The Minnesota Golden Gophers battle the Illinois Fighting Illini this week in a game that will feature the Big 10’s third-leading passer, Wes Lunt (2,241 yards, 12 TDs). Things don’t seem likely to get better any time soon for struggling Minnesota (4-6), as it has lost four of its last five. The game starts at 12:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, Nov 21 and will be available on ESNN.
Minnesota fell to Iowa 40-35 last week. Brandon Lingen had a great game in the loss, registering six receptions for 105 yards and one TD. Shannon Brooks also had a big game with 86 rushing yards and a TD on 14 carries. Illinois also fell short, getting blown out by Ohio State 28-3. Desmond Cain had a big game for the Fighting Illini, totaling 10 catches for 102 yards. Malik Turner finished with 61 receiving yards on five catches.
The Fighting Illini are a seven-point underdog against the Golden Gophers and the Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is presently unavailable.
Heading into Week 12 of the college football season, the Golden Gophers are 4-6 Straight Up (SU) and 5-5 Against The Spread (ATS). Minnesota has one of the worst win-loss records over the last five games (1-4), yet it still outplays expectations, going an impressive 4-1 ATS. The Fighting Illini will be matching up against a stout Minnesota pass defense, which only allowed 211.6 passing yards over their last five matchups.
On the other side, the Fighting Illini head into Week 12 with records of 5-5 for both ATS and SU. Over their last five games, the Fighting Illini have a SU record of 1-4 and a 2-3 record ATS for those betting with them. Passing the ball is important for the Fighting Illini. They attempt 42.9 throwing plays per game. Shifting to the other side of the ball, it might be tough for the Golden Gophers to keep up with Illinois’s defense in a few areas. Illinois’s defense ranks in the top half of the nation for rushing yards allowed and will look to bolster its statistics this week against the 102nd-ranked rushing attack of the Golden Gophers, which only averages 140.7 yards on the ground per game.
Predictions: SU Winner – Illinois, ATS Winner – Illinois
Notes
Minnesota is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Minnesota’s last 5 games.
Minnesota is 8-4 SU in its last 12 games at home.
Minnesota is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games at home.
Minnesota is 10-4 SU in its last 14 games when playing Illinois.
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Minnesota’s last 11 games when playing Illinois.
Minnesota is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Illinois.
Illinois is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Minnesota.
Illinois is 4-0 SU when leading at the half this season. Minnesota is 2-1 SU when taking a lead into halftime.
Minnesota is an even 2-2 SU in games where it wins the turnover battle, yet 2-1 SU when losing the turnover battle.
The Minnesota offensive passing attack is ranked only 65th nationally, while the Illinois pass defense is ranked 34th. The Fighting Illini passing game is ranked just 47th, compared to the 16th-ranked pass defense of the Golden Gophers.
