All-star Pat Bryant leads Illinois on several game-time decisions

Illinois is moving in this direction Weekly game against the Gophers sprawling. Head coach Bret Bielema did not provide an update on top wide receiver Pat Bryant or the three injured cornerbacks, which means we won’t know their status until Saturday at 9 a.m. ET.

“We’ll probably only find out before the game from a few players, they’re giving their all,” Bielema told local media on Thursday. “As we stand right now, no one has actually been exonerated. I like the trend of this, let’s see where it goes.”

Bryant was hit hard in last week’s loss to Oregon, but he has 34 catches this season for a team-high 510 yards and seven touchdowns. Most notably, he had seven catches for 65 yards in last year’s win over the Gophers.

According to Illinois beat reporter Joey WagnerBielema did not provide an update on cornerbacks Torrie Cox Jr., Terrance Brooks and Kaleb Patterson, who were injured last week against Oregon. Each player played over 150 snaps this season, while Patterson was the starter with a total of 368 snaps.

It’s worth keeping an eye on the Big Ten availability report as it will be released two hours before Saturday’s 11 a.m. game. The Gophers passing attack is starting to gain momentum, and if Illinois is without many of its top cornerbacks, it could spell trouble for the No. 24 Fighting Illini.