If one play could sum up an entire half of football, it would be this stiff arm by Minnesota’s Rashod Bateman.

Looking for their first win of the season, the Gophers have played angry in the first half against Illinois. That has paid off in a big way as P.J. Fleck’s squad heads to the break up by a score of 28-7.

A big force behind that lead has been Bateman. He has seven catches for 96 yards and a touchdown in one half to go along with a 14-yard carry. Bateman also leveled one Illini defender.

After catching a little shovel pass from quarterback Tanner Morgan, Bateman hit the edge with an Illinois player looking to stop him for no gain. Bateman leveled the would-be tackler with a brutal and picture-perfect stiff arm before picking up a short gain on the play.

This may not be the huge gainer, but it is always a highlight anytime you can turn nothing into a positive in such dramatic fashion: