It's quite difficult for a football team's offense to score when it's on the sideline, and the Gophers found that out the hard way Saturday afternoon in Champaign, Ill.
Chase Brown rushed 41 times for 180 yards, and Tommy DeVito completed 25 of 32 passes for 252 yards and a touchdown as No. 24 Illinois defeated the Gophers 26-14, handing Minnesota its second consecutive Big Ten loss.
The Fighting Illini (6-1, 3-1 Big Ten) repeatedly gashed the Gophers defense, amassing six scoring drives of 60 yards or longer on their way to dominating the time of possession 40:04 to 19:56 against a Minnesota team that led the country in that category. Illinois ran 86 offensive plays to 42 for Minnesota (4-2, 1-2). The Illini converted three fourth-down situations on their four first-half possessions, leading to 13 points.
