Minnesota heads to West Lafayette this week with some momentum and a clean conference record, looking to keep its Big Ten start rolling against Purdue.
The Gophers are 4-1 overall and 2-0 in league play after back-to-back conference wins at Washington and against Michigan. That latest one came in a 20-14 decision that brought the Little Brown Jug back to Minneapolis. It was Minnesota’s first win in the series since 2014 and its first home win over Michigan since 1977.
Now the focus shifts to Ross-Ade Stadium, where kickoff is set for 7 p.m. Saturday. The game will air on Big Ten Network.
Purdue enters at 2-3, but the Boilermakers are coming off a 24-17 road win at Illinois. Before that, they had dropped three straight to Wake Forest, UCLA and Notre Dame.
One of the main storylines will be Minnesota lining up against former running back Fame Ijeboi, who transferred to Purdue after spending last season with the Gophers. He has become Purdue’s top rushing threat so far, averaging 70.8 yards per game and scoring six touchdowns.
Minnesota also has to stay sharp with a bye week ahead and a home game against Iowa on Oct. 24 for Floyd of Rosedale coming next. The challenge in West Lafayette is simple: don’t let a 2-3 Purdue team catch you sleeping.
Fans can also catch the Gopher Pregame Show on FOX 9 Saturday, with Pierre Noujaim, KFAN sideline reporter Justin Gaard and Gophers analyst Ron Johnson previewing the matchup and talking Big Ten football.
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