Gophers turn to defense for certainty after offense turns over an opportunity against Illinois

CHAMPAIGN, ILL. – Defensive end Jah Joyner wasn’t 100% healthy, but he made his presence known at the end of the game. Safety Kerry Brown came up just as big a series before. Those were just two standouts on defense for the Gophers, who left Memorial Stadium on Saturday with their fourth consecutive victory, this one 25-17 over No. 24 Illinois.

In a game decided by another Gophers comeback, the defense made sure the rally stood up.

After the Fighting Illini cashed in Mark Crawford’s unsuccessful fake punt to take a 17-16 lead with 9:03 left in the fourth quarter, the Gophers grabbed the lead back, 22-17. Illinois had 5:14 left — plenty of time to drive for the go-ahead touchdown.

Brown, a redshirt freshman, was having none of that.

On third-and-2 from its 31, Illinois called for running back Josh McCray to run up the middle. Brown, on a blitz, was there to meet him and knock him for a 2-yard loss.

Illini coach Bret Bielema opted to go for it on fourth-and-4 with 3:20 left. Quarterback Luke Altmyer looked for receiver Zakhari Franklin on the right side, but Brown batted the ball down for a turnover on downs.

“He is such a versatile player,’’ Gophers coach P.J. Fleck said of Brown, who tied with cornerback Justin Walley for the team lead with seven tackles. “I know he’s not the biggest guy, but he can do a lot.’’

Brown’s pass breakup gave the Gophers the ball at the Illini 31, but they couldn’t punch it in for a touchdown, settling for Dragan Kesich’s 46-yard field goal for a 25-17 lead with 1:52 to play.

Last year’s result will tell you that was plenty of time for Illinois to rally to tie the score, but Joyner made sure the Illini came up short.

After Altmyer drove his team from the 25 to the Minnesota 16 with 35 seconds to play, the QB dropped back on first down, only to be sacked by Joyner, who stripped him of the ball. Defensive end Danny Striggow was there to pounce on the fumble and end the final threat.

“Instinct kicked in,” Striggow said. “Catch, tip, tuck, squeeze.”

Added Fleck: “One play never loses you a game, but one play can win you the game if you end it, and our ‘D’ line ended it.”

The Gophers were without starting left guard Tyler Cooper because of an injury suffered last week against Maryland. To replace him, they made a couple of moves on the offensive line, sliding Quinn Carroll from right tackle to right guard, moving Ashton Beers from right guard to left guard, and starting Phillip Daniels at right tackle.

“Phillip Daniels gets his first start at right tackle against these guys, and I thought he played exceptional,’’ Fleck said.

Quarterback Max Brosmer credited Carroll for keeping the offensive line organized.

“Shout out Quinn Carroll for his leadership,” Brosmer said. “It was amazing. I can’t thank him enough for what he’s done for this team, and his leadership really showed today.”

Kesich, the Big Ten Kicker of the Year in 2023, got off to a difficult start this season, missing five of his first 11 field-goal attempts. Since then, he’s made seven of eight attempts, including field goals of 20, 45, 38 and 46 yards Saturday.

“It was great to have Dragan — I can’t say get back — but just getting better,” Fleck said.

Said Kesich: “They’ve shown a lot of belief in me. It’s allowed me to bring my game back to the level where it was. They really helped me.”

The Big Ten announced Saturday night that the Gophers game at Rutgers next Saturday will have an 11 a.m. (Central) kickoff and be televised on NBC.