On homecoming, Minnesota defeated Illinois 40-17 to improve to 5-0 on the season. It was a slow start for the Minnesota Gophers, but on the legs of Rodney Smith the Gophers took a hold of this game and never looked back. Smith rushed for 211 yards against the Illinois defense with 1 touchdown, averaging 8.8 yards per carry. Shannon Brooks contributed 111 yards and a touchdown as well.
A slow start, particularly for Tanner Morgan, allowed Illinois to take an early 7-0 lead. But from that point on it was essentially total domination by the Golden Gophers.