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FACTS & STATS: Site: TCF Bank Stadium (50,300) -- Minneapolis, Minnesota. Television:ESPN2. Home Record: Purdue 1-3, Minnesota 1-2. Away Record: Purdue 0-1, Minnesota 2-0. Neutral Record: Purdue 0-0, Minnesota 0-0. Conference Record: Purdue 0-1, Minnesota 1-1. Series Record: Minnesota leads, 32-30-3..

GAME NOTES: The struggling Purdue Boilermakers take to the road this weekend, as they invade Minneapolis to tangle with the Minnesota Golden Gophers at TCF Bank Stadium.

The Boilermakers' downward spiral continued this past weekend, as the team dropped another close one, 27-21, to Northwestern in its Big Ten opener. That makes it four losses in a row for Purdue, which picked up its lone win over Toledo to kick off the season. While the Boilermakers haven't won in over a month, they have been competitive, losing their four games by a total of just 18 points. Four of the team's first five games however, have come at home, so Purdue appears to be in line for a long campaign.

As for Minnesota, it hasn't done a good job of protecting its new home arena, losing two of three bouts at TCF Bank Stadium. Included in those losses is a narrow 31-28 setback to Wisconsin this past weekend. The loss leveled the Gophers' league record at 1-1 and marked their second defeat in three games.

Minnesota though, does hold a slim 32-30-2 lead in the head-to-head series with Purdue and that takes into account a 17-6 triumph in last season's encounter.

The Boilermakers' offense came out clicking on all cylinders against Northwestern, but things only got worse as the game wore on. Purdue scored all 21 of its points in the first half and consistently set itself back with mistakes, committing a whopping six turnovers. Despite all the mishaps, the Boilermakers were in position to win the game with a first-and-goal opportunity in the closing moments. However, Purdue was unable to score on four chances inside the 10-yard line in the 27-21 setback. It was yet another disappointing finish for the Boilermakers, who have now committed 17 turnovers in five games. Quarterback Joey Elliott had a solid performance in the loss and he completed 20-of-28 pass attempts for 313 yards and three touchdowns. He threw just one pick in the game and that was good news considering he had tossed six in the prior four games. Despite some turnover problems, Elliott has been successful in completing 62.0 percent of his throws for 1,276 yards and 10 touchdowns. Keith Smith is his go-to-guy and he leads the team with 35 catches and 459 receiving yards. Last weekend, Smith hauled in seven balls for 101 yards and his third touchdown of the season. Tailback Ralph Bolden accounted for 53 of the team's mere 62 rushing yards against Northwestern, but despite the effort, he has been rather successful with 541 yards on the campaign.

Purdue's turnovers on offense really cost it the game, as the defense did its part to slow down Northwestern. The Boilermakers surrendered just 311 total yards, including only 87 rushing, and those numbers are solid considering the unit is allowing 399.4 total ypg on the season. The defense though, let down at the end of the game once again, allowing Northwestern to drive 67 yards and score the go-ahead touchdown with 2:09 remaining. Still, if not for the defense, Purdue would have been down a lot more considering the unit had to compensate for all the team's offensive woes. Joe Holland paced the defense with 12 stops, while Nick Mondek had one of the team's two sacks. Jason Werner was limited to just six stops, but he still heads Purdue with 40 tackles and three sacks on the season.

The Gophers scored just two offensive touchdowns and gained a modest 328 total yards last weekend and that wasn't enough to get past Wisconsin in a 31-28 setback. Minnesota's ground attack continued to struggle and managed just 57 yards on 28 carries. For the season the Gophers are averaging only 96.0 ypg on the ground and that is coming from a measly 3.3 yard per carry average. The offense has been able to move the ball behind the arm of Adam Weber, who has thrown for 1,150 yards and six scores through the first five games. Last weekend, Weber hit on 16-of-30 pass attempts for 271 yards despite being sacked four times. Eric Decker was his main target and he finished with eight catches for 140 yards and a touchdown. One of the most decorated receivers in Minnesota history, Decker continues to rewrite school records and he has made 43 catches for 639 yards and five touchdowns this season.

Defensively, Minnesota was once again exploited on the ground, as Wisconsin rolled up 295 rushing yards in last weekend's bout. The Gophers, who are giving up 174.6 rushing ypg on the year, allowed the Badgers to average 6.0 yards per carry and that helped them to convert 8-of-13 third down chances. Minnesota did force three turnovers to bring its season total to 10 and Marcus Sherels returned a fumble 88 yards for a score late in the fourth quarter to keep the team within striking distance. The defense though, allowed Wisconsin to drive 74 yards on the ensuing drive, all but negating that fumble return. Nate Triplett turned in an all-around effort in the loss, as he had nine tackles, a fumble recovery and interception. He has been a steady producer this season and leads the team with 56 stops and two picks.

Minnesota has had some struggles, but Weber should be able to carve up Purdue's inconsistent defense for the victory this weekend.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Minnesota 30, Purdue 23