I'd love for you to be right; we need it ... But I suspect our running game leads the way yet again today, and that Athan is used as post-2019 Tanner Morgan was: as an "efficient" passing game manager, ideally making no mistakes (no INTs, no fumbles), perhaps throwing for 150-200 yards and one TD as a success "benchmark." Keeps the running lanes open by posing just enough of a passing game threat. And lean heavily on the defense.
The argument in favor of this being a breakout game is that Illinois is pretty shabby on pass defense (assuming you can control DL Newton). If not against Illinois, then against whom? If we are going after Illinois' weakness, we should pass a lot. But I think PJ's innate, genetic conservatism just won't let him go there. We are the slowest starting offense in all of Power 5 football, a truly dubious distinction. Now that Iowa State scored on its opening drive last week, the Gophers are the only team in Power 5 football this season that hasn't scored a point--not a TD or a FG--on the opening drive of any of its games (8 so far). We've had multiple punts and turnovers on opening drives, but nary a point. For some reason, we don't develop the rhythm or QB-receiver coordination that confident passing games usually establish very early in a game. We tend toward the opposite.
Yet we are still 5-3 and I think we have a good chance of bringing home a win today. Go Gophers!
