Writing Illini
Fansided

Illinois Football: 3 keys for the Illini to beat Minnesota

By Rees Woodcock

Sep 14, 2019; Champaign, IL, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini running back Mike Epstein (26) and his teammates pat a memorial of Harold E. "Red" Grange prior to the first half against the Eastern Michigan Eagles at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 14, 2019; Champaign, IL, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini running back Mike Epstein (26) and his teammates pat a memorial of Harold E. "Red" Grange prior to the first half against the Eastern Michigan Eagles at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 4
Next
Illinois football
Oct 31, 2020; Champaign, Illinois, USA; A general wide view of fan cutouts during the second half during a game between the Purdue Boilermakers and the Illinois Fighting Illini acat Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports /

It is game day for the Illinois football team as they welcome in the Minnesota Golden Gophers to Memorial Stadium.

Both teams are coming into the game with a record of 0-2, so this has turned into a must-win for both programs.

Minnesota’s two losses have come in high-scoring fashion. They dropped their first game of the season to Michigan 49-24. The offense couldn’t seem to get going and they made Jim Harbaugh look like a coaching legend.

Last week, the Gophers dropped the game against Maryland. The Terrapins finally started to click and Minnesota couldn’t stop their offense, losing the game 45-44.

Illinois, on the other hand, was blown out by Wisconsin in week one. The offense couldn’t get going and failed to score a single point. In week two, the Illini dropped their game against Purdue despite a great comeback. The defense continued to give up a ton of points but things seemed to start turning in a positive direction.

Now Illinois and Minnesota match up against each other on Saturday. This is a game that could be extremely high scoring considering both defenses are struggling. But how can the Orange and Blue pull this one out?

Here are three keys for the Illini to beat Minnesota.

Home/Illinois Football