5 Boilers Whose Stock is Rising After Purdue's Blowout Win Over Minnesota
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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — There was plenty to celebrate in West Lafayette on Saturday night. Purdue cruised to a 41-13 victory over Minnesota, improving to 3-3 on the season and winning a second straight Big Ten game for the first time since 2022.
The Boilermakers were dominant in the trenches on both sides of the football. They ended the game outrushing the Gophers 305-27, one of the most impressive performances for Purdue in recent memory.
Multiple players stepped up in Saturday night's victory at Ross-Ade Stadium. Here are a few players who really stood out from the game.
Fame Ijeboi, running back
Nobody had a better night than Ijeboi, who steamrolled his former team on Saturday. The running back accounted for 195 rushing yards and three touchdowns, both career highs. Minnesota's defense had no answer for Ijeboi, and he gashed them frequently throughout the night.
Ijeboi has been steady out of Purdue's backfield through the first six weeks, but Saturday's performance was on an entirely different level. He ran the football hard for 60 minutes and couldn't be stopped.
Ryan Browne, quarterback
Life for quarterbacks is much easier when the run game is cooking. Browne didn't have to do a lot against the Gophers' defense, but he was efficient and played mistake-free again. Browne ended the contest with 159 yards and a touchdown while completing 14-of-24 passes.
Where Browne really torched the Gophers was on the ground. He had one of the best rushing performances of his career, totaling 81 yards and a touchdown on just seven carries. Purdue didn't design its offense to allow the quarterback to run that much, but he took advantage of what the defense gave him.
Jojo Hayden, linebacker
Hayden was all over the field for Purdue on Saturday, getting stops at the line of scrimmage and frequently sticking his nose in plays. He also recorded his first career interception, picking off a fourth-down pass thrown by Drake Lindsey to essentially conclude the second quarter.
Purdue's defense has played much better over the last two weeks, and Hayden has played a key role in that success. He seems to be even more comfortable in the team's scheme now and was able to make some plays against the Gophers.
Charles Correa, linebacker
Correa has been Mr. Consistency for Purdue's defense, and Saturday night was no exception. The veteran linebacker accounted for six tackles, which included three solo stops. He also had a pass break-up and easily could have had an interception in the win over Minnesota.
Correa always seems to be in the right spot at the right time. He can bring pressure or can make plays against the pass. Like Hayden, Correa has been a key piece to Purdue's improvement on the defensive end the past two games.
Offensive line
It's hard to single anyone out specifically, so the entire offensive line gets a mention. Purdue's offensive front hasn't surrendered a single sack in the last two games, an impressive feat against a pair of Big Ten opponents.
Minnesota entered Saturday's game with 14 sacks and 40 tackles for loss, ranking third and second in the Big Ten, respectively. The Gophers left Ross-Ade Stadium without a sack and had just three tackles for loss, season lows in both categories. The offensive line also did a great job creating clear pathways for Ijeboi throughout the game.
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Dustin Schutte is the publisher of Purdue Boilermakers on SI and has spent more than a decade working in sports journalism. His career began in 2013, when he covered Big Ten football. He remained in that role for eight years before working at On SI to cover the Boilermakers. Dustin graduated from Manchester University in Indiana in 2010, where he played for the men's tennis team.
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