12:00 PM ET
Location
Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Indiana (Cap. 57,236)
Weather
Forecast: 74°F, 42% chance of rain, Scattered Showers, Winds 8mph SSW
2021 Record
Purdue (3-1)
Minnesota (2-2)
S&P+ Rankings
Purdue – 60
Minnesota – 56
All-Time Series Wins
Purdue – 52
Minnesota – 42
Ties – 4
Last Win In Series
October 7th, 2017 at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Indiana (31-17)
November 20th, 2020 at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota (34-31)
Projected Starting Lineups
Purdue
QB: Aidan O’Connell
RB: Dylan Downing
LT: Greg Long
LG: Spencer Holstege
C: Gus Hartwing
RG: Tyler Witt
RT: Eric Miller
TE: Garrett Miller
WR: David Bell
WR: TJ Sheffield
WR: Milton Wright
NT: Lawrence Johnson
DT: Branson Deen
DE: George Karlaftis
DE: DaMarcus Mitchell
OLB: Jaylan Alexander
MLB: Kieren Douglas
OLB: Jalen Graham
CB: Jamari Brown
FS: Cam Allen
SS: Marvin Grant
CB: Dedrick Mackey
K: Mitchell Fineran
P: Jack Ansell
LS: Nick Zecchino
KR: TJ Sheffield
PR: Jackson Anthrop
Minnesota
2021 Stat Comparison
| Purdue | Minnesota | |
| Offensive Points per game | 26.2 | 25.5 |
| Offensive Rushing Yards Per Game | 93.5 | 209.3 |
| Offensive Passing Yards Per Game | 314 | 135 |
| Total Offensive Yards Per Game | 407.5 | 344.3 |
| Defensive Points per game | 14.2 | 21.2 |
| Defensive Rushing Yards Per Game | 124.3 | 77 |
| Defensive Passing Yards Per Game | 176.8 | 195.8 |
| Total Defensive Yards Per Game | 301.0 | 272.8 |
What to Watch For
It’s homecoming weekend and Purdue is looking to party like it’s 2007 tonight. A win today would propel the Boilers to their best start since 2007, but standing in their way are PJ Fleck, a few Gophers and some row boats. It’s an annual matchup where the squads don’t like each other all too much. Let’s see how they stack up.
On offense we are expecting Purdue to make the change at Quarterback position, with Aidan O’Connell sliding in to the starting role. Expecting King Doerue to be a game time decision, and eyes will be peeled during warm ups for his presence. Payne Durham may also be a game time decision but is unlikely to play, with Garrett Miller taking over the top tight end spot. All eyes will turn to David Bell, who may be returning from a concussion suffered against Notre Dame in week 3. As the offense looks to kick start a pulse this week, they will have a tough test against a very experienced and stout front seven for Minnesota. The Gophers two inside linebackers Sori-Marin and Gibbens lead them in tackling while, senior defensive end Boye Mafe leads their squad in sacks with 4. The Minnesota secondary has had some issues this season, in particular their nickleback and safety Justus Harris. According to PFF he has a high opposing reception rate at 73.7% and a low tackling grade. Purdue will be looking expose that by trying to keep Minnesota spread out. That means the offensive line will need to be able to handle 4 man rushes consistently. If Minnesota is able to get home on 3 man rushes today, it might be another long afternoon for the Boilermaker offense.
On the defense side, we are expecting Mitchell to be a go and Deen to be a game time decision. Purdue will need both and likely all the depth it can against an old, experienced, massive, and frankly great Minnesota offensive line. This will likely be one of the toughest lines Purdue will face all season long, and they will play quite a few good ones. Running the rock for the Gophers will be Treyson Potts and Mar’Keise Irving in relief. Potts is average 4.9 yards per rush attempts. Boilers will need production out of all front seven positions. Jalen Graham will likely spend most of the afternoon in coverage, defending Minnesota’s RPO offense that has frankly plagued Purdue defense for years. Purdue’s new press-man aggressive defense may not have been specifically picked to defend Minnesota’s RPO offense but it sure does matchup very well schematically. Throwing the pigskin for the Gophers is a familiar face for the Boilers, Tanner Morgan. Since having an incredible sophomore season in 2019, Morgan has slowly regressed, throwing 10 touchdowns to 7 interceptions dating back to last season. Chris Autman-Bell will be the biggest threat at the receiver position for Purdue and will likely draw the assignment of Jamari Brown, who has been quite the revelation the past two weeks. Dylan Wright and Daniel Jackson are two other primary threats in the passing game.
Obviously a 4-1 start for the Boilers would be massive, especially heading into a much needed bye week next week. With the Gophers coming off an embarrassing upset against Bowling Green at home last week, they will be playing angry and refocused. This will be quite the test for Purdue this week in a match that will bring a contender to the top from the middle of the pack.
Radio/TV
Radio: Purdue Radio Network
TV: BTN
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