Minnesota rallies to defeat No. 24 Illinois 25-17 for the Golden Gophers' 4th straight win

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Max Brosmer threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to Jameson Geers and Dragan Kesich kicked his fourth field goal of the game in the final five minutes, rallying Minnesota to a 25-17 victory over No. 24 Illinois on Saturday.

It was the fourth consecutive win for Minnesota (6-3, 4-2 Big Ten), while Illinois (6-3, 3-3) dropped its second straight.

Brosmer completed 22 of 37 passes for 213 yards and a TD. Darius Taylor ran for 131 yards and a TD on 22 carries and he was the Golden Gophers’ leading receiver with nine catches for 58 yards. Elijah Spencer had six catches for 67 yards.

“We knew there was going to be a great crowd and it would be hostile. So what?” Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck said. “Illinois is ranked. So what? We kept it all internal.”

Luke Altmyer was 20 of 33 for 226 yards and a TD for Illinois, but lost two fumbles.

Illinois coach Bret Bielema said Altmyer’s ball security is a problem that needs to be corrected. But he said the issue isn’t entirely Altmyer’s fault.

“When the QB position goes well, the QB gets a lot of credit,” Bielema said. “When things don’t go well, the QB gets a lot of blame. We need to help Luke out.”

Illinois’ final drive ended deep in Minnesota territory when Altmyer was sacked by Jah Joyner and his fumble was recovered by Danny Striggow on the Gophers 27.

Pat Bryant had five catches for 72 yards and Zakhari Franklin caught five passes for 71 yards and a TD for Illinois. Josh McCray rushed seven times for 71 yards and a TD.

Illinois took a 17-16 lead with 9:03 to go when Altmyer threw a 21-yard TD pass to Franklin after Minnesota punter Mark Crawford’s run on a fake came up short, giving the Illini the ball on their own 46.

Fleck said there weren’t any decisions his players made during the game that he didn’t like. Even the failed fake punt.

“It was the perfect call based on Illinois’ formation,” he said. "Mark has the green light to run when he thinks he has that opportunity. It didn’t work this time and it was risky, but it was the right call.”

Illinois: The Illini are no longer perfect at home this season and Bielema is no longer perfect vs. Minnesota in his coaching career. The Illini fell to 5-1 at home and Bielema is 10-1 vs. Minnesota. He beat the Gophers seven times from 2006-12 while he was the coach at Wisconsin. This is his fourth season at Illinois.

Minnesota: The Gophers haven’t lost since they were defeated by Michigan on Sept. 28. During the four-game stretch, they’ve beaten then-No. 11 Southern Cal and now No. 24 Illinois. A big reason is a stingy pass defense. The Altmyer-to-Franklin touchdown pass was only the sixth TD pass allowed by Minnesota this season.

After being ranked for seven straight weeks, the most since the 2001 Big Ten championship team was ranked for 10 consecutive weeks, Illinois probably will be booted next week. Minnesota could be a candidate to join the poll.

Bielema twice referred to the officiating as a “clown show” while discussing a fourth-quarter targeting penalty on Illinois' Miles Scott and a possible late hit on Altmyer on the Illini's final drive that wasn’t called.

Illinois linebacker Dylan Rosiek, the team’s leading tackler, broke a leg making a tackle in the first quarter. Bielema said Rosiek will have surgery and is out for the season.

Illinois: Hosts Michigan State on Nov. 16.

Minnesota: At Rutgers next Saturday.

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Minnesota wide receiver Elijah Spencer advances the ball off a pass reception as Illinois defensive back Kaleb Patterson makes the tackle during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, in Champaign, Ill. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Minnesota tight end Jameson Geers catches a touchdown pass past Illinois defensive back Matthew Bailey, from quarterback Max Brosmer during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, in Champaign, Ill. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Illinois running back Josh McCray catties the ball during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Minnesota on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, in Champaign, Ill. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Illinois head coach Bret Bielema walks off the field after his team's 25-17 loss to Minnesota in an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, in Champaign, Ill. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Minnesota place kicker Dragan Kesich (99) kicks a field goal during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Illinois on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, in Champaign, Ill. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer walks off the field after his team's 25-17 loss to Minnesota in an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, in Champaign, Ill. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer passes during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Minnesota on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, in Champaign, Ill. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Minnesota head coach P.J. Fleck hugs quarterback Max Brosmer after the teams 25-17 win over Illinois in an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, in Champaign, Ill. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer (9) walks off field after a fumble late in the fourth quarter of the team's 25-17 loss to Minnesota in an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, in Champaign, Ill. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Minnesota quarterback Max Brosmer passes during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Illinois on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, in Champaign, Ill. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s National Guard fatally shot two Colombians and wounded four others in what the Defense Department claimed was a confrontation near the U.S. border.

The shootings happened Saturday on a dirt road near Tecate, east of Otay Mesa on the California border, that is frequently used by Mexican migrant smugglers, the department said.

It wasn't clear whether the Colombians were migrants, but one Colombian who was not injured in the shootings was turned over to immigration officials, suggesting they were.

Mexico’s Defense Department, which controls the National Guard, did not respond to requests for comment on that point.

If they were migrants, it would mark the second time in just over a month that military forces have opened fire on and killed migrants.

On Oct. 1, the day President Claudia Sheinbaum took office, soldiers opened fire on a truck, killing six migrants in the southern state of Chiapas. An 11-year-old girl from Egypt, her 18-year-old sister and a 17-year-old boy from El Salvador died in that shooting, along with people from Peru and Honduras.

Describing the events near Tecate on Saturday, the Defense Department said in a statement late Sunday that a militarized National Guard patrol came under fire after spotting two trucks in the area.

One truck sped off and escaped. The National Guard opened fire on the other truck, killing two Colombians and wounding four others. There was no immediate information on their conditions, and there were no reported casualties among the guardsmen involved.

One Colombian and one Mexican man were found and detained unharmed at the scene, and the departments said officers found a pistol and magazines commonly used for assault rifles at the scene.

Colombians have sometimes been recruited as gunmen for Mexican drug cartels, which are also heavily involved in migrant smuggling. But the fact the survivor was turned over to immigration officials and that the Foreign Relations Department contacted the Colombian consulate suggests they were migrants.

Cartel gunmen sometimes escort or kidnap migrants as they travel to the U.S. border.

The three National Guard officers who opened fire have been taken off duty.

Former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who left office Sept. 30, gave the military an unprecedentedly wide role in public life and law enforcement; he created the militarized Guard and used the combined military forces as the country’s main law enforcement agencies, supplanting police. The Guard has since been placed under the control of the army.

But critics say the military is not trained to do civilian law enforcement work. Moreover, lopsided death tolls in such confrontations — in which all the deaths and injuries occur on one side — raise suspicions among activists whether there really was a confrontation.

For example, the soldiers who opened fire in Chiapas — who have been detained pending charges — claimed they heard “detonations” prior to opening fire. There was no indication any weapons were found at the scene.

FILE - Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, center, reviews the troops with Defense Minister Gen. Ricardo Trevilla Trejo, left, and Navy Secretary Alt. Raymundo Pedro Morales, at Campo Marte in Mexico City, Oct. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano, File)