Matchup Preview: Who has the edge?

Purdue at Minnesota, from a matchup perspective.

Date/Time: Saturday, October 11, 7:30 p.m. EDT

Location: Huntington Bank Stadium

Surface: FieldTurf

Capacity: 50,805 (tickets)

2025 schedules/records: Purdue 2-3 (0-2 Big Ten) | Minnesota 3-2 (1-1 Big Ten)

Series notes: Although Purdue won each of the last two meetings, it’s Minnesota that holds the all-time series advantage. The Gophers lead the series 41-35-3 against their former Big Ten West counterparts from West Lafayette. The home/road splits in this series are stark: Minnesota leads 33-14-3 in Minneapolis and trails 8-21 in West Lafayette. Purdue last played in Huntington Bank Stadium in 2022, when Jeff Brohm’s Boilermakers upset then-No. 21 Minnesota 20-10 by forcing three interceptions. In the last meeting in the series, Purdue’s offense exploded in a 49-30 win in 2023 in West Lafayette.

TV: BTN (PxP Chris Vosters, Analyst Anthony Herron, Sidelines Dannie Rogers)

Radio: Purdue Sports Properties (PxP Tim Newton, Analyst Mark Herrmann, Sidelines Kelly Kitchel)

Line: Minnesota -9.5, O/U 52.5

Weather: High of 77 degrees with breeze

Purdue Roster | Purdue Game Notes

Minnesota Roster | Minnesota Game Notes

Pregame: First and 10: Purdue at Minnesota | First Look: Minnesota | Barry Odom: Purdue ‘not good enough’ as Boilers seek answers before Minnesota | The 3-2-1: Now hear this–Purdue needs to fix communication breakdown in secondary | Opponent View: Minnesota | Buckle-up: Trips to Minnesota deliver chaos, thrills for Purdue | Purdue DL Demeco Kennedy making most of new opportunity |

Minnesota running game versus Purdue against the run

Under PJ Fleck, the identity of Minnesota rarely strays away from a physical, run-first style of football. The offensive attack looks much more balanced this season, in part due to the inconsistency of Minnesota’s run game. It ranks 15th in the Big Ten with 128 yards per game on the ground with less than four yards per carry.

The availability, or lack thereof, of top tailback Darius Taylor plays a role. He led Minnesota in rushing each of the last two seasons, but he missed the games against Cal and Rutgers and played on a snap count at Ohio State last week. Minnesota expects him to participate fully on Saturday, and he is expected to see plenty of action. In his absence, Fame Ijeboi received the bulk of the carries. Don’t expect quarterback Drake Lindsey to tuck it and run much, as he’s more of a traditional dropback passer.

Despite allowing 43 points and over 500 yards against Illinois, Purdue actually defended the run well. Illinois ball carriers averaged less than three yards per carry, as Purdue forced the Illini to air it out. The stats jumped off the page for linebackers Charles Correa and Mani Powell, as they racked up 15 and 14 tackles, respectively. Correa now ranks third in the Big Ten and 13th nationally with 49 tackles. Purdue faced adversity when it lost top defensive tackle TJ Lindsey for the year to a knee injury, but after a bye week, the defensive front responded well. Now, the challenge lies in doing it week-over-week.

Minnesota passing game versus Purdue against the pass

In a traditional manner, Minnesota redshirted Lindsey last season before handing him the reins this year as a redshirt freshman. So far, so good for the native Arkansan, who Barry Odom knows well, as his son, Garyt, played high school football with Lindsey. He’s averaging just over 200 yards per game, completing 64% of his passes and touts a strong seven-to-two touchdown-to-interception ratio. A pocket passer, he’s a nice fit for Minnesota’s pro-style attack. He’s looking to bounce back after a strong Ohio State defense held him to just 94 passing yards last week.

Purdue fans will recognize leading receiver Javon Tracy. He’s the younger brother of former Purdue and current New York Giants running back Tyrone Tracy Jr., having transferred to Minneapolis from Miami (OH) ahead of this season. He leads the team in receiving yards, while Le’Meke Brockington leads the way with 19 receptions. It’s a fairly balanced attack, as seven Gophers have between eight and 19 catches on the year. The offensive line protects Lindsey well, allowing just eight sacks in five games.

It wasn’t pretty. Illinois hit on five passes of 35+ yards as it racked up a whopping 390 through the air against Purdue’s defense. The Boilermakers felt the loss of top corner Tony Grimes, who missed the game following an injury in practice ahead of the game. He’s expected to return this week after Purdue rotated liberally in the back end last week. Whatever combination Purdue tried didn’t work. Communication issues plagued the Boilers, as Illini wide receivers ran free early and often.

Part of the issue lies in the pass rush, where Purdue struggles to generate consistent pressure. When Purdue dials up blitz packages, they’re often effective, but the down-to-down pass rush efforts leave much to be desired. CJ Nunnally leads the team with three sacks, but Purdue needs better production from the other edge rushers. The secondary simply doesn’t have the horses to hold up for long periods of time in coverage.

Purdue running game versus Minnesota against the run

The Purdue ground game experienced its most successful performance of the season against Illinois, averaging six yards per carry. Devin Mockobee, Antonio Harris and Ryan Browne all ran for touchdowns, and each of the three ripped off a run of 15 yards or more, a rarity for Purdue this fall. Harris saw an increased workload, and we’ve since learned that he suffered a minor injury in the season opener that limited him in subsequent games. He’s at 100% now, and Purdue may continue to take some of the load off of Mockobee’s shoulders.

