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USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Pete Fiutak

Minnesota vs Purdue Prediction, Game Preview

Minnesota vs Purdue prediction, game preview, how to watch. Week 5, Saturday, October 1


Minnesota vs Purdue How To Watch

Date: Saturday, October 1
Game Time: 12:00 ET
Venue: Huntington Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, MN
How To Watch: ESPN2
Record: Minnesota (4-0), Purdue (2-2)
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Roundup: Overrated, Underrated, What it all Means
CFN 1-131 Rankings | Bowl Projections
Week 4 Scoreboard | Week 5 Early Lines
What 12-Team Playoff Would Look Like
Hot Seat Coach Rankings after Week 4
Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

Minnesota vs Purdue Game Preview

Why Purdue Will Win

Purdue is going to bring the run defense.

It got hammered a bit by Florida Atlantic in the 28-26 win, but overall the defense is getting the job done – at least until the final moments against Penn State and Syracuse.

Minnesota for good and for bad has yet to be tested. It hasn’t faced any semblance of adversity, and Purdue has been through three tight games – it’s used to dealing with pressure.

The Boilermaker offensive line is playing well, it’s great in pass protection, and last week there was a little bit of a running game to go along with the three touchdown passes.

However …

NFL Expert Picks, Week 4

Why Minnesota Will Win

How healthy is Aidan O’Connell?

The Purdue starting quarterback wasn’t able to go against Florida Atlantic, and he’s questionable at best for this – the team isn’t saying what the injury is. Austin Burton wasn’t bad against FAU, but the passing game didn’t work nearly as well.

On the other side, the Minnesota offense has been a machine. It ended the Michigan State game before it could get started with a great balance, an efficient passing day – Tanner Morgan hit 23-of-26 passes and three scores – and with everything working well.

It was the first good team the Gophers have faced, and they rolled with ease. They’re No. 1 in the nation in third down conversions. No. 1 in third down D, No. 1 in time of possession, No. 1 in total defense, and No. 3 in total offense …

– Schedules, Previews CollegeNFL

What’s Going To Happen

Minnesota is playing really, really well.

Purdue struggled too much against Florida Atlantic, but the passing game will click against the Gophers. Michigan State was able to throw relatively well against the Minnesota D, but it didn’t matter. There wasn’t any Spartan ground game, and Purdue won’t be able to run, either.

Minnesota will need a quarter to get rolling, and then the offensive balance will kick in. It won’t be the breeze the first four games were, but there’s no complaining about 5-0.

CFN Expert Picks, Week 5

Minnesota vs Purdue Prediction, Line

Minnesota 34, Purdue 17
Line: Minnesota -12.5, o/u: 53
ATS Confidence out of 5: 3
Minnesota vs Purdue Must See Rating (out of 5): 3.5

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