THE ESSENTIALS

TV: Big Ten Network, noon ET Announcers: Matt Rosen (play-by-play), Ron Johnson (analyst) Site: TCF Bank Stadium You should know: Illinois' win last week over struggling Michigan was its first of the season against an FBS opponent. Last meeting: 2008 - Minnesota, 27-20 All-time series: Minnesota, 32-27-3 Big question: Can Adam Weber and the passing game flourish for a second consecutive week sans star wideout Eric Decker? How we see it playing out: Minnesota 28, Illinois 24

Adam Weber redeemed himself in a big way. Tim Brewster had his biggest coaching win.

Athletics director Joel Maturi was glad University of Minnesota's quarterback and head football coach both silenced their critics for one night in Saturday's exciting 42-34 victory over Michigan State at TCF Bank Stadium.

"I certainly don't know everything, but I'm close enough to know how well Adam has played, even when his numbers haven't been as good as people would have liked them to be," Maturi said of Weber, who passed for a career-best 416 yards and five touchdowns with an interception and a fumble.

Weber, who had no touchdown passes and five interceptions in his previous three games, became the school's all-time leading passer, surpassing Bryan Cupito with 7,509 yards. He also has 50 career touchdown passes, six away from breaking Cupito's record of 55.

The Gophers (5-4, 3-3) are two wins away from matching last season's total. Seven wins would be more impressive this year because of a tougher schedule. They're also a win away from being bowl-eligible for the second consecutive season, with two home games coming up against Illinois and South Dakota State.

Illinois (2-6, 1-5) won its first Big Ten game Saturday with 377 rushing yards and 500 total yards in a 38-13 win over Michigan.

"We're still one game away from being bowl eligible with three games left to play," Maturi said. "Our kids feel good about themselves about last night, as they have every right to. But now we've got a more talented Illinois team to play than people first realized. You saw what they did against Michigan."

Briefly: Weber was named Big Ten offensive player of the week Sunday after his record-setting performance. Weber also earned conference player of the week honors in 2007 and 2008. Meanwhile, senior defensive tackle Garrett Brown was named Big Ten defensive player of the week, setting career highs with seven tackles and three tackles for loss, while also forcing and recovering a fumble.

-- The St. Paul Pioneer Press contributed to this report

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