Illinois 28, Minnesota 24

The Gophers fall on the road today to Illinois, 28-24.  This loss drops the Gophers to 6-2 on the season.  They showed up too late, in the B1G you need to play a full 60 minutes.  This one really hurts too as Illinois hadn't won a B1G game since last year and the Gophers remaining schedule is a brutal (Iowa, Ohio State, Nebraska & Wisconsin). Turnovers will kill you. You cannot lose games like this!  So disappointing.

Observations:

• Have the Gophers been exposed these last two weeks?  
• Stacking the box was a smart move by the Illinois defense, for awhile anyways.
• Mitch Leidner looked nervous in the pocket today, struggled with accuracy too.
• Those long Gophers passes really seemed to open up the Gophers rushing offense.
• You can only contain David Cobb for so long!  He wears teams down. 
• Isaac Frechette has been golden these last couple of games. 
• There are times when the Gophers offense looks very slow and plodding. 
• Mitch Leidner really struggles to throw the ball on the run. 
• Why did the referees blow that backwards pass dead so early?
• I wonder about Mitch Leidner's football IQ sometimes. 
• Turnovers:  Minnesota 3, Illinois 1
• Way too many arm tackles by the Gophers today, especially early. 
• Craig James really struggled with the punt return duties today.  
• De'Vondre Campbell had an impressive game, he's so rangy.  
• It was good to see K.J. Maye getting some touches.  
• Joe Bjorkland is developing into a nice looking offensive lineman. 
• Keep an eye on De'Niro Laster, he's going to be a good one.  
• Perhaps a little more flexibility needed by Illinois with their 2 QB system. 
• I wasn't impressed with the Gray Ghost uniforms worn by Illinois.  
• Up next?  Iowa in 2 weeks @ TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.