Lovie plays mix, match with QBs
True freshman Thomas sees first action but throws untimely pick- 6
MINNEAPOLIS — Using just two different plays, Minnesota marched down the field midway through the fourth quarter against Illinois on Saturday. Kobe McCrary carried the ball six times. Rodney Smith ran five times during a grinding 12- play drive.
The Gophers finally stuck with the run and ran over the young Illini.
McCrary ran for 153 yards and the go- ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter, and Smith added 103 rushing yards for Minnesota as the Gophers beat Illinois 24- 17.
Linebacker Jon Celestin returned an interception for a touchdown in the fourth to provide the winning margin for Minnesota ( 4- 3, 1- 3 Big Ten). The Gophers ran for 292 yards as a team and held the Illini ( 2- 5, 0- 4) to 282 total yards.
“I was really proud of how Kobe put people on his shoulders, literally,” Minnesota coach P. J. Fleck said. “That last touchdown, that’s all want- to, heart, grit, toughness, and he finished the drive.”
“That was an impressive drive by our offense. We only ran two plays, and we just went right down the field. That was a statement for me that, ‘ OK, we need to go back to who we are.’ ”
With 10: 06 left in the game, the Gophers went 75 yards in 12 plays, all runs, and went ahead 17- 10 on McCrary’s four- yard touchdown run. Filling in for an injured Shannon Brooks as part of Minnesota’s split backfield, McCrary set a career high with 24 carries.
The senior back entered the game with just 115 rushing yards on the season, 107 coming when he filled in for Brooks in the third game of the year.
“My mindset was to make sure the running backs didn’t skip a beat,” McCrary said. “I knew I had to step in and fill his role. We came in the game, and we had to domi- nate the line of scrimmage. We had to run the ball. Coach got me prepared, so I just ran hard like I did.”
Illinois sophomore quarterback Jeff George Jr. was 18- for- 23 passing for 128 yards with a late touchdown pass to freshman receiver Ricky Smalling. Freshman running back Ra’Von Bonner had 18 carries for 57 yards and a touchdown.
The Illini scored 10 points off turnovers, creating three on the day and finishing plus- 1 in turnovermargin.
“We had three takeaways, and whenever you can take the ball away, it’s a good thing,” Illinois coach Lovie Smith said. “I thought the defense did some good things, but the way we started, and the drive for them to go up seven, is disappointing.”
Smith split time at quarterback between George and freshman Cam Thomas, who received his first playing time of the season. Thomas rushed for 79 yards, went 2- for- 4 passing for 33 yards and threw the clinching interception to Celestin with 4: 11 left.
“By playing two, we felt like we needed more at the quarterback position, and we felt like both guys could give us something,” Smith said. “In the end, with our passing game, where we are, we thought Jeff would give us the better option. But normal down and distance, we wanted to get Cam some reps and see what he can do.”
A missed opportunity Saturday leaves Illinois looking for its first Big Ten victory. Thomas became the 21st true freshman to play for the Illini this season. Illinois is the least- experienced team in college football with 14 true freshmen starters.