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Minnesota has played well enough under P.J. Fleck that bowl games should be the expectation every season.
Physical football and several tough Big Ten Saturdays are probably part of that package deal as well. But the Golden Gophers’ matchup at Purdue Oct. 24 has the feel of a game that might sneak up and hurt them.
CBS Sports college football analyst Brad Crawford highlighted the Purdue game as Minnesota’s trap game because of its timing and the games around it.
Minnesota projects as the better team on paper. Purdue is still trying to get out of the Big Ten basement under Barry Odom, who did not win a conference game in his first season. However, that means little if Purdue gets up for this matchup.
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“The Boilermakers were winless in Big Ten play during Barry Odom,” Crawford wrote. “That may not bode well for the Golden Gophers, who will arrive at Ross-Ade.”
Purdue not many opportunities to catch Golden Gophers looking ahead. If Minnesota shows up not fully engaged, the Boilermakers could see that particular Saturday as one of their better chances to pull off an upset.
The timing also doesn’t do Minnesota any favors. Back-to-back games against Washington and Michigan precede this game. Those are both going to be physical and potentially draining games, especially given the potential College Football Playoff picture by then. The Gophers might come out of that unscathed, but something could still show against Purdue.
“The Gophers could be banged up after consecutive matchups against Washington and Michigan,” Crawford added.
Poor history against Purdue in West Lafayette doesn’t instill confidence either. Fleck is 2-1 against the Boilermakers in Minneapolis, but the road games have not gone well at all.
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“P.J. Fleck is 5-3 against Purdue at Minnesota, but every road game in the series has either ended in a loss or been decided by a touchdown,” Crawford wrote.
That is the warning sign. Minnesota cannot assume Purdue’s record tells the full story. A tired favorite, a desperate home underdog and a history of close road results are exactly how trap games are built.
That is why Fleck will need his team to treat Purdue with the same seriousness it brings to bigger names. The Gophers’ identity depends on discipline, field position and controlling the line of scrimmage. If those details slip, Purdue has enough motivation to turn a sleepy afternoon into a damaging loss.
For the Gophers, this is a business-trip game. Win it cleanly, and the season keeps moving. Let Purdue hang around, and Ross-Ade Stadium could become a problem quickly.
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