MINNESOTA GAME NOTES | SCHEDULE | ROSTER | STATISTICS

Winners of four in a row and six of its last seven, RV/RV Minnesota (6-2, 4-1 B1G) looks to continue its winning ways and remain in first place in the Big Ten West this weekend as it hosts Illinois (3-6, 2-4 B1G) Saturday at 11 a.m. on ESPN2.

The Golden Gophers have one of the strongest rush defenses in the country, ranking eighth nationally and second in the Big Ten by allowing 92.9 rushing yards per game this year.

For the second straight game, Minnesota true freshman Mar'Keise Irving and redshirt freshman RB Ky Thomas both ran for over 100 yards Saturday at Northwestern. Last week, Irving went for 105 yards and a TD, while Thomas had a career-high 139 yards and a score against Maryland on Oct. 23.

Orange and Blue News caught up with Alex Carlson from TheGopherReport.com. Follow Ale on Twitter @AlexCarlsonTGR. Follow the Gopher Report @MinnesotaRivals.

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