BleedGopher
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per Mick:
The Purdue Boilermakers will travel to Minneapolis on Saturday looking to upset the No. 21 ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers.
In his weekly Monday press conference, Jeff Brohm spoke highly of Minnesota and specifically their offense led by sixth-year quarterback Tanner Morgan and senior running back Mohamed Ibrahim. He also stated his belief that Minnesota would be the best team Purdue has played this season.
Now if Purdue wants to leave Minneapolis with a win they will have to slow down the Golden Gophers' powerful offense while also finding a way to put up points against their stout defense. Here are four questions Boiler Sports Report has for Purdue heading into the matchup against Minnesota.
How will Purdue handle the mounting injury issues?
This is the elephant in the room. The injury report for Purdue currently lists the Boilermakers starting quarterback, running back, wide receiver, offensive lineman, safety and cornerback coming into the season. As a result, Purdue enters the game against Minnesota very much behind the eight ball. Still, Jeff Brohm and his coaching staff have to get this team ready to play against a ranked opponent and one of their Big Ten West rivals on the road. Now Austin Burton looked good against Florida Atlantic as did Dylan Downing and Daniel Johnson on the offensive side of the ball. On the defensive side of the ball, Jamari Brown and Kieren Douglas have both had their moments but they have yet to face an offense like Minnesota. The Boilermakers have depth but those players will have to step their game up to another level if they want to leave Minneapolis with a win.
Can the defense slow down Mo Ibrahim?
Minnesota senior running back Mohamed Ibrahim is second in the country with 567 rushing yards this season and the Golden Gophers rank second nationally in rushing yards per game with 294.5. Additionally, Ibrahim has run for over 100 yards in 13 consecutive games dating back to Minnesota’s bowl win over Auburn at the end of the 2019 season. Long story short, Ibrahim is not only one of the most talented running backs the Boilermakers will face this season but he is also the most productive. Ibrahim also has a big, experienced offensive line that features two sixth-year players, two graduate seniors, and one redshirt sophomore. When you put that all together it presents a very big challenge for the Purdue front seven and one they will have to face early and often on Saturday.
Will the Boilermakers be able to move the ball against the Minnesota defense?
The Golden Gophers are not just a strong offensive team but they also have a strong defense. They are giving up the fewest yards per game with 187.8 total yards per game and the second-fewest points per game (6.0) in the country. Now Minnesota played three inferior opponents to start the season but they did shut down a Big Ten team in Michigan State last week. Specifically, they held the Spartans to 38 rushing yards and 202 passing yards with most of that yardage coming late in the game. With that being said the Boilermakers' offense led by senior wide receiver Charlie Jones will be the best-skilled talent that the Golden Gophers have faced this season. Also, Brohm and his offensive coordinator Brian Brohm will no doubt have something schemed up but it’ll come down to executing them against this talented Minnesota secondary and defense.
Are the penalty problems fixed?
If there is one big question for the season outside of injuries it’s the Boilermakers' penalty problems. In both of their wins against inferior opponents, they have had five or fewer penalties for less than 60 yards. In their losses, Purdue against better competition has had nearly double-digit penalties for 100 yards or more. So the question is if the Boilermakers can play a clean game against the better teams on their schedule like Minnesota. If Purdue can play a clean game while also answering the other questions on this list then they will have the opportunity to pull the upset over the Golden Gophers. If Purdue doesn’t play a clean game then it’ll be a major uphill battle against Minnesota.
247sports.com
Go Gophers!!
The Purdue Boilermakers will travel to Minneapolis on Saturday looking to upset the No. 21 ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers.
In his weekly Monday press conference, Jeff Brohm spoke highly of Minnesota and specifically their offense led by sixth-year quarterback Tanner Morgan and senior running back Mohamed Ibrahim. He also stated his belief that Minnesota would be the best team Purdue has played this season.
Now if Purdue wants to leave Minneapolis with a win they will have to slow down the Golden Gophers' powerful offense while also finding a way to put up points against their stout defense. Here are four questions Boiler Sports Report has for Purdue heading into the matchup against Minnesota.
How will Purdue handle the mounting injury issues?
This is the elephant in the room. The injury report for Purdue currently lists the Boilermakers starting quarterback, running back, wide receiver, offensive lineman, safety and cornerback coming into the season. As a result, Purdue enters the game against Minnesota very much behind the eight ball. Still, Jeff Brohm and his coaching staff have to get this team ready to play against a ranked opponent and one of their Big Ten West rivals on the road. Now Austin Burton looked good against Florida Atlantic as did Dylan Downing and Daniel Johnson on the offensive side of the ball. On the defensive side of the ball, Jamari Brown and Kieren Douglas have both had their moments but they have yet to face an offense like Minnesota. The Boilermakers have depth but those players will have to step their game up to another level if they want to leave Minneapolis with a win.
Can the defense slow down Mo Ibrahim?
Minnesota senior running back Mohamed Ibrahim is second in the country with 567 rushing yards this season and the Golden Gophers rank second nationally in rushing yards per game with 294.5. Additionally, Ibrahim has run for over 100 yards in 13 consecutive games dating back to Minnesota’s bowl win over Auburn at the end of the 2019 season. Long story short, Ibrahim is not only one of the most talented running backs the Boilermakers will face this season but he is also the most productive. Ibrahim also has a big, experienced offensive line that features two sixth-year players, two graduate seniors, and one redshirt sophomore. When you put that all together it presents a very big challenge for the Purdue front seven and one they will have to face early and often on Saturday.
Will the Boilermakers be able to move the ball against the Minnesota defense?
The Golden Gophers are not just a strong offensive team but they also have a strong defense. They are giving up the fewest yards per game with 187.8 total yards per game and the second-fewest points per game (6.0) in the country. Now Minnesota played three inferior opponents to start the season but they did shut down a Big Ten team in Michigan State last week. Specifically, they held the Spartans to 38 rushing yards and 202 passing yards with most of that yardage coming late in the game. With that being said the Boilermakers' offense led by senior wide receiver Charlie Jones will be the best-skilled talent that the Golden Gophers have faced this season. Also, Brohm and his offensive coordinator Brian Brohm will no doubt have something schemed up but it’ll come down to executing them against this talented Minnesota secondary and defense.
Are the penalty problems fixed?
If there is one big question for the season outside of injuries it’s the Boilermakers' penalty problems. In both of their wins against inferior opponents, they have had five or fewer penalties for less than 60 yards. In their losses, Purdue against better competition has had nearly double-digit penalties for 100 yards or more. So the question is if the Boilermakers can play a clean game against the better teams on their schedule like Minnesota. If Purdue can play a clean game while also answering the other questions on this list then they will have the opportunity to pull the upset over the Golden Gophers. If Purdue doesn’t play a clean game then it’ll be a major uphill battle against Minnesota.
Weekly Questions: Purdue must play a clean, sound game on both sides of the ball to upset Minnesota
The Purdue Boilermakers will travel to Minneapolis on Saturday looking to upset the No. 21 ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers. In his weekly Monday press conference,
247sports.com
Go Gophers!!
