Report Card: 13 Points Just Isn't Enough for Purdue Football in Loss to Minnesota

Purdue football had every opportunity to earn a win Saturday and start its season with a 4-1 record heading into a bye week. Instead, the team struggled to put the ball in the end zone while Minnesota made enough plays to escape Ross-Ade Stadium victorious.

D.J. Fezler | Oct 4, 2021

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue coach Jeff Brohm's first words during his post-game press conference was that every loss is disappointing. When you look at the stat sheet, you would assume the team all but defeated Minnesota on Saturday.

Instead, drives stalled near the red zone and the Boilermakers just couldn't muster enough points, ending in a 20-13 loss at Ross-Ade stadium. Purdue has scored 13 points in each of the last three weeks, with just a single win to show for it.

Now, the program heads into its bye week with a 3-2 record, but it could have easily been sitting at 4-1. Brohm and the team will have to sort through offensive inefficiencies if improvements are to be made, and several players look to return to the field healthy following a week without play.

Here are the grades for Week 5:

Passing Offense

Fifth-year senior quarterback Aidan O'Connell got his first start under center this season, and he had a solid outing for Purdue. He completed 33 of his 51 passes for 357 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

While the team was without junior tight end Payne Durham for this game, it did have junior wide receiver David Bell back after missing last week due to a concussion. And fellow junior wide receiver Milton Wright put up impressive numbers for the second straight week.

Wright was the beneficiary of the team's only touchdown drive of the afternoon, hauling in a seven-yard score to help the Boilermakers take their first lead of the game. He finished the afternoon tying a team-high with six catches and also recording 91 yards to go with the score.

O'Connell was poised in the pocket and delivered accurate passes down the field to get the offense moving down the field. He completed throws to 11 different receivers. However, there were a few plays that stood out that caused the offense to falter in scoring position.

After losing a fumble and allowing Minnesota to take an early 7-0 lead, Purdue marched down the field and traveled 56 yards in 10 plays. Toward the end of the drive, O'Connell was flushed to his left but was still in a position to set his feet and deliver a pass.

The throw was intended for Bell, who came free in the left corner of the end zone, but O'Connell sailed the ball over his head from the nine-yard line. A score would have tied the game, but the Boilermakers settled for a field goal.

On Purdue's first drive of the fourth quarter, O'Connell orchestrated an 11-play, 58-yard drive to once again put the team in range of a touchdown down four points. Facing third-and-four from the Minnesota 20-yard line, rather than attempting to throw for the first down, O'Connell lofted a high-arching pass to Wright.

Wright attempted to box out his defender, but the pass was broken up at the goal line. Once again, the Boilermakers attempted a field goal.

Minnesota made the mistake of kicking a field goal and giving Purdue 1:46 left on the clock in the fourth quarter with one more chance to tie. During the drive, Bell came away with two huge catches to boost his stat total to 120 yards on six receptions.

O'Connell, needing to score a touchdown, misfired on his final three throws, which included a game-sealing interception. The numbers were there for the passing game, but the execution in key moments was not.

Grade: B-

Rushing Offense

Junior running back King Doerue returned to the offense after missing last week due to a medical condition. He provided a much-needed spark to the running game, recording 21 carries for a career-high 95 yards.

On a rainy afternoon, Purdue also utilized senior quarterback Austin Burton on designed running plays. His three carries went for 14 total yards.

However, despite rushing for 121 yards as a team before factoring in sacks, it didn't result in more scores in the red zone. The bright side was that there was a balance to the offense, but the running backs needed to take an extra step to earn touchdowns.

Grade: B-

Passing Defense

As the Purdue defense was going through pre-game warmups, junior Cornerback Cory Trice was on the field and in uniform. He hadn't played since before the team faced off against Notre Dame.

However, Trice never saw the field in the team's 20-13 loss, and he will likely be available for the team's game against Iowa after the bye week. In his place, Jamari Brown was placed in the secondary.

The Boilermakers only allowed Golden Gophers quarterback Tanner Morgan to complete nine passes, but those throws went for 169 yards and a touchdown. Brown gave up a 32-yard touchdown grab in the first quarter, and the secondary let a receiver run wide open down the field for 54 yards to start the second half.

Purdue keyed extremely well on Minnesota's potent rushing attack but gave up too much over the top as a result.

Grade: C

Rushing Defense

The Boilermakers held the Golden Gophers to their lowest rushing performance of the season, giving up 121 yards on the ground Saturday. Minnesota's longest run went for 17 yards, and running back Trey Potts managed to find the end zone to start the third quarter.

Overall, it was a bright spot for the defense in the loss, but the aggressive pursuit of the run game may have allowed open receivers to streak through the secondary. The Golden Gophers averaged 3.4 yards per carry on 34 attempts and wasn't much of a factor until it was time to waste time on the clock.

Grade: A-

Special Teams

After a superb outing against Illinois, the Purdue special teams did not perform as well as they needed to Saturday. Transfer kicker Mitchell Fineran missed his first kick of the season from 37 yards out, which would have cut the deficit to one point in the fourth quarter.

In the return game, sophomore wide receiver TJ Sheffield let punts fly over his head and he muffed a kick after calling for a fair catch in the field of play. Rather than starting at the 25-yard line, the Boilermakers were backed up to their nine-yard line.

Purdue's average starting field position was its 18-yard line against Minnesota, leaving its offense to march a long way before even thinking about scoring. Luckily, the team only went three-and-out once.

Punter Jack Ansell posted a solid afternoon, averaging 43.8 yards on four punts. However, as a whole, special teams were the weakest link in the loss.

Grade: D

Rushing Offense

Passing Defense

Rushing Defense

Special Teams

Related Stories