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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 /
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Mason Stokke scores a touchdown on a 10-yard reception while covered by Illinois defensive back Nate Hobbs Friday. Ferguson had three touchdown catches.Uwgrid24 2
Mason Stokke scores a touchdown on a 10-yard reception while covered by Illinois defensive back Nate Hobbs Friday. Ferguson had three touchdown catches.Uwgrid24 2 /

3. Secondary has to show up

Minnesota is coming into the game on Saturday with a record of 0-2. Don’t let this bad record fool you, though. This team has good players, specifically on offense.

Tanner Morgan is back under center for the Gophers for what seems like season No. 12 for him. He has only thrown for 386 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception in two gamest his year. This kid was a Heisman Trophy dark horse coming into the year.

Minnesota also has an NFL wide receiver out wide in Rashod Bateman. He has 14 receptions for 163 yards on the season. Bateman is a dangerous threat every play and will continue to be on Saturday against Illinois.

My biggest fear is that Illinois is going to let Morgan and Bateman run wild. Morgan hasn’t started the season off well but the cure to that is a bad Illinois pass defense. The Illini average giving up 309.5 yards per game through the air, which ranks No. 123 out of 130 teams in college football.

Next. Illini set to play in the Jimmy V Classic. dark

So, if Illinois wants to beat Minnesota, we are going to need the secondary to step up. They can’t give up over 300 yards per game through the air. This is unacceptable considering how experienced the secondary is right now. The Gophers have a good offense, so this is going to be another test for the Illini.

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