When his starting kicker was injured this year, Jerry Kill found a hidden talent on his Gophers roster. That's appropriate, since Kill's presence is the reason Jordan Wettstein was there to be found.
"First and foremost, I've got to thank Coach Kill for the opportunity," the walk-on from Wisconsin said after nailing two field goals in Minnesota's 27-7 victory over Illinois, including the first kick of more than 50 yards in four years. "I probably wouldn't be here if the old coaching staff was still here."
That's because, in his two previous seasons, he never felt like he would be given a chance. "Mentally, I wasn't all there" when Kill was hired, Wettstein said, "but Coach has done a great job with me, getting my mental strength to where it should be to kick."
Guess so. Wettstein warmed up with a 43-yard kick, a steady wind at his back, with 1:17 to play in the first quarter, and when the Gophers forced a quick three-and-out, he had another chance from 51 yards away on the final play of the half. Not since Joel Monroe made a 54-yarder against Iowa in 2007 had a Gophers kicker even attempted a kick that long, much less made one.
But Wettstein's kick would have been good from even farther out.
"There was a little wind on that right side, so I just let it float out there," he said. "I didn't hit it the best, but you could probably hit it from 60 today."
Maybe he'll get that chance next year. "He's capable of doing more, and I look foward to seeing that," Kill said. "If we can get everyone to improve like he has, we'll be a good football team."
Empty feeling The fans in the upper bowl were so scattered, you could make out the word "Minnesota" formed by the gold chairs. Only the first dozen rows were occupied in the corners. And the student section? Acres of emptiness; perhaps 300 students crowded into a space designed for 10,000.
Yes, TCF Bank Stadium was more empty than it's ever been for a Gophers game on Saturday, the confluence of two slumping teams closing disappointing seasons in 40-degrees-and-falling weather. The announced attendance was 41,549, far below the three-year-old stadium's previous low of 46,543 set last month against Iowa -- but even that tickets-sold count appeared to overstate the in-the-building attendance by at least 10,000. It was the smallest home crowd to witness a Gophers game since 40,511 showed up in the Metrodome on Oct. 4, 2008, to witness a 16-7 victory over Indiana.
6-6: A failing grade The loss was Illinois' sixth in a row after a 6-0 start, and though the Illini are likely headed to a bowl game, they will probably do it with an interim coach.
Ron Zook, 34-50 in seven seasons in Champaign, is expected to be fired this week after posting only one winning Big Ten record. "I wish I had the answer, but it's not just one thing, it's not just one position, it's not just one person," Zook said after the Illini failed to score in the first half for the fifth time in six games. "It's an accumulation of things, and it all starts with me."
Receiver A.J. Jenkins defended his embattled coach. "I wouldn't trade my coach for the world," said Jenkins, who had four catches for 30 yards. "He has turned my career around and is a father figure to me."
Etc. • The victory was the Gophers' first by double digits since a 35-20 win over Purdue on Oct. 10, 2009. It was the first time since a 17-6 victory over the Boilermakers on Oct. 25, 2008, that the Gophers never trailed. And the margin of victory was their largest since a 37-3 defeat of Florida Atlantic in the Metrodome on Sept. 20, 2008.
• Kill said the best part of the victory was that he got to send the team's seniors out on a positive note. "They've been through so many things here at the University of Minnesota," the coach said. "They've set the tone for us going forward. They'll always be a part of the start we had here as a staff."
• Illinois never crossed midfield during the first half Saturday, against a Gophers team that had allowed 258 first-half points this season, an average of 23.5 in their first 11 games. "It kind of felt weird," safety Kim Royston said. "I didn't have too many tackles. The ball wasn't breaking loose as much. That's how defensive football is suposed to be -- you don't want your safety to have as many tackles as I have." Royston finished the season with 123 stops, which led all Big Ten defensive backs.
• Gray's 966 rushing yards on the season were the most ever by a Gophers quarterback, passing Billy Cockerham's 831 in 1999.
