Thanks to star running back Darius Taylor, the Minnesota football team went on the road and ended a 0-10 streak against Bret Bielema-coached teams with a 25-17 win over the No. 24 seed in Champaign, Ill., on Saturday.

Beginning left guard Tyler Cooper was ruled out before the gameIt forces the Gophers to shake up their offensive line. Redshirt freshman Phillip Daniels was forced into his first start, but that didn’t stop Minnesota from winning in the trenches.

Dragan Kesich’s early shot from 20 yards was the only score of the first quarter. Illinois tied it with a field goal of its own in the second quarter, and the start of the game showed it was shaping up to be an old-school Big Ten West slugfest.

Taylor found the end zone on an impressive 29-yard run for the first touchdown of the game. This was the start of one of his most impressive games in a Gophers uniform.

Illinois running back Josh McCray responded with a long field goal of his own on the next drive, which made it 10-10 of the game. Despite some questionable clock management, Minnesota decided to kick a field goal before the half and avoided disaster when Illinois missed a 55-yard attempt.

Kesich’s shot was the only point in the third quarter and the Gophers were ahead 16-10. Just when it looked like they were in control of the game, punter Mark Crawford tried to pick up a first down on fourth-and-12 but was unsuccessful. Illinois capitalized on the snafoo with a touchdown drive and the Gophers’ lead dissipated.

With their backs against the wall, Max Brosmer and the Gophers offense marched 75 yards down the field for a go-ahead touchdown but failed on the two-point conversion attempt, resulting in only a 22-17 Gophers lead.

Kesich then added his fourth field goal of the day, and Minnesota was able to stop Illinois’ final drive thanks to Jah Joyner’s game-sealing strip sack. The U won its sixth game to qualify for the bowl for the fourth straight year.

Taylor finished his monster day with 22 carries for 131 yards and a touchdown, and his impressive streak as a receiver continued with nine catches for 58 yards. He looked like the best player on the field.

The Gophers have an away game next Saturday in Piscataway, N.J., against Rutgers and former quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis to extend their winning streak to five.