While the game didn't exactly go the way that many had hoped for Saturday afternoon in Illinois, there is at least one silver lining to pull from it.
Announced this morning, true freshman wide receiver Rashod Bateman has been named the Big Ten Co-Freshman of the week with Nebraska quarterback Adrian Martinez.
With seven catches for 175 yards and two touchdowns against the Illini Bateman set new career highs on what is already an incredibly impressive Freshman campaign.
Over the past two weeks, Bateman has showcased that he has clicked with quarterback Tanner Morgan accounting for three touchdowns 67 yards, 61 yards and 86 yards.
According to GopherSports.com...
His 42 receptions is a freshman record for the Gophers, as he broke Ron Johnson's previous mark of 38 set in 1998. Bateman needs 77 yards to break Ernie Wheelwright's 2004 freshman record of 654 yards and needs two more touchdowns to break Wheelwright's record of seven receiving touchdowns.