Oct 27, 2012; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers celebrate the victory following the game against the Purdue Boilermakers at TCF Bank Stadium. The Gophers defeated the Boilermakers 44-28. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-US PRESSWIRE
Philip Nelson started his game completing 12 of 13 passes in his first home start.
By that time, the Minnesota Gophers already had four touchdowns as Nelson and company dominated its way to a 44-28 victory over the Purdue Boilermakers.
The victory gave the Gophers its first Big Ten win of the season, inching Minnesota closer to a bowl bid.
The Minnesota pass defense had another great performance allowing 198 passing yards against the trio of quarterbacks that the Boilermakers used. That secondary was led by Michael Carter, who had a phenomenal game.
Carter had six pass breakups to go along with a pick-six (Just peer down the page for more Carter talk).
Honestly, the game was over with 10 minutes left in the second quarter. By that time, Nelson had found A.J. Barker for two easy touchdowns deep.
Here are five observations from Saturday’s big win against Purdue:
The Real Deal at Quarterback
Saturday’s game allowed for fans’ jaws to drop. Nelson was accurate … even on his deep passes. While the quarterback threw for only 246 yards, he could have had a lot more had he thrown more in the second-half.
He had over 100 passing yards in the first quarter alone and seemed comfortable in the pocket throughout against a good defensive line led by Purdue’s Kawann Short.
Short and the entire defensive line of the Boilermakers were man-handled by a jumbled offensive line of Minnesota.
Barker led the Gophers with five catches for 135 yards and touchdowns. He limped off the field after catching his second score with a right ankle injury.
Nelson is the real deal. There is no doubt he is the Gopher quarterback for years to come. His play will allow Kill to work on other issues that Minnesota has, including at linebacker and stability at the offensive line.
The quarterback of the present made his reads perfectly. At first, he made short gains. Shortly, those plays became chunk plays and big touchdowns.
Tha Carter I
As great as Nelson looked on Saturday, Carter had the best game at TCF Bank Stadium.
This is a player that was a disappointment for most of his career leading up today. The former four-star recruit showed weak coverage, but finally tweaked his game halfway through last season.
I pegged Carter to have a great season, and it has held true especially after the Purdue victory. The corner had six (yes six) pass breakups. Oh, and he had a pick-six to start the second-half off right for the Gophers.
The secondary for the Gophers had 10 total pass deflections.
The first series of the second half was just wow. Carter was in coverage in all three plays, barring the ball from touching the Purdue wide receiver. Finally, he pounced on the opportunity on third down for the eventual pick six.
It is a shame that Carter is fulfilling his potential only his senior season, but this season will allow the corner to gain draft stock for April.
Little Nugget
There is little doubt that Donnell Kirkwood has been huge for Minnesota. He showed that against the Boilermakers as he had 134 rushing yards on 22 carries.
Yet, there is a running back that is starting to gain attention by the coaches. Rodrick Williams Jr. is a true freshman that had his redshirt burned two weeks ago.
He had his best game with nine carries and a touchdown. ‘Nugget,’ as coaches call him because he once ate 50 chicken nuggets, is a power back that will knock the socks off defenders while still having speed to bulldoze his way down the field.
From QB to WR to QB to WR
Everyone knows the story of MarQueis Gray, so this will be short.
Gray is impressive as a wide receiver. He has pure athleticism to beat defenders while having the strength to bully his way in the run blocking game.
Gray had a fantastic catch in the first quarter.
While Gray is still a ways away from having true draft stock value, I would take a flyer or a late pick on the senior.
Tackle Box
Before I go on with the last observation, I would like to give shout-outs to everyone that followed @goldandgopher on Twitter on Saturday. Please keep them coming.
It seems simple, right? Tackling.
But Minnesota had struggled on that all season before the game against Purdue. Brock Vereen is probably the best tackler on the team, barring the beast Derrick Wells. The safety duo rubbed off on the rest of the defense because the linebackers finally made tackles that they have not made all season.
The three sacks, one interception (could have been three), and the pass breakups are all nice and dandy. But having a team that can consistently tackle goes a long way.