Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Gophers Freeze Out Boilermakers 41-10

Casey Abbett
/
WBAA

Despite wind chills and snow flurries making Minneapolis feel like it was 11 degrees, the weather was not the only thing that was unbearable for the Purdue football team Saturday.

The Minnesota Golden Gophers made this day truly miserable for their visitors, clobbering them 41-10.

The Boilermaker offense came in averaging almost 500 yards of offense per game, but were held to 211 yards in total. David Blough had a head-shaking performance, throwing for only 142 yards on the day and a single touchdown.

As for the rushing attack, it was practically nonexistent. Most of the team's 66 yards on the ground came in the 4th quarter when the game was effectively over. 

Purdue converted more 4th downs, two of four, than 3rd downs, where they went 0-for-11.

The defense, which looked lively against Iowa last week, missed tackles and assignments all game long.

Penalties were also a callback to the beginning of the year. In total, Purdue had 7 penalties accepted for 81 yards.

If things went wrong for Purdue, then most everything went right for Minnesota. On both sides of the ball they were dominant. 

They had allowed 139 points in their last 3 games, costing former Defensive Coordinator Robb Smith his job. But under interim Defensive Coordinator Joe Rossi, they played one of their best games of the season against a top 20 offense in the nation.

Running back Mohamed Ibrahim, who was a third-string back at the beginning of the season, finished with 155 yards on 18 carries. 

Purdue plays its last home game of the season next week against Wisconsin, then heads to Bloomington for the Old Oaken Bucket game the following week against Indiana. The Boilers must win at least one of their final two games to become bowl eligible for the second straight year.

Casey Abbett is a senior at Purdue from LaCrosse, Indiana, and has been been interning as a sports reporter for WBAA since his freshman year.