Minnesota missed 22 tackles in 41-13 loss at Purdue, a third of its season total

Minnesota's defense had one of its worst nights of the season Saturday in West Lafayette. The Gophers missed 22 tackles in a 41-13 loss at Purdue. That is about one-third of all the missed tackles they have logged this season, packed into a single game.

The figure comes from On3's Gophers Nation, which published Pro Football Focus grades and snap counts for the Minnesota defense after the game. Writer Dylan Callaghan-Croley's breakdown says Purdue gained 464 total yards. Of those, 305 came on the ground.

The timing makes it worse for Minnesota. Gophers Nation called the two games before the trip to Ross-Ade Stadium the defense's best of the season. The unit had looked like it was settling in. Against Purdue it could not get ball carriers on the ground at first contact, and the Boilermakers kept running at it.

One sequence in the second half showed the problem. Purdue running back Fame Ijeboi broke through the line and past Minnesota linebacker Matt Kingsbury for a touchdown, and the score helped turn a tough road game into a rout. Missed tackles in the box turn short gains into long runs. Missed tackles at the second level turn long runs into touchdowns, and Minnesota had both kinds Saturday.

On3's headline puts the 22 missed tackles next to the season total, and that comparison is the key point. The tackling problems that showed up in earlier games had seemed to be fixed. Then they all came back at once. Minnesota's coaches will spend the week asking whether this was a bad night or a sign of something they still need to fix.

The Gophers came into the game 4-2. The size of the loss raises questions about how they match up with the stronger rushing teams left on their Big Ten schedule. A defense that gives up 305 rushing yards gets tested the same way the following week until it shows it can stop the run.

For Purdue, the win was its most complete performance of the season. Next up for the Boilermakers is a home game against Washington on Oct. 16. Purdue is favored by 2.5 points, and the total sits at 51.5. Novig, one of the venues pricing the game, has Purdue at -156. The best sportsbook price on the Boilermakers is -145 at theScore Bet. The full market is on our Washington at Purdue page.

If Purdue's running game has a repeat of Saturday, it would be a strong sign about how far the offense has come. Minnesota will be spending its week on film study and tackling drills, trying to make sure the night at Purdue doesn't happen again.