Purdue routs Minnesota 41-13 as Fame Ijeboi runs for 195 yards

Purdue beat Minnesota 41-13 at Ross-Ade Stadium on Saturday. It was the Boilermakers' second straight Big Ten win and the most complete game they have played under Barry Odom. Running back Fame Ijeboi carried 30 times for 195 yards and three touchdowns against the program he transferred from. The Purdue defense held the Golden Gophers to 26 rushing yards.

Hammer and Rails, SB Nation's Purdue site, reviewed the postgame press conferences. It reported that Odom opened by praising how well offense, defense and special teams worked together. Purdue outgained Minnesota 458 yards to 273. Hammer and Rails noted that the run defense was Purdue's stingiest since a 2004 game against Penn State.

The outlet reported that Purdue's offense rarely fell behind schedule. The Boilermakers faced third-and-long only twice all night, and both were third-and-9. They scored on all six trips inside the red zone, with five touchdowns and a field goal. They also converted four of six short-yardage power runs. Minnesota came in with 14 sacks, but its defensive front never got to quarterback Ryan Browne. That made two straight games in which Purdue's line has not allowed a sack. Browne also gained ground on read-option keepers, which he said were not part of the game plan.

Ijeboi's 195 yards rank 15th on Purdue's single-game list. Per Hammer and Rails, it was the program's best rushing game since Markell Jones ran for 217 against Indiana in 2017. Ijeboi played down any grudge against his old team. He told reporters he saw the game as a chance to show his commitment to his new teammates.

The defensive turnaround stands out after a rough start to the season. Notre Dame put up 49 points and 444 yards on Purdue earlier this year. Odom defended defensive coordinator Kevin Kane at the time, and Hammer and Rails wrote that the last two weeks have backed him up. Linebacker Jojo Hayden said outside criticism of Kane has not reached the locker room and that the defense has stayed close.

There is still work to do up front. Purdue had no sacks of Minnesota quarterback Drake Lindsey and just two quarterback hurries. That leaves the Boilermakers with seven sacks on the season, tied for second-fewest in the Big Ten. Indiana leads the league with 20.

The win over Illinois and this one give Purdue back-to-back conference victories for the first time since 2022. Odom downplayed the idea that the Illinois result carried over into Saturday, but his team played with clear confidence.

Purdue's next test comes quickly. Washington visits West Lafayette on Friday night, and the Boilermakers are favored. Purdue is -156 on Novig, one of the venues offering the game, and the best sportsbook price on Purdue is -155 at Hard Rock Bet. The spread is Purdue -3.5 and the total is 52.5. A third straight league win would keep Purdue's turnaround going into the second half of the season.

Minnesota has to regroup after its run game was shut down and its pass rush, one of the Big Ten's most productive coming in, never reached the quarterback.