The Bizarre Reason Why One Purdue DT Missed Saturday's Game vs. Minnesota
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Purdue defensive tackle Jamarius Dinkins missed Saturday night's game against Minnesota for a strange reason. According to radio play-by-play broadcaster Tim Newton, the senior lineman was bitten by his dog and was unavailable for the Boilermakers.
It's not too often that you hear about that kind of injury prior to a college football game.
Dinkins was not listed on Purdue's injury list prior to Saturday's game. The news was not revealed until just before kickoff between the Boilermakers and Golden Gophers at Huntington Bank Stadium.\
Specifics regarding Dinkins' injury were not provided and it was not mentioned if the defensive tackle will miss more time. Purdue lost Saturday's game to Minnesota 27-20, despite owning an early 10-0 lead.
Dinkins is a 6-foot-5, 305-pound fifth-year senior who is in his second season with the Boilermakers. He has played in four games this season and has recorded one tackle, making a stop in the backfield in a 33-17 loss to USC on Sept. 13.
Saturday was the second game Dinkins has missed this season. He did not play in Purdue's 34-17 victory over Southern Illinois on Sept. 6.
With the loss to Minnesota, Purdue has now dropped four straight games and sits at 2-4 on the season. The Boilermakers are still searching for their first win in Big Ten play.
Turnovers, penalties costly for Purdue
Purdue put itself in a great position to beat Minnesota and secure its first Big Ten win of the season on Saturday night. However, costly turnovers and ill-timed penalties allowed the Golden Gophers to overcome a 10-point deficit and close out a 27-20 victory over the Boilers.
"I want to give Minnesota credit; they made crucial plays in crucial situations to win the game. We did not. We get third-down stops on defense, and you have facemask [penalties] two different times. Would have been off the field," coach Barry Odom said following the game.
"And then, obviously, the turnovers. We're not going to be good enough ... minus-two in the turnover margin, plus penalties in crucial situations, it's going to be hard to win games, especially in this conference."
The Boilermakers outgained the Gophers 456-262 and held Minnesota's rushing attack to just 30 yards. But Purdue had three turnovers, including a go-ahead pick-six thrown by Ryan Browne and intercepted by Koi Perich to give the Gophers a 27-20 advantage with 7:40 to play.
Purdue jumped out a 10-point lead and led for most of the contest. Unfortunately for Odom and the Boilermakers, they did not have the lead at the most important point in the game.
Purdue travels to Northwestern next week. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET and the game airs on Big Ten Network.
Related stories on Purdue football
WHAT ODOM SAID: Purdue remains winless in the Big Ten after suffering a 27-20 loss to Minnesota on Saturday night. Here's what coach Barry Odom said after the game. CLICK HERE
SINGLETON'S 40-YARD TD RUN: Purdue's Malachi Singleton made a huge play early against Minnesota, racing 40 yards to the end zone to give the Boilers an early lead. CLICK HERE
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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