by By Marcus R. Fuller mfuller@pioneerpress.com , St. Paul Pioneer Press

Last year's great opportunity to play in a higher-level bowl game was wasted when the Gophers collapsed after starting 7-1. A higher-level bowl game was on the horizon again this season, but the blown opportunities continue.

Even to the end, victory seemed attainable Saturday for Minnesota in its 35-32 loss to Illinois at TCF Bank Stadium.

"Could have been a special one," Champs Sports bowl representative Ron Patterson said after the loss. "But you never know."

Last week's victory against Michigan State aside, the Gophers haven't been able to win big games under third-year coach Tim Brewster.

They let Cal and Wisconsin escape. They let Penn State and Ohio State roll.

"(This) was a different kind of loss," Gophers athletics Joel Maturi said after Saturday's game.

He is right. Saturday's game was big, but not so much because of the opponent. Illinois (3-6, 2-5) isn't the Rose Bowl team it was two years ago. It's an underachiever and Big Ten bottom feeder. The game was significant because it marked Minnesota's first chance to become bowl-eligible. And it gave the Gophers an opportunity, given a victory at home next week over South Dakota State coupled with a likely loss to Iowa in the season finale, to match last season's total of seven victories.

But they choked. This time against supposedly a bad team.

At one point before Minnesota (5-5, 3-4) went into halftime trailing 28-7, the fans booed Adam Weber. The junior quarterback had a horrid first half, going 5 for 17 for 74 yards with an interception that was returned for a touchdown.

The home crowd ignored the fact that Weber became the school's all-time leading passer last week after throwing for a career-best 416 yards and five touchdowns in a 42-34 victory over Michigan State.

"I'm more frustrated at myself than I think the crowd is, but I can't boo myself," Weber said. "The fans demand a great performance, a great offense. I don't blame them. We didn't come out there, and we didn't perform. We set the bar high in the Michigan State game, and we didn't live up to it today."

Despite being sacked seven times, Weber picked up his play in the second half, going 9 for 14 for 147 yards and a touchdown. But the opening half was so dreadful, the Gophers couldn't overcome it, even with 17 unanswered second-half points and a blocked punt returned for a touchdown by Ben Kuznia in the fourth quarter.

Brewster couldn't explain why his team came up so flat coming off its biggest win under his direction. And the Gophers can't afford another letdown against South Dakota State, because it's their last legitimate chance to qualify for a bowl game.

"It's another important step for our program to be bowl-eligible," Brewster said. "We're going to come out next Saturday and play very well against South Dakota State. I don't have any question in my mind about that at all."

But Brewster thought his players were prepared to play Illinois, too.

The Gophers, who finally looked like they really missed injured All-Big Ten receiver Eric Decker, gained just 81 yards offensively in the first half, after putting up 505 total yards last week.

With Decker out for the rest of the season with a sprained foot, the Gophers were hoping freshman quarterback MarQueis Gray would play a bigger role, especially with Weber struggling. But Gray, who lost his second fumble this season in the first quarter, had just one incomplete pass and 2 yards rushing.

Brandon Green and tight end Nick Tow-Arnett were the only Gophers receivers to pick up the slack left by Decker's absence. They had a combined seven catches for 127 yards. Fullback Jon Hoese was a surprise receiving option with three catches for 49 yards and a touchdown.

Hoese's second straight touchdown on a 3-yard run and a two-point conversion pass from Weber to Da'Jon McKnight made it 28-25 with 9:13 left in the fourth quarter. But the Gophers, who had held Illinois scoreless in the second half to that point, couldn't answer on defense.

There was still a chance for Minnesota to make a stand on Illinois' ensuing possession, but instead, the Gophers gave up a 42-yard pass to Illinois third-string quarterback turned receiver Eddie McGee. The Illini eventually scored on a 4-yard pass from backup Jacob Charest to Arrelious Benn to extend their lead to 10 points.

Minnesota forced Illinois starting quarterback Juice Williams out of the game early with an ankle injury after a hit in the first quarter. But his absence was another opportunity the Gophers couldn't convert.

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