Gophers, Minus Ibrahim, Fall to Purdue 20-10
October 1, 2022

The Minnesota Gophers won their first four games of season, led by dynamic running-back Mohamed Ibrahim. However, the sixth year senior, injured his ankle in last week’s win at Michigan State. Though he practiced during the week and warmed up before the game, he was a surprise no-show when the clock started as the Gophers fell 20-10, the Boilermakers breaking a fourth-quarter tie with a field goal and touchdown.

The Gophers went with junior Trey Potts and later with senior Bryce Williams, but the ball movement was difficult for both teams. Potts had only 10 yards on 9 carries. Williams did better, covering 35 yards on 11 rushes. With the ground game dormant, Tanner Morgan found the air game challenging, as well. He completed 11 of 33 passes for 257 yards and was picked off three times, once in the Purdue end zone. The Gophers missed opportunities, as did the Boilermakers, although Purdue was able to get a field goal in the second quarter for a 10-0 lead after Cole Kramer came in on a fourth-and-one at the Minnesota 29. Kramer took the snap and kept it but was stopped for no gain.

The yards didn’t come easy for Purdue, either, although quarterback Aidan O’Connell mounted only one successful drive. It came on the Boilermakers first possession, after they forced a Minnesota punt and got the ball at their 32. After three rushes by Dylan Downing for 22 yards, O’Connell connected on a couple passes to get to the Minnesota 24. From here it was Devin Mackobee—s like Downing, a walk-on—s got the ball to the 10. A pass interference penalty gave Purdue a first down at the 2, and Downing finished the 10-play drive with a run for a touchdown.

Minnesota didn’t have the ball long after the kickoff although the Gophers got to the Purdue 49 with a pass interference penalty. Two plays later, Morgan had his pass tipped by Jack Sullivan and intercepted by linebacker Jacob Wahlberg.

Purdue had just as much trouble moving the ball and punted for a touchback, but the Gophers were stopped short on Kramer’s fourth-down failed attempt. With a short field, the Boilermakers were able to get a 43-yard field goal from Mitchell Fineran for a 10-0 lead.

The second quarter was more frustration for Minnesota. On the second play of the period, Matthew Trickett was wide left on a 28-yard field goal attempt. Trickett later made a 45-yard field goal, but the Gophers missed a chance to tie the game in the final minutes of the half. Morgan hit tight-end Brevyn Spann Ford for a 28-yard gain to the Purdue 11. Morgan then fired a pass to Michael Brown-Stephens in the end zone, only to have the ball deflect off his hands to safety Cam Allen, Morgan’s interception.

Minnesota kicked off to begin the third quarter, got the ball back quickly, and took eight plays to cover 52 yards, Williams finishing it with a one-yard run, to tie the game 10-10.

With 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter, Purdue mounted a sustained drive for the first time since it’s opening possession. O’Connell completed a 28-yard pass to Charlie Jones to the Minnesota 35, and Mockobee began carrying the ground load. Purdue got the ball inside the 10 and settled for a Fineran field goal from 25 yards to regain the lead, 13-10, with 4:57 to play.

Minnesota quickly had to punt with Jones making a fair catch at his 30. The next play, the biggest of the game, was Mockobee going up the middle, breaking tackles, evading tackles, and then dragging tacklers to the Minnesota 2. Off left tackle, Mockobee finished the two-play, 70-yard drive with a touchdown for a 20-10 lead with 3:13 left.

Against a soft defense, Morgan hit on three passes to advance to the Purdue 43. Under pressure, Morgan threw the next pass out of bounds. His next heave was downfield, but it was picked off by Allen, who returned to the Minnesota 38 with under two minutes to play.

Mackobee carried twice for a first down and Minnesota, with a full load of time outs, decided not to use them, letting Purdue run out the clock for a 20-10 win.

Purdue upped its record to 3-2 with its first Big Ten win. It’s only other conference game was a 35-31 loss to Penn State in its opening game.

Mockobee finished the game with 112 yards rushing, and O’Connell completed 27 of 40 for 199 yards.

For Minnesota, Daniel Jackson caught 6 passes for 110 yards, including a 66-yard gain (50 of it after the catch) that did nothing more than set up Trickett’s field-goal miss.

Minnesota goes back on the road, after a bye week, to play Illinois, which beat Wisconsin 34-10. The early-season optimism, with many counting on the Gophers making it to the Big Ten title game, dissipated with the loss to Purdue and the prospect of a heavy slog through the rest of the schedule.