Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/399550
GOLDANDBLACK EXPRESS • VOLUME 25, EXPRESS 8 • 11 BY TRAVIS BAUGH AND ALAN KARPICK M innesota doesn't rely on the right arm of sophomore quarterback Mitch Leidner much. Leidner and the Gopher passing attack rank No. 121 in the FBS in passing attempts (103) and yards per game (119.9). However, the 6-foot-4, 237-pound soph- omore is coming off his best two games of the season. Leidner threw for a season-high 167 yards against Michigan on Sept. 27 and completed a season-high percentage of passes when he went 10 of 15 for 153 yards in Saturday's win over Northwestern. "I think over the last two games, the biggest thing about Mitch, he's relaxed," Coach Jerry Kill told reporters this week. "Had a smile on his face, went and played. I think early in the year he was pressing, then he got hurt, went through some things. I think he's feeling good, feeling better. I al - ways say, if you feel good, you play good. I think he's feeling better about what he's do- ing and more comfortable." WINNING WITH DEFENSE Defensive coordinator Tracy Claeys has a lofty goal for his defense: Hold every op- ponent to 17 points or less. The Gophers are close to achieving that goal, allowing just 18.7 points per game, the No. 15 mark in the FBS. "We tell our kids all the time … if you hold a team to 17 points or less, you do that all year, you're going to be close to the top 10 defense in the country, at least in the top 15," Claeys told reporters earlier this week. "If you hold them to 24, you're going to be some- where around 25 to 30, which isn't bad." Minnesota's defense has been even stin- gier at home, allowing opponents to score in just six of 16 quarters at TCF Bank Stadium. Since yielding 24 points in the first half to TCU, the Gophers have allowed just 44 points in the last three-and-a-half games combined. FORCING TURNOVERS Minnesota has allowed 349.8 yards per game, ranking No. 8 in the Big Ten, but its ability to force turnovers has kept oppo- nents out of the end zone. The Gophers have 16 takeaways, tied for the eighth in the nation. "If we continue to play good defense and get the turnovers, I think we can be real- ly good by the end of the year, for the teams we play against," Claeys said. "We're built for a lot of those teams." HISTORICALLY SPEAKING Some of the greatest moments in Pur- due's football history have come in Minne- apolis, though winning there has not been easy. The Boiler- makers are just 12-29-3 all-time at Minnesota, but two of the wins have been memorable. On Nov. 12, 1966, with game time tempera- tures under 20 degrees, Purdue froze out the Min- nesota offense with a 16-0 tri- umph. The victory essentially guar- anteed Coach Jack Mollenkopf's team its first trip to Pasadena. In 2001, the Boilermakers pulled off one of their greatest last-second comebacks ever. In the last 19 sec- onds of the game, the Boilermakers moved from their own 3-yard line to get themselves into field goal range when a Travis Dorsch nailed a 48-yarder with no time left to send the game into overtime. The Boilermakers won in overtime, pulling off the game that is often tabbed as the "Miracle in the Metrodome." Purdue fared relatively well in the games played in indoors, winning five of 12 during the span from 1983-2007. But the Boilermak- ers have lost six in a row in contests played outdoors and are looking for their first tri- umph since 1972. In that contest, All-Amer- ica running back Otis Armstrong borrowed Coach Bob DeMoss' flat-soled shoes in hopes of better being able to maneuver of the arti- ficial turf. It worked as Armstrong rushed for 152 yards and returned the second half kick- off 97 yards for a TD in the 28-3 win. j What You Need To Know About Minnesota Tom Campbell Purdue's last trip to Minneapolis was not pleasant as the Boilermakers fell behind 44-7 early in the second half, thanks in part to receiver A.J. Barker getting behind the Boilermakers secondary for two long touchdown receptions. Purdue scored the game's final 21 points, but it wasn't near enough as the Gophers prevailed 44-28. Leidner Stepping Up THE LAST TIME...