Purdue football report card after win against Minnesota

Ryan Walters press conference ahead of Purdue football vs. MinnesotaPurdue hosts Minnesota for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff at Ross-Ade Stadium on Saturday.

WEST LAFAYETTE — It finally happened.

Purdue's offense thrived against a quality opponent scoring four straight touchdowns to open the game and beat Minnesota .

A much needed "ahha" game was needed to show that better days are ahead for Purdue football under Ryan Walters.

How good was it to be at Ross-Ade Stadium? Purdue proved to itself that it could run the ball and throw the ball effectively in its air raid offense.

It wasn't by any means perfect and there surely aren't any Heisman Trophies worth giving out quite yet.

But at least the win showed there is legitimacy and creativity inside the Boilermakers' offensive think tank.

Here's this week's report card for Purdue after its commanding performance against Minnesota.

Redshirt junior Hudson Card showed confidence in the pocket and the attentiveness to read the defense, tuck and run. Card showed multiple layers of his game rushing for 44 yards and made an audacious 24-yard touchdown pass through double coverage to T.J. Sheffield with 1:05 left in the first quarter. The protection led by offensive lineman Ben Farrell, the former college golfer from Indiana Wesleyan, allowed Card the room to throw and provided wide holes for running backs Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Devin Mockobee. Mockobee and Tracy Jr. became the first pair of running backs for Purdue to rush for over 100 yards in a game since 2018 against Eastern Michigan.

Purdue's defense managed the game well after Minnesota crossed the 50-yard line. Minnesota quarterback Athan Kalikmanis threw for 292 yards but completed 18-of-42 passes to get there. Sophomore outside linebacker Nick Scourton added to his Big Ten lead with his eighth sack against Kalikmanis. Senior Samoussi Kane is an underrated element in the defense by lining up in the short midfield like a linebacker before dropping back in coverage. Kalikmanis threw his third touchdown with 2:37 left in the fourth quarter but the game was already in hand for Purdue.

Punter Jack Ansel gets the special teams ball on a night where three kickoffs went out of bounds. On most nights, three shanked kickoff leads to disaster but the offense was so explosive, we'll let it slide. Ansel showed finesse with his leg along with the fact Purdue was 6-for-6 on extra points. No turnovers were made and ultimately the shanks become a trivial footnote.

The progress has felt slow but Walters can rest easier with the knowledge that Purdue can compete against bowl eligible programs. Offensive coordinator Graham Harrell's run and passing scheme took advantage of the blitz mixing used by Minnesota. Purdue's defense adjusted to Minnesota's runs that were having success in the first half.

Card's third touchdown pass of 42 yards to Deion Burks put Minnesota away. Card was sacked once and had open field to work with. An honorable mention goes to the 24-yard touchdown pass to Sheffield. Card threw the ball through tight coverage in the corner of the end zone and gave Boilermakers fans hope that there's a playmaker in the former Texas Longhorn.

Card gets the game ball. Sure, his protection was better but the throws he made especially in the first quarter kept Minnesota on its heels the entire night. No matter what defense the Gophers' used, Card dissected it. A night that started with so much uncertainty in Ross-Ade ended with the imagination wondering of what could happen in the future.