5 things that stood out from the Gophers' win over No. 24 Illinois

It wasn't pretty, but Minnesota left Illinois with a ranked win.

Nov 2, 2024; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers kicker Dragan Kesich (99) kicks a field goal during the first half at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images / Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

It came down to the wire, but the Gophers football team has finally beaten a team coached by Bret Bielema, as it tookdown No. 24 Illinois 25-17 on Saturday in Champaign, Ill., for its sixth win of the season to secure bowl eligibility.

Here were five things that stood out from Minnesota's performance:

Darius Taylor was the best player on the field

Over the last few weeks, Minnesota had stepped away from its patented run-first offensive style, and Darius Taylor has gotten more involved as a receiver. Saturday might've been his best performance in a Gophers uniform as he was all over the field with 189 yards from scrimmage.

He had a team-high nine catches for 58 yards through the air and added 131 rushing yards on 22 carries. The Gophers struggled to consistently connect on deep passes, but Taylor helped the offense move the ball.

Illinois DBs interrupted the timing of Minnesota's WRs

Daniel Jackson had averaged 9.5 catches and 103 receiving yards in the Gophers' last two wins over UCLA and Maryland. Illinois defensive coordinator Aaron Henry called him "the most underrated wide receiver in the country" during the week, but they clearly had a good game plan for him. He still finished the day with five catches for 74 yards. Overall, Illinois was very physical with Minnesota's receivers, and it looked like it threw off the timing of the entire passing game.

New-look offensive line, Phillip Daniels' first start

Longtime Gophers starting left guard Tyler Cooper was ruled out pregame due to an injury, which forced Minnesota to shuffle up its starting front. Instead of slotting in a replacement, they started redshirt freshman Phillip Daniels at right tackle, shifted Ashton Beers to left guard and Quinn Carroll to right guard.

In pass blocking, it was an up-and-down performance as Brosmer was sacked twice, but the run blocking was absolutely tremendous. The severity of Cooper's injury is unknown, but it looks like Minnesota has another road grader with Daniels.

Max Brosmer didn't force anything

Max Brosmer was coming off one of the best performances by a Gophers quarterback in quite some time last week against Maryland. The timing looked off between him and the receivers all day, and there wasn't the same level of explosiveness in the passing game. He was far from his best, but he didn't force anything, and he didn't turn the ball over. He showed maturity and leadership. The Gophers just needed one drive from him, and he delivered when they needed it.

Gophers are bowl eligible

Minnesota entered this season with a preseason win total of over/under 5.5 games. With three games left on the schedule, the Gophers have already surpassed that total with six wins. It has become a theme under P.J. Fleck-led teams to look back on missed opportunities like the North Carolina or Michigan games, but the Gophers have clearly out-performed expectations this season.