It was a game Minnesota was supposed to win and needed to win.
Mission accomplished, but not without some hand-wringing.
Visiting Purdue had lost 13 straight games in November. Minnesota piled up the offense in a 44-31 win, to extend the Boilermakers' skid to 14.
However, the Gophers actually trailed at the half before taking control in the final two quarters. A win is always good, but this one didn't come without some concerns.
Here's a recap of Saturday's game:
CLASS LESSONS
-- Everyone knows Minnesota wants to run, which made the Gophers' first play from scrimmage a great call. Mitch Leidner faked a handoff and threw deep to Rashad Still for 46 yards -- Minnesota's longest pass play of the season.
-- With receiver Brian Smith kicked off the team there was some question who might fill that void. Still appears to have the first leg up, catching four passes for 87 yards, although Eric Carter also emerged with three catches for 69 yards.
-- Desperate teams do desperate things. On its first possession, Purdue had fourth-and-1 from its own 34 and went for it, only to be stuffed, with Minnesota taking over and eventually scoring a touchdown to make it 10-0. This is also perhaps why desperate teams are desperate.
-- Head coach Tracy Claeys has shown a propensity to be a risk-taker, but his strategy at the end of the first half was a big head-scratcher. The Gophers had the ball at their own 23-yard line with no timeouts and just 15 seconds remaining. What could Minnesota realistically have accomplished? Instead, Leidner threw an interception roughly 15 yards out -- Antonio Blackmon picking it off as Drew Wolitarsky had his back turned to the play running downfield (an obvious miscommunication) and returning it to the 2. With five seconds left, Purdue went for the touchdown and got it to take a lead at the half.
-- Purdue scored two touchdowns on similar plays, with a wide receiver getting a step on a defender and there being no help for the cornerback, with the receiver running unscathed to the end zone. This happened with Cameron Posey on his 89-yard score and De Yancy on his 60-yard TD.
-- If you weren't sure, kicker Emmit Carpenter is a good weapon. Carpenter made field goals from 52 and 53 yards, the first Minnesota kicker to have two field goals from 50+ yards in the same game since Adam Bailey on Oct. 18, 1997. If the Gophers are in a close game, you have to feel good if Carpenter has a chance to win or tie the game, no matter how far the attempt (within reason, of course).
-- Steven Richardson keeps finding ways to make big plays. In the fourth quarter, he forced a fumble on Purdue quarterback David Blough, with Minnesota's Julian Huff recovering in Purdue territory at the 44. After two Leidner completions, the Gophers QB ran it in from 9 yards out to put Minnesota up by two scores, 37-28. Richardson had two sacks as well.
-- Minnesota had one more big play to help seal this game. Purdue got within six late in the fourth but faced a fourth-and-1 from its own 34. However, the Boilermakers elected to run out of the shotgun. Mistake. The Gophers blew up the play quickly, stopping Jack Wegher for a 1-yard loss. Rodney Smith would score a touchdown to put this game on ice.
-- That above stop was made by Nick Rallis, who, with under one minute to play was called for targeting. A replay review upheld the call, although targeting seemed questionable. This marked the sixth targeting call on Minnesota this season and the seventh player to be ejected. Rallis will have to miss the first half of next week's game.
-- Damarius Travis led Minnesota with eight tackles.
DULY NOTED
-- Carpenter is one of two kickers this year to have two 50+-yard field goals in the same game, joining Arizona State's Zane Gonzalez.
-- Leidner had two rushing touchdowns, giving him 30 in his career. That ranks fifth all-time in Minnesota history. He's two behind running back Laurence Mahoney, who had 32 from 2003-05.
-- Minnesota has scored 40 or more points in back-to-back games against Big Ten opponents for the first time since Nov. 5-12, 2005, at Indiana and vs. Michigan State.
-- The Gophers scored 21 points off turnovers and have 90 points off turnovers overall this season.
-- Minnesota had a season-high six sacks. The Gophers have 25 sacks through nine games. Last year Minnesota had 12 sacks.
WHAT IT MEANT
The good news: Minnesota won its fourth straight game and remains in contention for the Big West division title. If the Gophers win out, they will head to Indianapolis. The bad news: Minnesota has had trouble putting away lesser teams until late in the game and now must face its toughest part of the schedule with games at Nebraska and Wisconsin sandwiched around the home finale vs. Northwestern.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
This might be getting old, but with Shannon Brooks injured, Rodney Smith was the focal point on offense for Minnesota. And once again he responded, posting career highs with 153 yards rushing and three touchdowns.
DON'T FORGET ABOUT ME
A walk-on from Eden Prairie, linebacker Blake Cashman had his best game. Cashman, a sophomore, had only 10 tackles this season but recorded five against Purdue, including two sacks and a team-high three tackles for loss.
THAT MOMENT
On Purdue's opening drive of the second half, a pass to Cole Herdman slipped through the tight end's hands and down to his thighs, where Duke McGhee grabbed the football for an interception (after a replay review). Minnesota took over at the Boilermakers' 42-yard line and proceeded to score the go-ahead touchdown. The Gophers would never trail again.
THIS NUMBER
23 -- rushing yards allowed by Minnesota. Opponent game statistics are available back through the 2008 season and this is the lowest rushing yards allowed by the Gophers in that span.
THEY SAID IT
"After our first two conference games nobody gave us a chance . . . to be in here. They kind of said the season was over. We just kept battling one game at a time and we fought our way back into this thing." -- head coach Tracy Claeys
"I would add more but Christmas is coming up and I would much rather use my money on Christmas presents than send it to the Big Ten." -- Claeys after saying he wouldn't comment on the targeting penalty called on Nick Rallis.
"I mean it was something that was frustrating at first, but once I got into the locker room, I could see the guys start rallying. So we knew we were going to come back and not let that instance define us as a team." -- quarterback Mitch Leidner on his interception at the close of the first half.
WHAT'S NEXT
The tougher part of Minnesota's schedule begins with a game at 7-2 Nebraska. The Cornhuskers are coming off two straight losses, including being blown out at Ohio State, and with the status of quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr. in question.
Dave Heller is the author of the upcoming book Ken Williams: A Slugger in Ruth's Shadow as well as Facing Ted Williams Players from the Golden Age of Baseball Recall the Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived and As Good As It Got: The 1944 St. Louis Browns
