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FACTS & STATS: Site: TCF Bank Stadium (50,805) -- Minneapolis, Minnesota. Television: Big Ten Network. Home Record: Illinois 5-3, Minnesota 2-4. Away Record: Illinois 1-2, Minnesota 0-5. Neutral Record: Illinois 0-0, Minnesota 0-0. Conference Record: Illinois 2-5, Minnesota 1-6. Series Record: Minnesota leads 32-28-3.

GAME NOTES: The 2011 regular season draws to a close on Saturday for a couple of Big Ten Conference programs as the Minnesota Golden Gophers entertain the Fighting Illini of Illinois at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.

Minnesota has had to fight through a very tough season between the poor play on the field and the health of head coach Jerry Kill, so it is not surprising that the squad has just two wins in 11 tries. Last weekend the Gophers were defeated by Northwestern on the road in a 28-13 setback, the team's third loss in a row and the seventh in eight outings.

As for the Illini, they've been sliding down a slippery slope ever since they defeated Indiana on the road on October 6 by a score of 41-20. At that point the team was 6-0 and appeared well on the way to the postseason, but now the squad is dealing with a five-game losing streak and that's not the way to impress the people who send out the bowl invitations. Last week Illinois suffered a 28-17 loss to 15th-ranked Wisconsin.

As far as the all-time series is concerned, Minnesota is ahead by a count of 32-28-3, with the Gophers winning last year in Champaign by a score of 38-34. The road team has won the last four times the Illini and Gophers have met.

Donovonn Young scored a pair of rushing touchdowns in the second quarter against Wisconsin last weekend, but that was it for the offense as the team bowed by double digits in the final home game of the season. Young finished the game with 43 yards on eight attempts, the team averaging 4.4 yards per attempt. Quarterbacks Nathan Scheelhaase and Reilly O'Toole combined to hit 22-of-31 passes for 152 yards and three interceptions. Now fifth in the Leaders Division with a record of just 2-5 in conference play, the Illini are also 11th in the conference in turnover ratio with minus-0.55 miscues per outing. One part of the problem for the offense has been the inability of the kick return team to generate any momentum, because at the moment they are dead last in the NCAA with an average of just 15.4 yards per opportunity.

Like every other team that has faced off against the Badgers this season, Illinois also had trouble getting a grip and taking down Montee Ball who ended up with 224 yards and two touchdowns on a hefty 38 attempts. Against the pass the Gophers were much more sound, limiting the visitors to just 10 completed passes for 90 yards and a score. Jonathan Brown was instrumental in keeping the game from getting out of hand as he logged four of his 10 tackles behind the line of scrimmage, had one sack and an interception return for 28 yards. Believe it or not, the defense overall this season has been very solid for the Illini, ranked ninth in the country with just 288.0 ypg allowed, but that number also ranks them fourth in the conference which illustrates just how difficult it can be to succeed in the Big Ten these days. The squad is sixth in the country in both sacks (3.1 per game) and TFLs (8.0).

Minnesota generated close to 400 yards of offense last weekend, most of it coming on the ground as the team logged 269 yards on 51 attempts, but that still wasn't enough to stave off yet another defeat, this time at the hands of Northwestern. MarQueis Gray tried to keep the offense moving with his game- high 160 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries, but his 9-of-21 passing for 124 yards and an interception did little to help the cause. Clearly not a passing team, the Gophers average a mere 156.3 ypg through the air, 11th in the Big Ten and 107th in the country this week. Because they needed Gray to handle so much of the action on the ground, it is understandable that the overall offense suffered with a mere 17.6 ppg which is last in the league and 112th in the nation right now.

From a defensive standpoint, the Gophers appeared defeated even before the second quarter began as they allowed three touchdowns in a span of barely 11 minutes. With the Minnesota offense struggling it was imperative that the guys on the other side of the ball try to keep the game close, which they did for the final three periods. Unfortunately for the Golden Gophers, very little has gone right for them in any capacity and that's true on defense with the team ranking 113th in the country with a pass efficiency defense rating of just 154.5. The last few weeks the team has gotten a better handle on slowing down the competition and limiting their point production, but because of earlier blowouts Minnesota is still ranked 11th in the conference and 102nd in the nation with 33.9 ppg allowed.

With still something to play for and needing to finish the regular season strong just to be considered for a postseason appearance, expect to see the Illini put all the pieces together to come up with the win.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Illinois 31, Minnesota 17