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University of Minnesota Athletics
Game 7: Illinois at Minnesota
10/16/2017 12:00:00 AM | Football
| Illinois (2-4, 0-3) at Minnesota (3-3, 0-3) | |
| Date | Saturday, October 21 |
| Time | 2:30 p.m. Central |
| Tickets | MyGopherSports.com |
| Location | TCF Bank Stadium (50,805 capacity) |
| Bag Policy | Stadium Bag Policy |
| Parking | Event Information |
| Metro Transit | Get to the Game |
| Television | BTN | BTN2Go |
| Radio | KFAN 100.3 | Gopher Radio Network |
| Internet | Listen Live | I Heart Radio App |
| Live Stats | |
| Game Notes | Minnesota Notes // Fleck Press Conference // Illinois Notes |
| Social Media | @GopherFootball | Facebook | Instagram |
FIVE THINGS YOU NEED TO ROW
1. Minnesota welcomes Illinois to TCF Bank Stadium for the school's 97th Homecoming game. The Gophers are 57-36-3 all-time on Homecoming and have won their last three such games (34-32 vs. Rutgers in 2016; 27-24 vs. Ohio in 2015 and 39-38 vs. Purdue in 2014). Minnesota has faced 16 different teams on Homecoming and will play Illinois for the 11th time on the special occasion. The Gophers are 5-4-1 against the Illini on Homecoming and lead the all-time series 37-29-3. Minnesota has won its last two meetings with Illinois and has won five of the last six games between the schools.
2. Fifty of Minnesota's 111 players (45%) are freshmen or redshirt freshmen and 77 (69.3%) are underclassmen. Minnesota's lack of depth is perhaps most evident on the offensive line. Minnesota started the same line against Buffalo and Oregon State (left to right, Donnell Greene, Garrison Wright, Jared Weyler, Conner Olson, Nick Connelly) but had to mix things up the past four games because of injuries. Greene is the only lineman who has started at the same position all six games. Weyler (returned at center against Michigan State after missing three games) and Connelly have battled injuries and so has key reserve Vincent Calhoun. Forced into action have been redshirt freshman Sam Schlueter and redshirt sophomore Quinn Oseland. Connelly and Olson saw the first action of their careers this year, while Weyler has started 11 games. Calhoun made his tenth career start against Michigan State (left with an injury), while Greene made his 14th and Wright his 19th. Calhoun, Greene and Wright joined the team last year after junior college, so the line has not been together long. Minnesota often practiced with only four linemen in the spring because of injuries. However, the line has allowed only three sacks this year (third in nation, first in B1G) and 16 tackles for loss (first in nation and B1G).
3. Tyler Johnson caught three touchdowns - all from Demry Croft - against Michigan State. Johnson is the 13th Gopher to catch three or more touchdowns in one game and is the first since tight end Maxx Williams did so against Iowa in 2014. All three of Johnson's scores against the Spartans came in the fourth quarter, making him the first Gopher to catch three touchdowns in one quarter since 2006 when Logan Payne caught three (had four in the game) in the first quarter against Temple. Johnson is the first to catch three touchdowns in one quarter in a Big Ten game since Omar Douglas (father of freshman receiver Demetrius Douglas) did so in the third quarter against Purdue in 1993 (Douglas caught a school record five touchdowns in that game).
4. Minnesota is the third fewest penalized team in the nation (No. 1 in B1G). They have committed only 22 penalties (218 yards) this year. Through six games last year, Minnesota was 108th in the NCAA and 13th in the Big Ten with 50 penalties (411 yards).
5. The Gophers are 18th in the nation and fourth in the Big Ten in time of possession at 32:46. This has become a hallmark of Fleck's staff as Western Michigan was second in the nation last year at 34:03.
You can read Minnesota's complete game notes here.
