MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - The good news for Minnesota last weekend was that the Gophers had plenty of opportunities to assemble a strong enough game to beat Michigan, one of the Big Ten powers they've been least successful against.

The bad? They still lost at home by 22 points.

So the Gophers (5-4, 1-4) have moved on, buoyed by their clear improvement over last season when they fell 58-0 to the Wolverines but frustrated by a lingering inability to put together the kind of performance required to beat the traditional big boys of the conference.

A trip to Illinois (2-7, 0-5) is on tap for this Saturday. With a game at Nebraska on Nov. 17 and Michigan State due at TCF Bank Stadium on Nov. 24, this is obviously the best chance for the Gophers to ensure themselves an extra game.

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