Offensive line, secondary stands out among Gophers' PFF grades in upset win over Illinois

By Chris Schad

Offensive line, secondary stands out among Gophers' PFF grades in upset win over Illinois

The Minnesota Golden Gophers pulled off the upset over No. 24 Illinois on Saturday afternoon, 25-17, and there were plenty of key contributors.

It's Minnesota's fourth consecutive win of the season, making them bowl-eligible heading into a matchup with Rutgers next weekend.

Related: Start time, TV info revealed for Gophers vs. Rutgers

Here are the Gophers' top 10 performers on both offense and defense (minimum 10 snaps played), per Pro Football Focus, as well as a mention of some low performances as well. For reference, a grade of 60.0 is considered average while those in the 30s are very poor and those in the 90s are elite.

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The Gophers upset was fueled primarily by the offensive line, even without starting guard Tyler Cooper. Carroll, Johnson and Beers each allowed just one pressure on 40 pass-blocking snaps and Carroll was especially proficient in the running game with an 88.2 run-blocking grade.

The Gophers skill positions were able to execute with the offensive line doing their part as Brosmer completed 22-of-37 passes with a touchdown and 213 yards passing while Taylor racked up 131 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries and nine catches for 58 yards through the air.

Minnesota's three worst-graded players per PFF were tight end Nick Kallerup (53.0), wide receiver Le'Meke Brockington (46.6), and tight end Frank Bierman (37.8).

Related: Minnesota's P.J. Fleck explains his decision for a fake punt in win over Illinois

It wasn't a great day for the Gophers' defense as Brown was the only player with a PFF grade over 70. Brown tied with cornerback Justin Walley for the team lead with seven tackles and was active in the pass-rushing game, collecting three pressures on his three pass-rushing snaps.

McMillan only played 23 snaps but earned strong tackling (78.0) and coverage (68.6) while Lindenberg also excelled with a 78.3 coverage grade. Gousby had an 80.6 tackling grade while Striggow earned two pressures on 35 pass-rushing snaps.

The three lowest overall grades on the Gophers' defense was defensive tackle Jalen Logan-Redding (53.0), Walley (51.4) and free safety Koi Perich (48.2). It's Perich's worst game as a Gopher so far in his collegiate career, as he hadn't received an overall grade lower than 72.2 (minimum of 10 snaps played).

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