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Upset alert? Illinois takes halftime lead on No. 20 Minnesota

Scott Schultz

By Scott Schultz

Published:

Minnesota head coach PJ Fleck is getting a taste of what No. 22 Penn State head coach James Franklin had to deal with.

The Gophers are down 14-0 to Illinois at the half of their game with the Illini this afternoon.

When Illinois running back Isaiah Williams scampered into the endzone from the 2-yard line, he put the underdog Illini up 7-0 over Minnesota midway through the first period.

Nothing to fear, though. The Gophers sit by themselves atop the B1G West standings, and entered their contest with the Illini over a 14-point favorite. So they’ll respond, right?

But like we all know, any given Saturday, anything can happen – just ask the Nittany Lions.

No response yet.

After Illinois quarterback Brandon Peters found tight end Tip Reiman for a 15-yard touchdown pass shortly after the start of the second period, the score moved to 14-0.

The Gophers forced a punt at the 1:51 mark of the 2nd quarter, and their Illini 43-yard line field position to start the drive was their best of the day. But the Illini defense clamped down, forcing a 45-yard field goal attempt on 4th and 18, that was missed by Gophers kicker Matthew Trickett.

The halftime shutout is the first time all season the Gophers have been shutout in a half. They have just 85 yards passing and only managed 60 yards on the ground.

Scott Schultz

Scott Schultz covers Michigan State Football, along with Breaking News for B1G Football & Basketball for Saturday Tradition. He also serves as an Automotive News Editor & Writer, and Softball Writer elsewhere on the web. Follow him on Twitter @SRSchultz.