Despite the improved performance last week, Purdue still ranks towards the bottom of the Big Ten in rushing. The Boilermakers rank 16th in the conference in both rushing yards per game and yards per carry. A limited offensive line doesn’t help matters, as ball carriers often see little daylight once handed the rock. Purdue would love to continue growing off last week’s improved performance as it seeks to improve its balance on the offensive side of the ball.

Minnesota enters this week with the 10th-best run defense in the FBS, holding opponents to 79 rushing yards per game and fewer than three yards per carry. The numbers did get a boost in non-conference play, as both Rutgers and Ohio State crossed the century mark on the ground against Minnesota. Nonetheless, the defense follows Minnesota’s historical blueprint of playing tough, physical football between the tackles.

Veteran linebackers Devon Williams and Maverick Baranowski lead the defense with a bevy of experience in Minneapolis. They set the foundation for a strong run defense, as Minnesota averages seven tackles for loss per game. The defense plays downhill well, as defensive backs crash the line of scrimmage in the run game. It’s a fundamentally sound defense that will make Purdue work for any big plays it records.

Purdue passing game versus Minnesota against the pass

Browne turned in his second clean performance of the season, finishing the Illinois game with a goose egg in the interception column. He didn’t deliver his sharpest performance, with several passes just off target, but he threw for over 300 yards for the third time in six games. His grit continues to show, as he doesn’t back down or shy away from adversity. The next step for Browne lies in consistency, delivering clean performances week after week. He’ll look for his first win on the road as a starter this weekend.

After a 14-catch performance last week, Michael Jackson III has more than double the receptions of any other pass catcher on the squad. Two fumbles, one on offense and one on special teams, marred what otherwise was a career day for the USC and Georgia transfer. Fellow Georgia transfer Nitro Tuggle drips with potential, but a few drops hampered his day. Without star tight end George Burhenn, Purdue needs all hands on deck in the pass game. It saw Chauncey Magwood make his season debut last week, and a breakthrough 60-yard touchdown reception from Corey Smith brought smiles to the Purdue sideline.

While Minnesota ranks 52nd in the FBS, allowing just shy of 200 yards per game, that number doesn’t quite reflect reality. In games against Buffalo and FCS Northwestern State, Minnesota allowed a total of 130 passing yards. Each of the last three opponents (Cal, Rutgers, Ohio State) threw for 249 or more yards on the Gopher secondary. Two of Minnesota’s three interceptions came in the 66-0 rout of Northwestern State, but the Gophers have sacked the opposing quarterback 14 times in just five games.

After earning honorable mention All-Big Ten honors last season, Anthony Smith looks poised to earn postseason recognition once again with 4.5 sacks already. He’s the only Gopher defender with multiple sacks. Do-everything safety Koi Perich burst onto the scene last year when he made the all-conference team as a freshman. He still awaits his first interception of the season, but Browne must know where he’s lined up on every snap. Iowa transfer John Nestor leads the defense with two interceptions and four pass breakups.

Special teams

Kicker Spencer Porath remains perfect for the Boilers. He didn’t attempt a field goal last week, keeping his season tally at a perfect seven-for-seven. Boding well for this week: Porath connected on all three tries in the lone road game thus far. Jack McCallister continues to impress, having emerged as one of Purdue’s top players. He averages over 47 yards per punt, booting half of his attempts 50+ yards.

Kickoff specialist Seth Turner would like to clean up his efforts after sending two kickoffs out of bounds last week. The return game remains a non-factor, though Jackson’s muffed punt served as another turning point that swung the game in Illinois’ direction last week.

Minnesota kicker Brady Denaburg transferred in from Syracuse, where he missed his lone field goal try in Ross-Ade Stadium in the Orange’s 35-20 win over Purdue in 2023. He’s six-for-nine thus far for the Gophers, making all of his kicks inside 40 yards and missing all of his tries from longer than 40. Australian import Tom Weston handles punting duties, and he’s done so effectively. Seven of his 19 punts traveled more than 50 yards.

Perich earned second-team All-Big Ten honors as a return specialist in 2024, though he still awaits his first special teams touchdown. Purdue ought to proceed with caution in the kicking and punting game.

Intangibles

Odom didn’t mince his words following the loss to Illinois: Purdue’s effort didn’t meet expectations. He took little solace in Purdue’s fight to the final whistle, and he expects better from his squad. The time to deliver is now, as Purdue seeks its first Big Ten win since November 2023. You must travel back another year to November 2022 to find Purdue’s last road Big Ten win.

Purdue embraces the underdog role, and it does so again in Minneapolis. It won’t lack motivation. The next three weeks present Purdue’s best chances at adding to the win column this season: Minnesota, Northwestern and Rutgers. Purdue should take the field as a healthier team than it left the field a week ago, but it will need to turn in its strongest performance of the season to get a win in Dinkytown.

It’s homecoming weekend for the Gophers, and fans have their eyes set on another bowl game for Fleck’s crew. He’s made a bowl in six of his eight years, including each of the last four. Minnesota enters off of some questionable results, though, and it will look to make a statement after a blowout loss in The Horseshoe last week.

Fleck holds a 4-3 record against the Boilermakers as the head man in Minneapolis. It’s a night game, although a fair number of tickets appear to be available on the Gophers’ ticket website. Minnesota enters as roughly a 10-point favorite.