No. 25 Minnesota visits Purdue in Big Ten action
Sports Network | October 22, 2008
West Lafayette, IN (Sports Network) - In the Top-25 for the first time in three years, the 25th-ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers will try to continue their surprising run this weekend against the Purdue Boilermakers in Big Ten play at Ross-Ade Stadium.
Coming into the season, the Gophers were an afterthought after finishing just 1-11 in 2007. The program though, has been one of the best stories in the Big Ten up to this point, posting a 6-1 ledger on the year. It marks the best start since 2003 for Minnesota, which outlasted Illinois 27-20 on October 11th for its second straight win. The victory not only helped the Gophers crack the national polls for the first time since 2005, but it also earned high praise from head coach Tim Brewster.
"The Minnesota Golden Gophers had a program-changing victory today on the road against a very good football team in an extremely hostile environment. And I'll tell you what, I couldn't be more proud of our football team the way we gutted this thing out; the way we did the things that good teams do to win football games. The heart and character of the Gophers is outstanding."
The Gophers have a good chances of keeping things going this weekend against a Purdue program which has dropped 17 straight games against teams in the Top 25. The Boilermakers have already faced three nationally ranked opponents this season and that doesn't include a 48-26 setback to a one-loss Northwestern team last weekend. It was the fourth consecutive loss by Purdue, which is now just 2-5 overall and 0-3 in conference play on the year.
As for the head-to-head series, Minnesota holds a 31-30-3 edge over Purdue, but the Boilermakers have won nine of the last 10 meetings. The Boilermakers have also not lost to the Gophers at Ross-Ade Stadium since a 19-7 setback in 1990.
The Gophers aren't the most explosive team around, but they have been able to compensate for that by avoiding mistakes and capitalizing on their opportunities. Through seven games, Minnesota is producing 129.1 rushing ypg and 232.0 passing ypg, with only eight turnovers committed.
In the team's last game, Minnesota gained 312 total yards and turned the ball over just once in a 27-20 triumph over Illinois. DeLeon Eskridge led the way, as he toted 26 times for 124 yards and a pair of touchdowns. It was a solid effort by Eskridge, who paces the Gophers with 478 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground this season.
Quarterback Adam Weber also had a solid showing versus Illinois, converting on 18-of-26 tosses for 184 yards and a touchdown. On the year, Weber has been extremely effective and accurate, as he has completed 67.9 percent of his pass attempts for nine touchdowns and only two interceptions.
His main target has clearly been Eric Decker, who leads the squad with 59 receptions for 782 yards and five scores. Decker also played a part in the victory at Illinois, snaring nine balls for 86 yards and a score.
Defensively, Minnesota is giving up a few too many yards (382.3 total ypg), but it has done a good job in keeping opposing clubs off the scoreboard, allowing just 18.7 ppg. The reason for this is that the defense has come up with countless big plays, forcing 20 turnovers and recording 17 sacks thus far.
In their prior outing, the Gophers were torched for 550 total yards by Illinois, but they compensated for that by forcing three turnovers and notching five sacks. As a matter of fact, Simoni Lawrence's fumble return for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter ended up being the difference in the victory. Willie VanDeSteeg was the player responsible for forcing that fumble and he finished the game with five stops and three sacks. It was a big time effort by VanDeSteeg, who leads the team with 6.5 sacks and 11 TFLs on the year.
The Boilermakers haven't been all that productive on the offensive side of the ball, as they are averaging just 22.3 ppg behind 374.4 total ypg. The unit has had some issues hanging on the ball and has turned in over 15 times on the year.
Five of those miscues came last weekend, as Purdue wasted 466 yards of total offense in a 48-26 loss to Northwestern. Kory Sheets paced the team in defeat with 168 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 17 attempts. The speedy back has been a bright spot for the team and he has rushed for 733 yards and 10 touchdowns on the year.
Quarterback Curtis Painter, however, hasn't had the kind of success many expected from him, completing 56.2 percent of his tosses with just six touchdowns against nine interceptions. Last weekend, Painter hit on 26-of-41 pass attempts for 273 yards and a score, but with three picks.
Greg Orton was main target with seven receptions for 100 yards and a touchdown in the losing effort, while Desmond Tardy had eight catches for 87 yards. Tardy and Orton have formed a solid tandem in the passing game and they have combined for 81 catches, 1,038 yards and four touchdowns.
Purdue's defense hasn't exactly been able to slow down opposing clubs on a consistent basis and the unit is currently allowing 185.1 ypg on the ground and 220.9 ypg through the air. Creating turnovers has also been an issue for the Boilermakers, who have forced just nine on the season.
Last weekend, Purdue generated three turnovers, but that did little to compensate for the 451 yards racked up by Northwestern. The defense was burnt for 191 rushing yards in the game and another 260 through the air. Anthony Heygood guided Purdue in the loss with 14 tackles and a fumble recovery, while Mike Neal added a pair of sacks. On the year, Heygood has already racked up 70 tackles and that is 20 more than the next closest teammate.
