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Purdue and Minnesota Looking For First Big Ten Wins - OPEN THREAD

TV: BTN
Game Time: 11:01 AM
Radio: 100.3 FM, 1130 AM

The Stats

Minnesota Golden Gophers Purdue Boilermakers
Points / Game 22.6 31.3
Pass Yards 200.6 222.7
Rush Yards 155.9 158.1
3rd Down % 38.1% 43.3%
Key Offensive Player to Watch Phillip Nelson
Ralph Bolden
Points Allowed/Game 22.4 27.7
Pass Yards 154.4 209.3
Rush Yards 177.3 192.0
3rd Down % 36.6% 44.0% (last in Big Ten)
Key Defensive Player to Watch Michael Carter
Defensive Tackles

Three Gopher Questions

  1. Can we win the rushing battle? - Even after getting gashed last week by Wisconsin and giving up big chunks of yards to Iowa and Northwestern, we still haven't given up as many rushing yards as Purdue. AND even with a very pedestrian attack of our own we still have more rushing yards than the Boilermakers. But does that mean we will have opportunities to gain some yards on the ground and take some pressure off Phillip Nelson?
  2. Speaking of Nelson, what kind of game are we going to get out the true freshman's first home start? - A full week as the starter, getting back some healthy receivers and a game plan suited for him. I fully realize you are going to see mistakes made from a true freshman, but will they be minimized and how will he bounce back?
  3. Can the offensive line handle a very good Purdue defensive line? -This might be the best defensive line in the conference. The program that prides itself on turning out a number of very good quarterbacks over the years also turns out a lot of defensive linemen to terrorize the QB. This year is no different and our banged up offensive line needs to play well today.