Purdue football continues to live in the unsettling realm of “almost.”
The Boilermakers were almost good enough to upset a Big Ten opponent on the road and snap their conference losing streak. Instead, Minnesota surged past them for a 27-20 victory at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
Purdue lost its fourth straight, and its Big Ten losing streak extended to 12 games.
What I liked from Purdue football’s loss at Minnesota
Here’s one of those numbers which at first seems like it must be incorrect. Purdue came into the game with no players ranked in the top 32 in the Big Ten in passes defended. It came in averaging a mere 1.8 per game.
It’s also true teams had thrown the ball less against Purdue than any other Big Ten defense coming into this weekend. Some combination of the pass rush and secondary had to start forcing opponents to be more inefficient in the air.
Consider that goal achieved. With seven pass breakups in the first two-plus quarters, the Boilermakers nearly matched their season total coming in. With a little over five minutes remaining in the third, Smiley Bradford tipped a pass and Myles Slusher picked it off.
The defense finally had its first interception of the season.
Now, we must acknowledge this was the worst passing attack Purdue had faced in a month — and by a wide margin. Yet after Illinois’ Luke Altmyer went Warren Moon on Tecmo Bowl last week, it was fair to wonder whether this secondary might make a middling quarterback and receiver combination look better than they really are.
I don’t know if Tony Grimes would have made a difference — certainly not THE difference — had he played against Illinois. I know he made one Saturday, breaking up three passes and playing strong in coverage. Slusher and Bradford contributed two apiece.
Drake Lindsey attempted 45 passes. Purdue broke up 12 of them. That’s a winning ratio many weeks.
∙ It helped that the defensive front completely stuffed the run, putting the game on redshirt freshman quarterback Lindsey’s shoulders. The Odom family friend may one day rise to that occasion. Saturday night, that dynamic favored defensive coordinator Mike Scherer and his unit.
∙ The other big question was whether the rushing game’s breakthrough could travel to Minneapolis. It did, and looked even better. Against a solid Gophers front seven, Purdue rolled for 253 yards (6.3 per carry).
A lot of that production came from the quarterback position. The coaching staff used the Malachi Singleton package outside of a goal line situation for the first time, and he broke off a 40-yard touchdown for the Boilers’ first touchdown. The second came when Browne scrambled, dove full extension and touched the ball to the top of the pylon. Those two combined for 134 yards on merely 13 carries.
What I disliked about Purdue football’s loss at Minnesota
Passing game execution cost Purdue this fame, full stop.
Koi Perich’s pick-six with under eight minutes to play, giving Minnesota its first lead, stands out. One of the Big Ten’s best defensive backs made a great play when one of its still-emerging quarterbacks made a poor decision.
Browne’s first interception led to a Gophers field goal. Running back Devin Mockobee threw one, too, when the Boilers were in the red zone. So that’s at least 13 points directly attributable to mistakes throwing the ball.
The one position group which can’t say it played better than the week before was the receiving corps. Drops continue to be an issue. While it appeared at the start of the season that problem from preseason camp had been corrected, it has returned with a vengeance the past two weeks.
We’re only talking about three or four per game, but Purdue’s margin for error remains small enough those missed opportunities can make all the difference.
Things simply seem … off with how the receiving dynamic has come together. The Arhmad Branch minimization — either by coach’s decision or his own play — remains puzzling. De’Nylon Morrissette has not yet been able to play this season due to injury.
Perhaps there are better days ahead for this group as Purdue continues to ascertain its best rotation and distribution of targets. It cannot remain this inconsistent, though, and have any chance of beating any of its four November opponents.
∙ The good fortune on trick plays in key situations was bound to run out. This one — resulting in a Mockobee interception at the goal line — was the first one which failed in both design and execution. Purdue came into the game as the worst red zone scoring offense in the Big Ten. I still think this staff is too quick to take the ball out of Browne’s hands at the end of potential scoring drives.
∙ Another problem which carried over from the Illinois loss: penalties. The Boilermakers committed nine of them for 71 yards, compared to only three for 20 yards for Minnesota. Demeco Kennedy committed two facemask penalties to aid a single Gophers touchdown drive.
It’s not all purely discipline, though. A couple of those were holding calls on offensive linemen who correctly determined that was a better outcome than allowing Browne to get sacked.
What Purdue football’s loss at Minnesota means
Purdue travels north again to face a Northwestern team which just went into State College and beat Penn State 22-21. The Nittany Lions may be in free fall, but they’re also still talented. The Boilermakers remain too error-prone to assume anything, especially on the road.
These three weeks in October represented the best chance for Purdue to add multiple wins this season. Its four November opponents — Ohio State, Michigan, Washington and Indiana — are 21-3 after Saturday.
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Purdue football score today vs Minnesota, stats, Koi Perich, Ryan Browne
