5 things that stood out from the Gophers’ win over No. 24 Illinois

The matter was settled, but the Gophers football team finally defeated the team coached by Bret Bielema, after some timedown No. 24 Illinois 25-17 on Saturday in Champaign, Ill., to earn its sixth win of the season and clinch bowl eligibility.

Here are five things that stood out about Minnesota’s performance:

Over the last few weeks, Minnesota has moved away from its patented first-round offense style, and Darius Taylor has become more involved at receiver. Saturday may have been his best performance in a Gophers uniform, as he was all over the field with 189 yards from scrimmage.

He had a team-high nine catches for 58 yards through the air and added 131 yards rushing on 22 carries. The Gophers had trouble scoring effectively on deep passes, but Taylor helped the offense move the ball.

In the Gophers’ last two wins over UCLA and Maryland, Daniel Jackson averaged 9.5 catches and 103 receiving yards. Illinois defensive coordinator Aaron Henry called him “the most underrated wide receiver in the country” during the week, but they clearly had a good game plan for him. Still, he finished the day with five catches for 74 yards. Overall, Illinois played very aggressively against Minnesota’s receivers and it seemed to disrupt the momentum of the entire passing game.

Longtime Gophers left guard Tyler Cooper was sidelined before the game with an injury that forced Minnesota to shuffle its starting offensive line. Instead of looking for a replacement, they started redshirt freshman Phillip Daniels on the right wing, moved Ashton Beers to left back and Quinn Carroll to right back.

In terms of pass blocking, it was up and down as Brosmer was sacked twice, but the run blocking was absolutely phenomenal. The severity of Cooper’s injury is unknown, but it appears there is another road grader working with Daniels in Minnesota.

Last week against Maryland, Max Brosmer had one of the best performances by a Gophers quarterback in a long time. There was a lack of good timing between him and his receivers throughout the day, and there wasn’t the same level of momentum in the passing game. He was far from his best, but he didn’t force anything and didn’t turn the ball over. He showed maturity and leadership. The Gophers only needed one run from him, and he delivered when they needed it.

Minnesota started this season with a win total over/under of 5.5 preseason games. With three games left on the schedule, the Gophers have already surpassed that total with six wins. Reminiscing about missed opportunities, such as games at North Carolina and Michigan, has become a theme on PJ Fleck’s teams, but the Gophers’ performance has clearly exceeded expectations this season.