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The players danced and sang in the locker room, whooping it up good and loud after Saturday's 39-38 victory over Purdue. Beneath that noise were the sounds of Gophers coaches sighing in relief.

They had entered as two-touchdown favorites, and the defense's usual hunger and focus weren't there for the first half.

"A handful of them apologized and said they would be more prepared and ready to play the next game," defensive coordinator Tracy Claeys said Sunday. "And I said, 'I don't want any apology.' I just want their best effort. I think for the last 25 minutes, we got their best effort. But we've got to have it for 60."

The defense learned some hard lessons, and the offense learned it could carry the load in a pinch. The Gophers had been 0-22 in games they trailed at halftime under Jerry Kill, but they wiped out an 11-point halftime deficit and proved they could pull out a close game.

It wasn't enough to vault the Gophers (6-1, 3-0 Big Ten) into the Associated Press Top 25 for the first time since 2008. They received more votes than last week but sit behind 27 teams on that list.

They did climb to No. 24 in the coaches' poll, cracking that Top 25 for the first time since they were No. 23 last November, heading into their loss to Wisconsin.

The Gophers could move up in both polls with another win this week at Illinois. The Illini are 0-3 in Big Ten play and rank last in the conference in scoring defense, allowing 35.9 points per game. The Gophers opened as mere 6 ½-point favorites, but this is a game they should have no problem winning if they treat it with the proper urgency.

Claeys said players can fall into a trap before a game, comparing the scores teams posted against other opponents. Purdue, for example, lost 38-17 to Central Michigan earlier this season, so how tough could the Boilermakers be? And Illinois lost 38-27 to Purdue.

"I really believe nowadays kids make up their mind whether the game's won or lost sometimes before the game's ever played," Claeys said. "And no matter how good everyone tells you they are, there's still an aspect in athletics of doing your work and getting prepared each week and playing."

The Gophers have fared pretty well as an underdog the past two seasons. Now they sit atop the Big Ten West and need to prove they can handle being a favorite.

"But I would rather have the problem of dealing with winning and trying to keep that under control than what we put up with the first couple years here," Claeys said. He met with the media Sunday, giving Kill more time to meet with four highly coveted recruits.

The coaching staff spent last week urging players to be ready for a tougher test than they might expect against Purdue. The Boilermakers were coming off a hard-fought, 45-31 loss to No. 8 Michigan State.

Maybe Purdue lulled the Gophers defense to sleep. Quarterback Austin Appleby gift-wrapped the Gophers' first touchdown with an interception. On Purdue's next possession, Damien Wilson had a pick-six wiped out by a penalty.

Instead of leading 14-0, the Gophers found themselves tied 7-7 one play later when Purdue receiver Danny Anthrop raced 55 yards for a touchdown. The Boilermakers scored on their next five drives to take a 31-20 lead into halftime.

"I could have done a better job in the first half," Claeys said.

He calmly made some adjustments. After a quick Gophers touchdown, the defense forced Purdue to go three-and-out. But on the Boilermakers' next drive, track star Raheem Mostert broke loose for a 69-yard run, setting up another touchdown.

"I'd be lying if I told you I wasn't a little concerned at halftime and with how the second half started," Claeys said. "But our kids have got a confidence to them."

That's the good thing. The Gophers fully expected to win.

"In the past, we probably would have folded," Claeys said. "Especially coming out the second half and giving up that one big, long run. We'd have said, 'Here we go again,' and things probably wouldn't have went our way."

This time, they did. Purdue never scored again. Mitch Leidner led a second-half offensive surge, Ryan Santoso kicked a 52-yard field goal, and pretty soon the players were dancing away — a 6-1 team that knows it has a long way to go.

Joe Christensen • jchristensen@startribune.com