Golden against Gophers

Illini build a big lead, then use their newfound fight to win second in row

MINNEAPOLIS -- As defensive end Clay Nurse rumbled off the field, he shouted it out loud. Almost snarled it.

''We're the FIGHTING Illini! The FIGHTING Illini!'' he said.

Minnesota has a shiny new stadium. But Illinois has new life.

Illinois won for the second consecutive week, beating the Golden Gophers 35-32 on Saturday before an announced crowd of 50,805 at TCF Bank Stadium on a sun-kissed afternoon. And by holding on after building a 28-7 halftime lead, the Illini believe that the fight is back.

''A lot of you have said we've been weak,'' said Nurse, who had a career-high four sacks. ''A lot of you have said we've not been playing up to par, that we don't have any fight in us, that we don't have any heart. They came back and could have won the game, but we kept fighting. We're the Fighting Illini.''

That's what the Illini (3-6, 2-5 Big Ten) intend to keep doing. By winning back-to-back conference games for the first time since they upset Ohio State and handled Northwestern at the end of 2007, they have rekindled the spark in a slumping program that had lost nine consecutive games against major-college opponents.

''This definitely puts more wind behind our sails,'' said redshirt freshman quarterback Jacob Charest, who didn't miss a beat when he stepped in for Juice Williams, who went down with a sprained ankle in the first quarter. ''We had a big win against Michigan, but people were like, 'Oh, that might have been a fluke.'

''Some of us might have been thinking it was a fluke, but this proves we're a good team and we're coming into our own. Things are 10 times better than the first half of the season. Things are finally going right for us.''

Whether the Illini were too tight or overconfident, underprepared or overrated, who knows? They finally are seeing results by playing relaxed.

''Yeah, I think they are more relaxed. When something bad happens, they're not panicking,'' said coach Ron Zook, intent on seeing how far the Illini can take their newfound fight. ''It's our mind-set that we can get to .500. But that doesn't matter. We have to win the next game. The only thing that matters is the next game.''

By beating Minnesota (5-5, 3-4), Illinois has taken some heat off of its under-the-microscope coach. It got the job done against the Gophers with big performances from a variety of places.

Cornerback Terry Hawthorne, who made a touchdown-saving tackle that turned the tide in Illinois' 38-13 victory over Michigan on Oct. 31, made things happen again. The true freshman from East St. Louis got the Illini on an early roll, returning an interception 44 yards for a touchdown that put them ahead 14-0 late in the first quarter. It was Illinois' first ''pick-six'' since 2006.

Against the suddenly awakened Illini defense, the Gophers couldn't run (50 yards on 36 attempts) and didn't pass nearly as well as they had the previous week. After completing 19 of 31 passes for 416 yards and five touchdowns in a 42-34 victory over Michigan State, quarterback Adam Weber went 14-for-31 for 221 yards and one touchdown against Illinois. He also was sacked seven times.

The biggest I-opener for Illinois, though, might have been Charest. Thrust into the game when Williams went down with a sprained ankle with 3:50 left in the first quarter, Charest went the rest of the way and showed a lot. He went 10-for-19 for 185 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions.

He also threw some balls that should give encouragement in the event that Williams, who left the field on crutches with his left foot in a walking boot, is not able to return right away. Zook said Williams sported the crutches and boot as a precaution.

''Jacob played like he was All-Pro, All-American,'' said receiver/ backup quarterback Eddie McGee, who caught a 42-yard pass that set up Illinois' final touchdown. ''The best thing about Jacob is, he's calm in every situation. He knows the playbook, he throws a good ball. When he first went in, he was calm. On that last drive, he was calm.''

ILLINOIS 35, MINNESOTA 32