Purdue football: 3 takeaways from tough loss to Minnesota

The Minnesota Golden Gophers held on late to preserve a 38-31 victory on the road against Purdue football in West Lafayette. Here are three takeaways.

The Minnesota Golden Gophers won their Big Ten opener against the Purdue Boilermakers on the road at Ross-Ade Stadium. The Gophers jumped out to a 31-17 lead, and held on giving up two fourth quarter touchdowns on their way to a 38-31 win.

The Gophers sophomore quarterback Tanner Morgan was nearly perfect, going 21-for-22 for 396 yards and four touchdowns. They exploited Purdue’s lackluster secondary with their RPO game. Morgan did an outstanding job of putting the ball in a position where his wide receivers could run after the catch.

The Boilermakers fell to 1-3 after this game losing their two best offensive players Elijah Sindelar and Rondale Moore on the same play. Jack Plummer came into the game, and was serviceable, but it was obvious they were missing the explosive play making ability of Moore. Minnesota was able to get pressure on the backup quarterback, and limit the Boilermakers on the ground.

There’s nothing like a winner in the conference opener especially when your schedule sets up like the Gophers. Here are three more takeaways from the Gophers win against the Boilers.