Gophers-Purdue preview: Players to know, pivotal matchups and a prediction

Minnesota has a great opportunity to regain its confidence against a rebuilding Boilermakers team.

Oct 4, 2025; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Purdue Boilermakers head coach Barry Odom looks on against the Illinois Fighting Illini during the second half at Ross-Ade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images | Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

Ohio State showed the Gophers that there are levels to the sport of college football in Week 6, but they have a great opportunity to regain their confidence in their annual Homecoming game in Week 7 against Purdue. Early betting odds view Minnesota as a 9.5-point favorite.

What you need to know about Purdue

Former UNLV head coach Barry Odom replaced Ryan Walters this offseason as the head man at Purdue. Odom brought in more than 80 new players in the offseason between high school recruiting and the transfer portal. Despite the historic roster turnover, the Boilermakers have arguably exceeded expectations with a 2-3 record and competitive moments against USC and Illinois.

Oct 4, 2025; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Purdue Boilermakers quarterback Ryan Browne (15) celebrates after running for a first down against the Illinois Fighting Illini during the first quarter at Ross-Ade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images | Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

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Historic transfer portal class

Purdue brought in more than 50 players from the transfer portal in the offseason, which is one of the largest single-season classes since the transfer rules were changed. Led by North Carolina transfer quarterback Ryan Browne, who originally began his career in West Lafayette, the Boilermakers were busy. Their leading passer, top two receivers and top four tacklers are all transfers.

Almost everyone viewed Purdue as the worst team in the Big Ten heading into 2025, so it's hard to argue that a 2-3 record isn't at least a little above expectations. A 33-17 loss to USC and a 43-27 loss to Illinois don't look great on paper, but they had positive moments in both games. They've proven themselves not to be a total punching bag, and Minnesota needs to take them seriously.

Keys to the game

With 248.4 yards allowed per game, Purdue's passing defense ranks 103rd in the country. USC's Jayden Maiava, Notre Dame's CJ Carr and Illinois' Luke Altmyer all had great success throwing the football in three straight weeks. After facing Ohio State's buzzsaw defense in Week 6, Drake Lindsey and the Gophers offense will have plenty of opportunities to get back on track.

Purdue has almost no big advantages on paper against the Gophers, but the game is played on grass. The Gophers had a rough two-year stretch on Homecoming in 2021 and 2022 with losses to Bowling Green and Purdue, but that is now in the rearview with wins over Louisiana and Maryland in the last two years.

P.J. Fleck preaches going 1-0 every week and that mantra will be tested against the Boilermakers. Minnesota can still turn around the momentum of the season, but it will have to start against Purdue. I think Lindsey has a bounce-back performance and the Gophers' offense puts up a big number under the lights.

Prediction: Minnesota 38, Purdue 17