Gophers Travel to Illinois Saturday

Minnesota Football Notes - Game 7

GOLDEN GOPHERS TRAVEL TO ILLINOIS SATURDAY
The Minnesota Golden Gophers would be eligible for a bowl game invitation with a victory this week at Illinois. Minnesota enters the contest with a 5-1 overall record and a 1-1 Big Ten mark. Illinois is 3-2 overall and also holds a 1-1 league record.

The Golden Gopher defense came up big last week, neutralizing one of the top rushing offenses in the Big Ten. Minnesota rode that defensive performance to a 16-7 win over Indiana at the Metrodome. Meanwhile, Illinois went on the road and routed Michigan last week at Michigan Stadium. The Illini took a 45-20 victory over the Wolverines, paced by Juice Williams. The Illinois quarterback rushed for two touchdowns, threw for two more and accounted for 431 of his team’s 501 yards of total offense.

This week’s game will be broadcast on ESPN. Dave Pasch will call the play-by-play. Former Heisman Trophy winner Andre Ware will be the analyst.

SCOUTING MINNESOTA
Minnesota is now 5-1 on the season and 1-1 in the Big Ten after defeating Indiana 16-7 last week. The Gophers, who are No. 2 in the nation in turnover margin, won the turnover battle 3-2 against the Hoosiers. Minnesota scored field goals off two of those takeaways.

Adam Weber has taken nearly every snap for Minnesota at quarterback and has thrown all of the Gophers’ 183 passes this season. He is 124-of-183 with eight touchdowns against just two interceptions. Weber has passed for 1,428 yards through six games. Eric Decker has been the main beneficiary of Weber’s aerials. Decker leads the nation, averaging 116.0 yards per game. Decker has grabbed four TD receptions.

Leading the way on the ground is true freshman DeLeon Eskridge. Despite getting limited carries in the first two games of the season, Eskridge has rushed for 366 yards on 94 carries (3.8 avg) to lead Minnesota’s rushing attack.

Defensively, junior transfer safety Tramaine Brock is the team’s top tackler with 35 stops. Junior linebacker Lee Campbell has 32 total stops. Junior transfer cornerback Traye Simmons is No. 4 in the nation in passes defended, averaging 1.83 per game. Senior defensive end Willie VanDeSteeg has 8.0 tackles for loss, ranking No. 28 nationally.

SCOUTING ILLINOIS
Illinois will be playing its Big Ten home opener this week. The Fighting Illini are 3-2 overall and 1-1 in Big Ten play, after routing Michigan 45-20 last week at Michigan Stadium.

Offensively, Illinois are paced by quarterback Juice Williams. He is the Illini’s second-leading rusher, with 404 yards on 83 carries. He is also the team’s top passer with 1,215 yards and 11 touchdowns against six interceptions. Daniel Dufrene has rushed for a team-high 442 yards. Arrelious Benn (382 yards, 15.3 avg, 2 TDs) is Illinois’ top receiver.

Defensively, Brit Miller leads Illinois with 53 total tackles. He has also compiled 11.5 tackles for loss, which leads the nation. Miller has also tallied three sacks, forced two fumbles, broken up two passes, recovered a fumble and notched one interception. Vontae Davis is Illinois’ top cover man, with five passes broken up.

QUICK HITTERS
> Minnesota was +1 (3 gained, 2 lost) in the turnover battle last week vs. Indiana. The Gophers are now No. 2 in the nation with a +1.67 average margin per game.
> Minnesota ranks 7th in the nation in 4th-down conversions (7-of-8, .875).
> Minnesota ranks No. 18 in the nation in kickoff returns (24.94 yards per return).
> The Gophers rank 29th in the NCAA in pass efficiency (145.59).
> The Gophers are No. 31 in the NCAA in red zone efficiency (.880, 21-of-24).
> Gopher wide receiver Eric Decker leads the nation in receiving yards per game (116.0).
> Minnesota placekicker Joel Monroe earned Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week honors. He was also honored as one of the Lou Groza Stars of the Week.

BAKING TURNOVERS
Minnesota defenders have been busier than pastry chefs this season. The Gopher defense has baked up 17 turnovers so far this season, which is tied for most in the nation. Meanwhile, Minnesota has been pretty good at maintaining possession of the ball. The Gophers have only coughed it up seven times (tied for No. 23 nationally). All that leads to an average turnover margin of +1.67 per game, which is second best in all of the land.

Of Minnesota’s 17 takeaways, the Gophers have converted 13 into points, for a success rate of 76.5 percent. Nine of those scores have been touchdowns. Minnesota scored 41 points off turnovers during the entire 2007 campaign. The Gophers already have 75 points off takeaways in six games this season.

DeLEON DELIVERS
True freshman running back DeLeon Eskridge carried the ball 29 times against Indiana last week. More than one-third of those carries came on the Gophers’ final, game-clinching drive. Eskridge toted the pigskin 11 times in Minnesota’s 15-play, 50-yard drive, which took 7:21 of the final 7:43 off the clock. Eskridge carried the ball on eight consecutive plays prior to Joel Monroe’s 38-yard field goal which put the game out of reach.

WILLIE'S A WEAPON
Senior defensive end Willie VanDeSteeg had one of his best days as a Gopher last week vs. Indiana. He matched a career-high with seven solo tackles. His seven stops tied for second-most in his Gopher career. VanDeSteeg also tallied two sacks, giving him 14.5 for his career moving him into No. 5 on the Minnesota all-time sack chart.

-UM-

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Players Mentioned

Tramaine Brock

Lee Campbell

Eric Decker

DeLeon Eskridge

Joel Monroe

Traye Simmons

Adam Weber

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University of Minnesota Athletics