5 Thoughts From Purdue's Dominant 41-13 Victory Over Minnesota
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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — For so many years, there has been doubt cast upon Purdue's football program. On Saturday night in Ross-Ade Stadium, though, the Boilermakers left no doubt that they're a force to be reckoned with in the Big Ten.
Barry Odom's Boilers clobbered Minnesota 41-13 in their Big Ten home opener late Saturday night, controlling the game from start to finish. Purdue opened up a 10-0 lead early and never looked back. By halftime, the Boilers led 20-3 and only continued to increase their lead throughout the night.
Plenty of things stood out from the win, most notably a 305-25 advantage in rushing yards. The defense was outstanding, the offense made plays and Purdue is now sitting 3-3 on the year and 2-1 in Big Ten play.
Here are a few observations rom Saturday's big win over Minnesota.
Fame Ijeboi beat up on his former team
Purdue's star running back was out for blood against his former team. Offensive coordinator Josh Henson emphasized getting the ball into Ijeboi's hands early and never really veered away from that strategy. And, really, there was no need to go away from it.
By the end of the first half, Ijeboi had accounted for 131 yards and a touchdown. That was the most yardage Minnesota's defense had surrendered to any running back this season. Ijeboi needed just two quarters to inflict a high level of damage.
Ijeboi ended Saturday night's contest with the best performance of his career, totaling 195 yards and scoring three touchdowns. It had to feel really good to do that against his former team.
Shutting down the run
Minnesota ranked 16th in the Big Ten in rushing yardage entering Saturday's game, averaging only 120.4 yards per game. It hadn't been a strength for the Gophers through five games, but stopping the run was also a weakness for the Boilermakers. That wasn't an issue this weekend.
Purdue's defense held Minnesota to a paltry 25 yards on 12 carries for the game. At the end of the first half, the Gophers had accounted for only 16 yards on seven carries. Perhaps even more impressive than just the numbers was that the Boilermakers did all that without getting a sack and only two tackles for loss in the contest.
It's hard to shut down a rushing attack without being disruptive in the backfield, but Purdue's defense found a way.
Red zone success
Even though Purdue got the win last week over Illinois, red zone success was a bit of a concern. The Boilermakers were 4-of-4 for the day, but settled for three field goals and only scored one touchdown. Henson's offense flipped the script on Saturday night inside Ross-Ade Stadium.
Purdue was 6-of-6 inside the red zone, scoring five touchdowns and only kicking one field goal. As a result of that success deep in opposing territory, the Boilers were able to pull away from the Gophers early and keep them at a safe distance for most of the night.
Coming away with touchdowns in the red zone has been an issue throughout the season, but Purdue found a fix for it against Minnesota. The Boilers can win a lot more games if they can convert at that rate.
Winning in the trenches
Under Fleck, Minnesota has become a team that is notoriously strong in the trenches. Purdue had no trouble pushing those guys around on both sides of the ball. The Gophers' offensive front was good in pass protection, but still allowed the Boilermakers to pressure Drake Lindsey in critical moments.
Purdue's offensive line seemingly had no trouble with Minnesota's defensive front. This was a Gophers defense that entered the contest with 14 sacks (third in the Big Ten) and 40 tackles for loss (second in the Big Ten). They finished the game without a sack and had just three tackles for loss, which only totaled five yards.
The push up front paved the way for Ijeboi's big night and Purdue's success on the ground. The Boilers rushed for 305 total yards, with Ryan Browne accounting for 81 yards and a score.
Getting off the field on third down
The biggest issue for Purdue's defense this season has been getting off the field on third down. That wasn't a problem against the Golden Gophers. Minnesota was successful on just 4-of-13 third-down attempts this weekend, and even that feels like a generous number.
At the end of the first half, Minnesota converted just 1-of-6 third downs, which set the tone for the rest of the game. The Boilermakers had surrendered third-down conversions more than 51% of the time through the first five games.
Not only did Purdue force Minnesota to punt often, but the Boilermakers were also getting three-and-outs throughout the game. That was a promising sign for the defense.
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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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