Minnesota vs. Purdue Prediction
Will Purdue do enough at home to keep Minnesota at bay when these two Big Ten foes meet up this Saturday at 3:30PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, Purdue is favored at home in this game, as the Boilermakers are getting odds of -4 points against the Gophers. The over/under total for the contest has been listed at 46.5 points. Minnesota has won four straight over Purdue, while the Boilermakers are 4-2 against the spread in the last six in this series. Saturday’s game takes place from Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Indiana and will air live on ESPN2.
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Minnesota is coming off a 31-24 loss at home to Maryland on Saturday to fall to 3-1 on the season and 0-1 in the Big Ten. The Gophers are 2-2 against the spread on the year and 1-0 ATS on the road. Outside of last week’s loss, Minnesota has been pretty good on defense. The Gophers are allowing 13.8 points and 283.3 yards per game. On offense, the Gophers are putting up 30.8 points and 367.8 yards per contest. Rodney Smith is leading the offense with 310 rushing yards while Shannon Brooks has added 199 yards and five touchdowns. Conor Rhoda has thrown for 685 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions.
Purdue is coming off its bye week following a 28-10 loss at home to Michigan. The Boilermakers are now 2-2 on the season and 0-1 in the Big Ten. Purdue is 3-1 against the spread, failing to cover in the loss to Michigan. Purdue has been pretty solid defensively this year, allowing just 21.8 points and 386.5 yards per game. On offense, Purdue is posting only 29.3 points and 392 yards per contest. The Boilermakers have worked in two quarterbacks but David Blough, who has thrown for 629 yards and six touchdowns, is dealing with a shoulder injury that has him listed as questionable for this game. Elijah Sindelar has thrown for 366 yards with five touchdowns and two interceptions. He may get all of the game action if Blough is out. Tario Fuller is the team’s leading rusher with 261 yards and two touchdowns.
Minnesota had looked pretty respectable until last week, where the Gophers were exposed by Maryland. The Gophers gave up 400 yards to the Terps, who were down to a third-string QB. Minnesota also couldn’t run the ball successfully against the Maryland defense. If they can’t run against Maryland, running on Purdue should be a problem as well. Purdue gave Michigan a battle before fading late. I think the Boilermakers are building on something here. I like Purdue to win at cover at home this weekend.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREDICTION: PURDUE -4