Fullback Hoese becomes effective finisher

Jon Hoese, usually featured only as a lead blocker, became a big part of the Gophers offense against the Illini.

By KENT YOUNGBLOOD, Star Tribune

Last update: November 7, 2009 - 11:17 PM

Gophers coach Tim Brewster has always praised fullback Jon Hoese for his strong lead blocking and special teams play. In Saturday's 35-32 loss to Illinois, Hoese became a big part of the offense.

Hoese made three catches for 49 yards and a touchdown, his first score this season. He also ran the ball five times for 17 yards, gaining key yardage on third and fourth down in the second half.

Of course, it was a bittersweet day. Hoese was the intended receiver on a pass the Illini picked off and returned for a score. And, despite a strong second-half comeback in which Hoese played a big part, the Gophers ultimately lost.

"I don't think we really switched anything up," he said. "It's just how the game was going."

Still, Hoese is becoming a valuable option for quarterback Adam Weber.

On the Gophers' opening drive of the second half, which ended with a field goal, he gained 6 yards on third-and-1. On the next drive he hauled in a pass in the flat and scored from 10 yards out. Then, on the TD drive that brought the Gophers within three points, he gained 2 yards on third-and-3, then 5 yards on fourth-and-1 for a first-and-goal from the 3. He scored on the next play.

Was he or wasn't he?

A key play was Jason Ford's 1-yard run for a touchdown that gave Illinois a 28-7 lead with 1 second left in the first half. On the Gophers sideline, some thought his knee was down before the ball crossed the goal line. But, upon review, the score was upheld.

"They thought his momentum was still going and he got pushed in," Gophers linebacker Nate Triplett said. "It doesn't really matter what I think, I guess."

Costly kicks

Both placekicker Eric Ellestad and punter Blake Haudan have been very consistent this season. But both had costly kicks Saturday.

Twice Ellestad had kickoffs travel out of bounds, giving the opponent the ball at its 40-yard line. One was especially costly. It came after the Gophers had scored and made a two-point conversion to pull within 28-25 with a little more than 9 minutes left in the game. Illinois scored the decisive touchdown eight plays later.

Haudan? He had a 44.2-yard average and he had a nice 45-yard kick from the back of the end zone on a fourth-and-28 from the Minnesota 2 in the second quarter. But he also had a 22-yarder late in the second quarter that gave the Illini the ball on the Gophers 39 with about 2 minutes left in the half. Illinois scored a touchdown on the last offensive play of the half.

Blocked kick is special

The blocked punt that resulted in a Gophers fourth-quarter touchdown -- it was blocked by Keanon Cooper and recovered by Ben Kuznia -- was the second special teams touchdown of the season for the Gophers. The other was the blocked field goal that resulted in Traye Simmons' touchdown in a victory over Purdue.

But it was the first blocked punt by a Gophers team since Sept. 10, 2005, vs. Colorado State

Etc.

• Defensive end Cedrick McKinley forced his second fumble of the season and had a career-high seven tackles.

• Weber now has 51 career TD passes, ranking him third in Gophers history behind Bryan Cupito and Asad Abdul-Khaliq, both of whom have 55.