The Minnesota Golden Gophers decided to give their fans’ blood pressure a break, at least for one week, with a 40-17 Homecoming victory over the Illinois Fighting Illini. It was their largest margin of victory this season after four games decided by a touchdown or less.
How’d they do it? With their most complete game of the season.
The Elite
The triumphant return of the Gophers’ rushing attack. The Minnesota ground game against Illinois looked a lot like the 2016 version, when Rodney Smith and Shannon Brooks last made for one of the most formidable running back tandems in the Big Ten.