It's a Big Ten battle as the Minnesota Golden Gophers host the Purdue Boilermakers Saturday afternoon on the gridiron. The 21st ranked Golden Gophers are 4-0 on the season, including 1-0 in the conference, while the Boilermakers are 2-2 and 0-1 in the Big Ten. Minnesota has won 8 of the last 10 matchups between the two teams, with Minnesota winning last year 20-13 at Purdue as a 1.5 point favorite. Minnesota is favored by 12.5 points in this game.
The Purdue Boilermakers are off to a 2-2 start on the 2022 season, including an 0-1 mark in the Big Ten. They lost the opener to No. 11 ranked Penn State at home 35-31, just missing the cover as a 3.5 point underdog. they followed that up with a 56-0 beatdown of an overmatched Indiana State team. In week three, they fell to Syracuse at Syracuse, but covered as a 1 point underdog. Then last week they improved to 2-2 but barely survived, beating Florida Atlantic 28-26 as a 16 point favorite. The Boilermakers were lucky to win this as Florida Atlantic outgained them 419 to 354. It took a fourth quarter touchdown pass from Austin Burton to TJ Sheffield with 8 minutes left to give them a 28-20 lead and the ultimate margin of victory.
I'm all aboard the Charlie Jones (Purdue) hype train.
Legit 4.3 speed, leads the country in receptions (41), tied for 1st i n TDs (7), and top three in yards.
Put up 12/153/1 on Penn State & 11/188/1 on Syracuse.
pic.twitter.com/W3pk9VqFNF
— Ryan Fowler (@_RyanFowler_) September 27, 2022
Burton had a solid game for Purdue, going 21 for 29 for 166 yards with 3 touchdowns and 1 interception. Charlie Jones caught 9 passes for 59 yards and 2 touchdowns while Devin Mockobee had 4 catches for 59 yards. Dylan Downing did good work, rushing for 113 yards and a touchdown. But the defense was shaky, as Florida Atlantic passed for 230 yards and ran for 189 yards — topping Purdue in both categories. Purdue averages 36 points per game, which ranks 43rd in the nation. They are 18th in passing yards and 91st in rushing yards. Defensively, they give up 23 points per game, which ranks 61st nationally. They are 47th against the run and 45th against the pass.