Saturday, October 29, 2016

Memorial Stadium

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The Minnesota Golden Gophers take on the Illinois Fighting Illini on Saturday, October 29, 2016 at Memorial Stadium. The opening line for this game has Minnesota as 8 point favorites. This season the Golden Gophers are 2-4-1 against the spread and their over/under record is 3-4-0. The Fighting Illini have an over/under record of 2-5-0 and they are 4-3-0 against the spread.

Mitch Leidner finished with 156 yards through the air for Minnesota last week. He completed 11 passes out of 18 attempts for a 61% completion percentage. The Golden Gophers were led in rushing by Rodney Smith, who finished with 111 yards on 22 rushes. He ended the contest with an average of 5 yards per carry. Drew Wolitarsky was the team leader in receiving with a total of 50 yards and 5 receptions. He finished the game with an average of 10 yards per reception. As a team in that game Minnesota got a total of 19 first downs. Of those first downs, 13 came on the ground while 6 came through the air. They ran 72 total plays for 399 yards for the game. The Golden Gophers ran for 243 yards on 53 attempts.

Jeff George, Jr. finished with 95 yards passing for Illinois last week. He went 4 for 15, resulting in a 27% completion percentage. The Fighting Illini were led on the ground by Kendrick Foster, who finished with 45 yards on 8 carries. He ended the game with an average of 6 yards per rush. Malik Turner led the team in receiving with 86 yards and 2 catches. He finished the game with an average of 43 yards per reception. Illinois had 6 first downs total. 3 came from running the ball and 2 came from a pass. They ran 38 total plays for 172 yards for the contest. The Fighting Illini ran for 77 yards on 23 carries as a team.

Minnesota scores 31 points per game on offense this season, which ranks 55th in Division 1. In the passing department, they average 15 passes on 26.7 attempts for a 56.1 percent completion percentage this season. They throw for a total of 178.6 yards per game through the air as well, which ranks them 108th in college football. The Golden Gophers run for an average of 212.4 yards per game on 44.9 attempts for an average of 4.7 yards per carry. That ranks them 34th in the nation. They also run 71.6 plays per contest and average 5.5 yards per play for an average of 391 yards per game, ranking their offense 83rd overall this season. The Golden Gophers average 21.7 first downs per game which ranks them 60th in the country. They accumulate 66.6 penalty yards per game via 8 penalties, which ranks 26th in the nation.

Minnesota allows 220.9 passing yards per game, ranking 58th in D-1, and they allow 22.9 points per contest on defense, which ranks 39th. They give up 19.9 completions on 36.9 attempts per game for a completion percentage of 53.9. The Golden Gophers allow 135.9 rushing yards per game on 36.6 carries for an average of 3.7 yards per carry, which ranks their rush defense 38th in the country. Minnesota allows 356.7 total yards per game including 4.9 yards per play, which ranks their overall defense 32nd in terms of yards per game. They force 2.1 turnovers per contest and get flagged for 5 penalties for 44.6 yards per game, ranking them 23rd among D-1 teams.

Illinois averages 23.4 points per game this season on offense, which ranks them 104th in the country. In the passing department, they complete 14.3 passes per game on 25.1 attempts for a 56.8 percent completion percentage. They throw for 169.1 yards through the air per game, ranking them 111th in Division 1. The Fighting Illini run for an average of 173.7 yards per game on 32 attempts for an average of 5.4 yards per carry this season, which ranks them 64th on the ground. They also run 57.1 plays per game and average 6 yards per play for a total of 342.9 yards per game, ranking them 118th in the country on offense. The Fighting Illini get an average of 14.7 first downs per game, which ranks 128th in the nation. They average 68.6 penalty yards per game via 8.1 penalties, ranking them 19th in college football.

Illinois allows an average of 215.9 passing yards per game, which ranks 51st in Division 1. Their defense overall allows 28.3 points per contest, which has them ranked 70th in the nation. They give up 17.9 completions on 27.3 attempts for a completion percentage of 65.4 per game. The Fighting Illini allow 197.3 rushing yards per contest on 45.1 carries for a 4.4 average per rush, ranking their overall rush defense 89th in the country. Illinois allows 413.1 total yards per game for an average of 5.7 yards per play, which ranks 70th in D-1. They force 2 turnovers per contest and 4.6 penalties for 38.3 yards in each contest, ranking 6th in the nation.

Minnesota Betting Trends

Minnesota is 3-4-0 against the over/under this season

Minnesota has an ATS record of 2-4-1 this season

Illinois Betting Trends

Illinois is 2-5-0 against the over/under this season

Illinois has an ATS record of 4-3-0 this season

Injuries to Watch

Minnesota

10/24/16 TE Brandon Lingen Foot injured last game, doubtful Saturday vs. Illinois
10/24/16 Backup RB Carlton Djam Legal problems probable Saturday vs. Illinois
10/24/16 DB KiAnte Hardin Legal problems probable Saturday vs. Illinois
10/24/16 DB Ray Buford Legal problems probable Saturday vs. Illinois
10/24/16 OL Vincent Calhoun Toe "?" Saturday vs. Illinois
10/24/16 LB Cody Poock Shoulder "?" Saturday vs. Illinois
10/24/16 DB Dior Johnson Legal problems probable Saturday vs. Illinois
10/24/16 OL Garrison Wright Foot "?" Saturday vs. Illinois
10/24/16 LB Jack Lynn Suspension expected to miss 1st Half Saturday vs. Illinois
10/24/16 OL Jonah Pirsig Ankle "?" Saturday vs. Illinois
10/23/16 DB Alexander Starks Undisclosed "?" Saturday vs. Illinois
10/23/16 CB Coney Durr Undisclosed "?" Saturday vs. Illinois
10/22/16 DE Tamarion Johnson Legal problems expected to redshirt
09/26/16 S Ace Rogers Knee out for season

Illinois

10/24/16 LB Tre Watson Suspension expected to miss 1st Half Saturday vs. Minnesota U
10/23/16 RB Austin Roberts Knee "?" Saturday vs. Minnesota U
10/23/16 DB Cameron Watkins Undisclosed "?" Saturday vs. Minnesota U
10/23/16 2nd QB Chayce Crouch Shoulder "?" Saturday vs. Minnesota U
10/23/16 WR Desmond Cain Knee "?" Saturday vs. Minnesota U
10/23/16 RB Ke'Shawn Vaughn Leg injured last game, "?" Saturday vs. Minnesota U
10/23/16 QB Wes Lunt Back "?" Saturday vs. Minnesota U
09/17/16 DB Caleb Day ACL out for season
09/08/16 RB Dre Brown ACL out indefinitely
09/08/16 WR Mike Dudek ACL out indefinitely

Guy's Pick: Take Illinois

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