The Minnesota Golden Gophers earned their fourth straight win on Saturday afternoon against the No. 24 Illinois Fighting Illini and are officially bowl eligible after a 25-17 win in Champaign.

The Golden Gophers were aided by a strong day from their rushing attack, totaling 148 yards in the game, and averaging 4.6 yards per carry. Gophers star tailback Darius Taylor had one of his better games of the season with 22 carries for 131 yards and a touchdown. He also led the team with nine receptions for 58 yards.

Max Brosmer started off slow in the game, completing just 12 of his first 21 attempts but excelled in the second half, completing 11-of-17 passing attempts for 114 yards and one touchdown.

In the game, the Gophers would open up the scoring early with a 20-yard field goal from kicker Dragan Kesich. It was one of four field-goals from the defending Big Ten Kicker of the Year including makes from 45 and 46 yards.

In the second quarter, Illinois finally got on the board themselves with a 25-yard chip shot from David Olano. It was the first of four-straight scoring drives in the game as Darius Taylor would break away for a 29-yard touchdown run to give the Gophers a 10-3 lead.

The lead would only last a little over three months, however, as the Illini answered back with a 42-yard touchdown run of their own on their next drive.

With the end of the first half nearing, the Gophers, as they have been all year, were strong in the final minutes, putting together a 48-yard drive on just eight plays allowing Dragan Kesich to kick a 45-yard field goal right before half to give Minnesota a 13-10 lead. Illniois would have the opportunity to tie the game right before half, opting to attempt a 55-yard field goal but the attempt from Olano would be no good.

In the second half, the Gophers extended their lead to 16-10 on Kesich's third field goal of the day, this time a 38-yarder.

In the fourth quarter, it appeared as though the Illini were going to pull off another late comeback against the Gophers, as the Illini put together a 54-yard scoring drive that was capped off by a 21-yard touchdown reception from Luke Altmyer to Zakhari Franklin.

Taking the ball over with 9:03 to go, Minnesota was able to answer right back with a seven play, 75 yard drive ending with a one-yard touchdown reception from Max Brosmer to Jameson Geers to give Minnesota a 22-17 with just over five minutes to go. Kseich would add his fourth field goal with under two minutes left to extend the lead to 25-17.

Early in the game, it looked as though it may be the NIttany Lions' day to finally come out on top. The offense moved down the field well on their first drive, going 61 yards on 14 plays but had to settle for a field goal after getting into the redzone.

Three plays into Ohio State's first drive, Zion Tracy would jump an ill-advised throw from Ohio State's Will Howard for a pick-six, the Nittany Lions found themselves leading 10-0 within the first 10 minutes of action.

Howard and Ohio State were not fazed by the pick-six, however, immediately answering it with back-to-back scoring drives of 74 yards and 81 yards. The Nittany Lions' offense in the meantime struggled to move the ball after their opening drive, picking up just 38 additional yards over their next three drives in the first half.

Prior to halftime, the Nittany Lions would find some offensive success with under two minutes, going 46 yards on seven plays. Looking for a touchdown, Drew Allar would target Harrison Wallace on a fade route, the ball would hit Wallace in the hands and bounce into the hands of Ohio State defensive back Davison Igbinosun for an interception. A heartbreaking finish to a potential go-ahead scoring drive right before halftime.

In the second half, Penn State's offense would garner slightly more success but only touched the ball three times. After settling for a field goal on their first drive of the half before ultimately failing to punch it from the goal line in the final minutes.

The Nittany Lions defense would have the opportunity to get the Penn State offense back the ball one more time, but the Buckeyes would run the ball nine straight times, running out the clock to seal the Ohio State victory.

The loss drops Penn State to 7-1 on the season and 4-1 in conference play; the Nittany Lions will likely be ranked within the top-10 in the initial College Football Playoff rankings on Tuesday. Ohio State improves to 7-1 on the season and 4-1 in conference play. The Buckeyes now control their own destiny to a potential Big Ten Championship game appearances and a potential rematch with the Oregon Ducks

Now on a four-game winning streak, the Golden Gophers will prepare for a second-straight road matchup this time against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, who are coming off a by week and will look to snap a four-game losing streak.