Minnesota Football at Purdue preview and score prediction
Minnesota (5-4) vs. Purdue (2-7)
TV: NBC // Jac Collinsworth (PXP), Jason Garrett (Analyst), Zora Stephenson (Reporter)
Series: Minnesota Leads 41-34-3
Last game: Minnesota lost 20-10 in Minneapolis (10/1/2022)
Vegas betting line: Purdue (-1) with a 47.5 O/U
Weather Report: 53 degrees and a light north wind
---
You can sign up on GopherIllustrated for $1 for your first 30 days!
---
1. After two straight home contests, Minnesota (5-4, 3-3 B1G) embarks on its final road trip of the year. The penultimate road game of the season sees the Golden Gophers visiting Purdue (2-7, 1-5 B1G) in West Lafayette, Ind. Kickoff is slated for 2:30 p.m. on NBC.
2. Tyler Nubin's interception in the fourth quarter against Illinois Saturday was his fourth of the season and the 12th of his career, the latter of which ties a Gophers program record held by Sean Lumpkin (1988-91) and Jeff Wright (1968-70). A fifth-year senior, Nubin recorded one interception as a sophomore, three as a junior and four a year ago as a senior. He has a pair of multi-interception games in his career, including earlier this year against Nebraska. His 12 career interceptions are tied with Purdue's Cam Allen for the most by an active player in the FBS.
3. Gopher history was made when Jordan Nubin was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week after his standout performance against Michigan State on Oct. 28. His win marked the ninth time this season that Minnesota had a weekly honor from the Big Ten, breaking the program record of eight set in 2018 and matched in 2019. In addition to Jordan Nubin's honor, Tyler Nubin has been named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week twice, while Dragan Kesich can say the same for Special Teams Player of the Week. Freshman of the Week has gone to Darius Taylor three times, tying a program record, and Zach Evans has won it once. Since Freshman of the Week was introduced in 2010, the only other season that Minnesota has won all four awards came in 2014.
4. Since 2021, Minnesota has seen seven different running backs combine for 26 100-yard rushing games: Mohamed Ibrahim (10), Ky Thomas (5), Mar'Keise Irving (3), Trey Potts (3), Darius Taylor (3), Jordan Nubin (1) and Bryce Williams (1). Ibrahim (2) and Nubin (1) have also combined for three 200-yard games. Within the Big Ten, only Michigan State and Nebraska (five each) have had more than four different 100-yard rushers since 2021. In addition, Michigan joins Minnesota as the only teams to have multiple 200-yard rushers in that same time span.
5. The 2023 campaign is the seventh for head coach P.J. Fleck at Minnesota, where his record is 49-31. He is fifth in program history for overall wins, Big Ten wins (29) and games coached (80). Fleck's .613 win percentage is third best among Minnesota coaches with at least 45 games under their helm behind only Henry L. Williams (.786, 1900-21) and Bernie Bierman (.716, 1932-41, ‘45-50). In his 11th season overall as a college head coach, Fleck is 79-53 (.598).
