Focus imperative this week for U football

The temptation now is to look ahead. But don't.

A week ago, the Gophers were coming off consecutive losses at Penn State and Ohio State, two of the Big Ten's top defensive teams. A three-game homestand was upcoming with Michigan State, followed by slumping Illinois and nonconference foe South Dakota State, an NCAA Division I-AA school.

It appeared that, if the Gophers could get past the Spartans, it would be a downhill rush to a seventh victory before the regular season finale at Iowa, with free time being spent on bowl game speculation.

Recent events have slightly skewed this Big Ten Conference view.

Why? A week ago Illinois was an underachiever with a coach, Ron Zook, who needed every word of the vote of confidence he received from his athletic director. Quarterback Juice Williams had slumped and been benched, and the Illini were sinking in the conference standings like a rock.

That was before the Illinois offense -- which has way too much talent to be so dismal for so long -- woke up in a big way against Michigan on Saturday. Down 13-7 at home, Williams rallied the Illini to 500 yards of total offense in a big play-filled 38-13 trouncing of the Wolverines.

Disclaimer: It was not a great Michigan team Illinois beat. It might not even be a very good one, though the Wolverines probably will sneak into a bowl at 6-6.

Still, what happened in Champaign, Ill., on Saturday was, in some ways, similar to what happened in TCF Bank Stadium. Both games featured quarterbacks -- Williams and the Gophers' Adam Weber -- who had endured an up-and-down season and heard some criticism. Both responded, at home, in a big way -- Williams with his legs, Weber with his arm.

And now the Illini, their confidence no doubt on the rise and with very little pressure on their shoulders, will come to the Twin Cities looking to play the spoiler.

So, today's moral is: Don't sleep on Illinois.

Now, the Gophers have every reason to be confident, too, after having beaten a competitive Michigan State team that hadn't given up more than 15 points to its previous three opponents. The Gophers won despite giving up two huge scoring plays, allowing the Spartans to turn two turnovers into touchdowns, and committing 17 penalties for 157 yards.

Perhaps what happened Saturday -- both in Champaign and in Minneapolis -- will work in the Gophers' favor.

Confidence? The Gophers have it. Weber appears back in rhythm, thanks in large part to the best pass protection he's had all season. Young receivers stepped up in a big-play way in the absence of Eric Decker. The defense was -- with the exception of one monster end-around -- stingy against the run, giving up just 10 rushing yards in the first half.

But the team also knows there is plenty to work on. Discipline remains an issue, as the 17 penalties prove. The total is absurd; the fact that several were of the personal foul variety is disturbing.

On defense, there were several bright spots, but the Gophers need to put an end to coverage breakdowns and the big plays that result. This has been a problem once or twice a game for the past few weeks. Saturday MSU quarterback Kirk Cousins hit B.J. Cunningham for 49 yards after he was left alone downfield. That drive ended in MSU's first points. Later in the first half Cousins threw a 26-yard TD pass to Brian Linthicum after another coverage breakdown. It should be noted that freshman cornerback Michael Carter played extensively down the stretch in this game in place of Traye Simmons.

Knowing there are things to work at even after an emotional victory will help focus the Gophers. And maybe having watched the Illinois offense explode against Michigan will prevent the Gophers from taking Illinois too lightly.

Because that would be a mistake.

Again, as is always the case this season, there is so much at stake. A victory over Illinois would make the Gophers bowl-eligible. It would give them a fourth Big Ten victory, one more than last season, with one home game left.

Kent Youngblood kyoungblood@startribune.com