Gophers fall to Purdue 49-30 as bowl game remains just out of reach

WEST LAFAYETTE, IND. – P.J. Fleck saw the final stat sheet and couldn't help but notice two glaring numbers as if they were highlighted in neon orange.

"Six-hundred yards. Three-hundred yards rushing," he said Saturday at Ross-Ade Stadium. "It's just unacceptable."

The statistics, however, were reality after Purdue sliced and diced the Gophers defense on a bevy of explosive plays that resulted in a 49-30 win for the Boilermakers over a Minnesota team that's suddenly seeing its season pointed in the wrong direction.

Behind quarterback Hudson Card and running backs Devin Mockobee and Tyrone Tracy Jr., the Boilermakers rolled up 604 yards of offense, including 353 on the ground.

The crowd of 59,049 saw a Purdue team that entered the game with a 2-7 overall record and a 1-5 Big Ten mark run roughshod over the Gophers, whose record dropped to 5-5 and whose Big Ten West Division title hopes are in tatters with a 3-4 mark.

"What were the issues?" Fleck asked. "Everything."

A big three on offense for Purdue is a place to start.

Card, a transfer from Texas, completed 17 of 25 passes for 251 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 44 yards and a TD. Mockobee rushed 17 times for 153 yards, including a 65-yard burst, and a TD. Tracy had 174 all-purpose yards and two TDs.

"It was just our execution," Gophers defensive lineman Jalen Logan-Redding said. "At the end of the day, they out-executed us."

With standout linebacker Cody Lindenberg out because of a leg injury and his replacement Maverick Baranowski leaving the game early in the first quarter, the Gophers faced a challenge in the middle of the field, and the Boilermakers pounced. The Gophers gave up 318 total yards in the first half, with Purdue averaging 10.6 yards per play before intermission.

The Gophers hung on in offense for a half, with Athan Kaliakmanis completing 11 of 22 passes for 204 yards and two TDs before intermission, but missed out on three touchdown opportunities. Purdue scored touchdowns on its first four possessions.

Kaliakmanis finished 18-for-42 for 292 yards and three TDs. Daniel Jackson caught seven passes for 119 yards, while Brevyn Spann-Ford, Chris Autman-Bell and Elijah Spencer each caught a TD pass. Jordan Nubin led the Gophers with 89 yards on 16 carries.

The Gophers started quickly, taking a 7-0 lead 2 minutes into the game when Kaliakmanis connected with Spann-Ford on a crossing route, and the tight end jogged 20 yards into the end zone.

Purdue, though, was up for a track meet, driving 75 yards in nine plays and tying the score 7-7 on Card's 20-yard TD pass to tight end Garrett Miller.

The Gophers settled for field goals of 38 and 42 yards by Kesich, plus a miss from 39. Purdue took advantage, scoring three more touchdowns in the first half to forge a 28-13 lead.

When the Gophers finally forced the Boilermakers to punt, Minnesota took over at the Purdue 47 with 36 seconds left in the half. Twenty seconds later, Kaliakmanis found Autman-Bell, who made a diving one-handed catch in the end zone, cutting Purdue's lead to 28-20.

The Gophers forced a three-and-out to start the third quarter, but the offense couldn't take advantage, with Kaliakmanis' third-down pass going through Autman-Bell's hands.

"We've got to capitalize on those opportunities," Kaliakmanis said, "because you never know what could put us back in the game."

Added Fleck, "We've had way too many dropped passes. They just kill drives."

Instead, Purdue poured it on, adding Card's 42-yard TD pass to a wide-open Deion Burks and TD runs by Mockobee and Tracy in the fourth quarter for a 49-23 lead. Kaliakmanis' 4-yard TD pass to Spencer with 2:37 left set the final score.

Kaliakmanis had a solid first half but tailed off in the second, going 7-for-20 for 88 yards.

"Athan made some great throws again tonight, but the whole thing is we're an inconsistent football team right now," Fleck said.

That was especially true on defense. With Lindenberg and Baranowski out, the Gophers turned to true freshman Matt Kingsbury and redshirt freshman Tyler Stolsky, who hadn't seen first-team action this season.

"We've got to get some guys back on the field, get them healthy," Fleck said. "Unfortunately, that's the position we're in right now."

Saturday, those big stats by Purdue hammered home the point.

"Any way you slice it, cut it," Fleck said, "there is no silver lining in [allowing] 600 yards of offense."