University of Minnesota Homecoming is getting to be a really big deal for those who played football for the Gophers. Minnesota is hosting Purdue Saturday for their annual homecoming week.
When PJ Fleck took over the go for a football team in 2017, he made it a point to invite as many former players as possible to homecoming. What started as a trickle has grown immensely.
"The first year we started doing that, we had 40," recalls Fleck. Now we have over 200 that are that are, RSVP'ing, which is really cool. Also celebrating the 1960 national championship team and really excited to have Bobby Bell, highlighting Bobby Bell as well, from part of that team. So, lots to be excited about."
That 1960 team is Minnesota's last national championship team, and second to last Big Ten championship team (1967). The Gophers lost the Rose Bowl, their last appearance, to Washington but in those years, the final vote in the polls happened in November and Minnesota topped them to win the unofficial national championship, the school's sixth.
Among those recently confirmed for homecoming is running back Rodney Smith, who was on Fleck's first team at the University of Minnesota.
And already making his presence known at practice is Vikings reserve quarterback Max Brosmer, whose team has a bye this weekend. Brosmer was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Vikings, and impressed the coaching staff enough in the preseason to give him a shot as a backup behind J.J. McCarthy and Carson Wentz. He took his first real NFL snap just before halftime of Sunday's game in London when Wentz briefly left the game with a shoulder injury.
Gophers needs a bounce back after getting throttled by Ohio State
The Gopher football team has a 3-2 record heading into Saturday night’s Homecoming game against Purdue. That includes an impressive win over Rutgers, followed by a blowout loss at Ohio State.
The Gophers got out to a 3-0 lead in the game and that was the highlight. Ohio State dominated from that point on, scoring 42 straight points and a 42-3 win in Columbus.
Fleck said he saw positives despite the shellacking, but he also knows his Gophers better get better fast with some key games coming up, starting with the struggline Boilermakers.
"You gotta get better at the fundamentals and details of tackling, and we work on it every day," Fleck explains. "And it sounds like coach speak, right? But you work on it every day and the only choice you have is to get better at whatever you're not better at. We know what we have to get better at, we work on it every single day. I'm not doing a good enough job but obviously getting that across. But it's not like our guys aren't willing to do it."
Purdue (2-3) is coming off a 43-27 loss to 17th-ranked Illinois. They've beaten Illinois State and Ball State, but then lost to USC and Notre Dame in resounding fashion before the loss to the Illini.
Purdue (2-3) at Minnesota (3-2), Oct. 11 at 6:30 p.m.
BetMGM College Football Odds Opening Line: Minnesota by 8.5. Against the spread: Minnesota 1-3, Purdue 2-3.
How to watch: BTN
Key stats
Minnesota Offense
Overall: 356.6 yards per game (91st in FBS)
Passing: 227.8 yards per game (71st)
Rushing: 128.8 yards per game (103rd)
Scoring: 27.4 points per game (79th)
Minnesota Defense
Overall: 278.8 yards per game (17th in FBS)
Passing: 199.8 yards per game (52nd)
Rushing: 79 yards per game (10th)
Scoring: 21.4 points per game (56th)
Purdue Offense
Overall: 401.4 yards per game (61st in FBS)
Passing: 284 yards per game (23rd)
Rushing: 117.4 yards per game (109th)
Scoring: 27.8 points per game (75th)
Purdue Defense
Overall: 397.6 yards per game (104th in FBS)
Passing: 248.4 yards per game (106th)
Rushing: 149.2 yards per game (76th)
Scoring: 29.8 points per game (108th)
Purdue ranks 131st in the FBS with a -7 turnover margin, compared to Minnesota's 44th-ranked +2 margin.
Minnesota ranks 16th in the FBS averaging 36.4 penalty yards per game.
Minnesota ranks 112th in FBS in red zone defense, allowing opponents to score on 93.3% of trips.
Purdue is 100th in the FBS with an average time of possession of 28:29, compared to Minnesota's 21st-ranked average of 32:32.
Team leaders
Minnesota
Passing: Drake Lindsey, 1,052 yards, 7 TDs, 2 INTs, 64.3 completion percentage
Rushing: Fame Ijeboi, 225 yards on 48 carries, 1 TD
Receiving: Javon Tracy, 204 yards on 12 catches, 2 TDs
Purdue
Passing: Ryan Browne, 1,338 yards, 7 TDs, 5 INTs, 62.2 completion percentage
Rushing: Devin Mockobee, 304 yards on 81 carries, 4 TDs
Receiving: Michael Jackson III, 305 yards on 32 catches, 1 TD
Last game
Minnesota was defeated by Ohio State 42-3 on Saturday, Oct. 4. Lindsey led Minnesota with 94 yards on 15-of-26 passing (57.7%) for no touchdowns and no interceptions. Ijeboi carried the ball 13 times for 52 yards. Jameson Geers recorded 25 yards on one catch.
Purdue was beaten by Illinois 43-27 on Saturday, Oct. 4. Browne threw for 302 yards on 30-of-50 attempts (60.0%) with one touchdown and no interceptions. He also carried the ball nine times for 22 yards and one rushing touchdown. Antonio Harris carried the ball four times for 69 yards and scored one touchdown, adding one reception for five yards. Jackson put up 94 yards on 14 catches.
Next game
Minnesota hosts Nebraska on Oct. 17, a rare Friday night game for the Gophers.