redshirt freshman Phillip Daniels at right tackle, shifted Ashton Beers to left guard and Quinn Carroll to right guard.

In pass blocking it was an up and down performance as Brosmer was sacked twice, but the run blocking was absolutely stellar. The severity of Cooper’s injury is unknown, but it appears Minnesota has another road grader along with Daniels.

Max Brosmer had one of the best performances by a Gophers quarterback in quite some time against Maryland last week. The timing between him and the receivers seemed off all day, and there wasn’t the same level of explosiveness in the passing game. He was far from his best, but he didn’t force anything and he didn’t turn the ball over. He showed maturity and leadership. The Gophers only needed one drive from him, and he delivered when they needed it.

Minnesota started this season with a preseason win total of over/under 5.5 games. With three games remaining, the Gophers have already surpassed that total with six wins. It has become a theme among PJ Fleck-led teams to look back on missed opportunities like the North Carolina or Michigan games, but the Gophers have clearly exceeded expectations this season.