Purdue rolls past Minnesota 41-13, turns to Friday night home game vs. Washington

Purdue is back to .500 and already better than it was all of last season. The Boilermakers ran past Minnesota 41-13 on Saturday, which evens their record at 3-3 and puts them ahead of their 2025 win total in Barry Odom's second year.

On3's Gold and Black site pointed to the milestone in its Monday Purdue sports roundup, which collected the weekend's postgame coverage. That coverage focused mostly on Purdue's ground game. Gold and Black's postgame headline said the Boilermakers ran all over Minnesota, and its week-in-review package highlighted the rushing attack and the defensive game plan that held the Gophers to 13 points.

Running back Fame Ijeboi was a big part of that. After the game, Odom spoke highly of Ijeboi's role in the locker room as well as his running, calling his personality "infectious" and describing him as a selfless player who cares about his teammates. Odom also pointed to the back's finishing style and his understanding of pad level, and said Ijeboi kept showing up as the game went on.

Former Purdue defensive tackle Jeff Zgonina came back to West Lafayette as the honorary captain for the Minnesota game.

Washington next, under the lights

The Boilermakers don't get much time to enjoy it. Washington (3-3) comes to Ross-Ade Stadium on a short week for a Friday night game, with kickoff at 8 p.m. EDT on Fox. Gold and Black has already started its preview with a first look at the Huskies.

The game matters for both teams. Each comes in at .500 at the midpoint of the season, so Friday's winner moves over the line and the loser falls back under it. For Purdue, a win would mean back-to-back Big Ten victories and its first winning record of the Odom era this deep into a season. It would also add to a turnaround that has been building all fall.

Markets see the home team as a modest favorite. Purdue is favored by 3.5 points, and the total is set at 52.5. On Novig, one of the venues listing the game, Purdue is priced at -156 to win outright. The best sportsbook price on the Boilermakers is -155 at Hard Rock. Full numbers are on the Washington at Purdue game page.

Those numbers suggest a close game, not a repeat of Saturday's blowout. How well Purdue runs the ball against a Washington defense that will have studied the Minnesota film is probably the main thing to watch.

Around the athletic department

Other Purdue programs had a good weekend too. According to the On3 roundup, the soccer team beat No. 2 Michigan State, and the No. 16 volleyball team won a five-set match against No. 24 Illinois. Men's basketball also put out highlights from a Friday intrasquad scrimmage as it gets ready for the coming season.