CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The Illinois offense exploded for 646 total yards on its way to a 55-31 victory over Minnesota Saturday at Memorial Stadium. The Orange and Blue gashed the Gopher defense for 430 yards on the ground, its most since November 20, 2010.
Career Day for Corbin
Running back Reggie Corbin couldn't be corralled on Saturday, as the junior racked up a career-high 213 yards on just 13 carries (16.4 yards per carry). Corbin found a hole on the team's second offensive snap of the game and outraced the Gopher defense for a 72-yard touchdown to put the Illini up 7-0 early.
Corbin also added a 77-yard touchdown in the third quarter, giving him four runs of 70+, five runs of 60+ and seven runs of 50+-yards on the year.
Corbin has now gone over 100 yards in four of the last five games.
Brown for 72
On the fourth offensive snap of the game, running back Dre Brown took an AJ Bush Jr. handoff and went untouched for a career-long 72-yard touchdown. Along with Corbin's third quarter run, Illinois had three 70+-yard runs on the day, the second most in a single game in program history.
Big Play Smalling
After Minnesota closed the gap to 17-14 in the second quarter, quarterback AJ Bush, Jr. found Ricky Smalling on a short slant route and Smalling did the rest, breaking a tackle and finding his way to the end zone for a 67-yard touchdown.
Saturday is the first time in program history that Illinois has had two or more 65+-yard rushing plays and one 65+-yard passing play in the same game.
Bush to Barker
Following a Minnesota fumble on its own 30-yard line, the Illini offense needed just one play to get in the end zone for the fifth time on the day. Bush Jr. connected with a wide-open Daniel Barker for a 30-yard touchdown to put the Orange and Blue up 38-17.
Bush finished the day 18-of-25 passing for 216 yards and two touchdowns. The Alpharetta, Georgia, native also added 127 yards and a pair of scores on the ground.
Team Notes
- Illinois scored a season-high 55 points, its most in a regulation Big Ten game since beating Indiana 55-31 10/18/2008 (Illinois scored 65 at Michigan in 2010 in a 3OT game).
- Illinois scored 30+ points in back-to-back Big Ten games since Nov. 2013 (35-52 L at Indiana, 35-60 L vs. Ohio State).
- Illinois averaged 10.8 yards per play, its most since at least 2000 (9.2 vs. Minnesota 11/3/2007 was the previous high).
- Illinois' 646 total yards are its most since 655, also against Minnesota, on 11/3/2007.
- Illinois had three 70+ yard runs for the second time in program history (9/16/1944 vs. Illinois-Normal (now Illinois State)).
- Illinois had its three longest runs ever against Minnesota during the 71-game series history.
- For the first time in program history, Illinois had two 65+-yard rushing plays and one 65+-yard passing play in the same game.
- Illinois ran for 430 yards on 35 carries (12.3 yards/carry), the Illini's eighth time rushing for more than 200 yards in the first nine games this season.
- Illinois' 430 rushing yards were its most since a program-record 519 against Northwestern at Wrigley Field 11/20/2010.
- Illinois is the first team to run for more than 400 yards against Minnesota since 11/3/2007, also the Illini.
- Illinois' 55 points are the most given up by Minnesota since 10/1/2011 when Michigan beat the Gophers 58-0 in Ann Arbor.
- Illinois had two 100+-yard rushers for the second time this season, AJ Bush Jr. and Reggie Corbin. The duo also both went over 100 yards rushing against Rutgers earlier this season.
- Illinois started three true freshmen, all in the defensive secondary (SS Sydney Brown, DB Jartavius Martin, NB Delano Ware).
- Illinois started three true freshmen defensive backs for the fourth time in program history and the third time this season. (11/3/18 vs. Minnesota, 10/16/18 at Rutgers, 9/1/18 vs. Kent State, 9/15/17 at South Florida)
- Illinois' true freshmen have combined for 26 starts, tied for the fifth most in a season in Illinois history. Last year, Illinois set the program record with 86 cumulative true freshmen starts. • Illinois captains: OL Nick Allegretti, RB Reggie Corbin, LB Dele Harding, LB Del'Shawn Phillips
Individual Notes
- Junior RB Reggie Corbin ran 13 times for a season-high 213 yards, his fourth 100+-yard game of the season and fourth in the last five games. Corbin's 213 rushing yards was the eighth most in Illinois history, passing Red Grange's 212 rushing yards against Michigan 10/18/1924. Corbin is the first Illini with 200+ rushing yards since Mikel Leshoure ran for 330 against Northwestern 11/20/2010. Corbin had a 72-yard touchdown run in the first quarter and a 77-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, his third and fourth 70+-yard runs this season.
- Senior QB AJ Bush Jr. started and had two passing touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns. Bush was 18-of-25 passing for a career-high 216 yards and ran 14 times for 127 yards.
- Junior RB Dre Brown had a career-high 92 rushing yards on seven carries, including a career-long 72-yard touchdown in the first quarter.
- Sophomore FS Tony Adams had a career-high 10 tackles, including his second career sack, and a career-high three pass breakups.
- Junior K Chase McLaughlin tied a career high with seven PATs and added 36- and 48-yard field goals.
- Freshman TE Daniel Barker caught his first career touchdown pass in the third quarter on a career-long 30-yard reception. It also tied his most career receiving yards (30 vs. South Florida 9/15/2018).
- Senior LB Del'Shawn Phillis had a 63-yard touchdown on a fumble recovery that was overturned near the end of the second quarter.
- Freshman SS Sydney Brown started for the eighth time this season, the fourth most by a true freshman defensive back in Illinois history (11 Vontae Davis 2006, 10 Nate Hobbs 2017, 9 Craig Swoope 1982)
- Senior OL Nick Allegretti started for the 33rd straight game.
- Sophomore OL Alex Palczewski started for the 20th straight game.
