The Minnesota Golden Gophers won their fourth straight win on Saturday afternoon in Champaign, defeating the Illinois Fighting Illini 25-17. The Golden Gophers scored nine points in the final five minutes of the matchup to win the game. But which Gophers were pivotal in the win?

The Golden Gophers looked to establish the run against a weak Illinois rushing attack on Saturday and did just that, rushing for 148 yards and 4.6 yards per carry. Sophomore Darius Taylor led the way with 22 carries for 131 yards and one touchdown. The Michigan native was also tremendous through the air with nine receptions for 58 yards, totaling 189 total yards in the win.

It was a big game for the veteran cornerback as he recorded seven tackles in the win including one tackle for loss and one pass breakup. Walley was also pivotal in a Luke Altmyer fumble. While Danny Striggow was officially credited with the forced fumble, Walley had a big hand in the turnover as well. It was the second straight week that Walley had a part in a game changing play after recording a pick-six early against Minnesota last week.

Dragan Kesich has by no means had a smooth season but the defending Big Ten Kicker of the Year had his best game of the season by far on Saturday with four made field goals including kicks from 45 and 46 yards. Despite Kesich's struggles this season, Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck has routinely shown faith in the 'Serbian Hammer' and he was awarded for that faith on Saturday in the win.