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Minnesota looks to continue surge against Purdue

Oct 25, 2008 - 10:33 AM (25) Minnesota (6-1) at Purdue (2-5), 12:00 pm EDT

WEST LAFAYETTE, Indiana (Ticker) -- In his second season at Minnesota, Tim Brewer is a strong candidate for national Coach of the Year honors.

The 25th-ranked Golden Gophers look to continue their remarkable turnaround under Brewer on Saturday when they visit Purdue in a Big Ten Conference contest.

Minnesota (6-1, 2-1 Big Ten) has become bowl eligible after winning just one game last season and going 0-8 in the Big Ten.

Since losing its only game of the season on September 27 to Ohio State in its conference opener, Minnesota has picked up a pair of tight victories over Big Ten foes. In their last game on October 11, the Golden Gophers posted a 27-20 win at Illinois for their first Big Ten road victory since November 18, 2006.

Minnesota's success can be tied to an opportunistic defense, as the Golden Gophers are tied for first in the Football Bowl Subdivision in turnover margin. They scored 14 points off turnovers at Illinois.

Quarterback Adam Weber has taken 209 of Minnesota's 210 snaps this season, passing for 1,612 yards and nine touchdowns. He started at Illinois just six days after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery.

Wide receiver Eric Decker ranks third in the FBS with 8.4 catches per game and fifth in yards per game (111.7) . True freshman DeLeon Eskridge paces Minnesota on the ground, having rushed for 478 yards and seven TDs despite being limited in the first two games of the season.

On Saturday, the Golden Gophers head to Purdue, where they have not won since October 6, 1990.

Minnesota has beaten the Boilermakers only once since 1995, a span of 10 meetings. Their only victory in that time was a 42-35, double-overtime triumph in 2005.

Purdue (2-5, 0-3) has dropped its last four games, but the Boilermakers have faced a rugged stretch as their last three defeats have come against Penn State, Ohio State and Northwestern.

Despite averaging 40 attempts per game, Curtis Painter has tossed only six touchdown passes this season. Kory Sheets is the fourth-leading rusher in the Big Ten with 733 yards and 10 TDs.

The Golden Gophers are looking to surpass eight wins for only the second time since 1905. They went 10-3 in 2003 under Glen Mason.