MINNEAPOLIS — Purdue Football dropped a hard-fought 27-20 decision at Minnesota on Saturday night.
The Boilermakers (2-4, 0-3 B1G) outgained the Golden Gophers (4-2, 2-1 B1G) 456 yards to 262, but Minnesota took advantage of three interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown late in the fourth.
Trailing 27-20 with 7:40 left in the game, sophomore quarterback Ryan Browne led a 15-play, 68-yard drive down to the Gophers’ 7-yard line. But Minnesota stood strong on fourth-and-goal to almost seal the win.
With one timeout remaining, Purdue made a stop on the ensuing drive and got the ball back with 15 seconds left. The Boilers’ attempt at a hook-and-lateral came up short in the end.
Senior running back Devin Mockobee churned out 98 yards on 21 carries (4.7 average) in his latest dominant performance against the Gophers. In three games against Minnesota, Mockobee rushed for 363 yards and two scores.
Mockobee paced Purdue on the ground, moving up to fourth on the school rushing chart (2,868 career yards).
In all, Purdue averaged 6.3 yards per carry with 253 yards on 40 attempts. Browne (eight carries, 61 yards, one touchdown) and fellow quarterback Malachi Singleton (five carries, 73 yards, one touchdown) combined for the most rushing yards by Purdue quarterbacks in a game since at least 1995. With Mockobee, they became the first trio to have 60-plus rushing yards in a game for Purdue since Raheem Mostert, Akeem Hunt and Austin Appleby did it against Minnesota in 2014.
On the game’s opening drive, Purdue marched to the Minnesota 40-yard line and faced a fourth-and-2. Head coach Barry Odom kept the offense on the field, and Singleton took the snap out of an empty backfield, bursting up the middle for a 40-yard touchdown — the longest run by a Purdue quarterback since David Blough vs. Nebraska in 2015.
Browne completed 21-of-40 passes for 203 yards, connecting with nine different receivers. Corey Smith led the receiving corps with 57 yards on a career-high six catches.
On the defensive side, Alex Sanford Jr. had a career day with seven tackles (one for a loss), tying for the team lead alongside Mani Powell and Tahj Ra-El. The Boilers held Minnesota quarterback Drake Lindsey to a career-low completion percentage of 47% (21-of-45, 232 yards, two touchdowns, one interception).
Purdue recorded 12 pass breakups, its most in a game in more than 15 years. The defense also held Minnesota to 30 rushing yards on 18 carries (1.7 avg), marking the sixth game since 2000 that Purdue allowed 30 yards or fewer on the ground and just the third against Big Ten competition.
Ian Jeffries and CJ Nunnally IV each had a sack, their first and fourth of the season, respectively. Nunnally IV finished the night with a pair of tackles-for-loss.
UP NEXT
The Boilers go back on the road for a tilt at Northwestern next Saturday. Kickoff in Evanston, Ill., is set for 3 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network.
