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Off to a 4-0 start and in the top-25 since the beginning of the 2020 season, P.J Fleck's Minnesota Golden Gophers program will look to improve to 5-0 on Saturday afternoon against the Purdue Boilermakers. The Boilermakers enter week five at 2-2 on the season

The Gophers will also look to continue to dominate the series as they have over the last decade, losing just once in their last nine meetings dating back to 2012.

Purdue picked up win No. 2 last week in a hard-fought game against Florida Atlantic, 28-26. Without star quarterback Aiden O'Connell, the Boilermakers simply didn't have the offensive firepower they usually do with just 230 passing yards. The Boilermakers also made the ground game a much bigger focus of their offense with 43 rushing attempts in the game for 190 yards.

1. Will Purdue QB Aiden O'Connell return to action this week?

Last week, Purdue was without Aiden O'Connell which severely limited their passing game. Backup quarterback Austin Brown completed 22-of-31 passes but for just 166 yards in the game. He did throw three touchdowns in the process but the Boilermakers' offense was simply just not as explosive without O'Connell under center In his three games this season, O'Connell is 86-for-134 for 1,000 yards and eight touchdowns with just one interception thrown.

2. How will the Gophers slow down WR Charlie Jones?

Former Iowa wide receiver Charlie Jones is the most dynamic wide receiver the Gophers will have faced to this point in the season. After just 39 receptions for 718 yards and six touchdowns in the first three years of his career, Jones has already totaled 41 receptions for 533 yards and seven touchdowns. It's safe to say that the Gophers' offense flows through Jones, so if you can slow him down, you will slow down the Purdue offense nearly completely.

3. Can the Gophers' passing game carry over the momentum from last week?

Minnesota's passing game was the best it's been all season against Michigan State as Tanner Morgan completed 23-of-26 passing attempts for 268 yards and three touchdowns. WR Mike-Brown Stephens stepped up in the absence of Chris Autman-Bell with six receptions for 73 yards.

As said above, Morgan is coming off one of the best games of his career against Michigan State and is off to a great start this season. Can he continue that start against Purdue?

Michael Brown-Stephens stepped up last week against Michigan State, can he do it against Purdue? The Gophers will need to establish a No.1 wide receiver going forward - look for Brown-Stephens to potentially be that guy.

It's going to be imperative that Minnesota slows down the Purdue passing game this weekend if they do so, Justin Walley will be a big part of the Gophers' defensive game plan. The sophomore defensvie back has one interception and two pass breakups this season and has been one of the Gohpers' top-rated cornerbacks this season.

We mentioned Jones above, it's simple, the Boilermakers' offense runs through Jones. Slow down Jones and you have a good chance at slowing down Purdue's offense completely.

One of the better quarterbacks in the Big Ten, O'Connell is an efficient quarterback and rarely turns over the ball. The Gophers' front seven will need to get pressure on O'Connell in this game if they hope to get him off his game, that's if he does play after missing last week's game against FIU.

Another offensive weapon for Purdue is tight end Payne Durham. Durham has 17 receptions for 150 yards and two touchdowns this season.

Purdue's offense if Aiden O'Connell is healthy will be pass-heavy, in O'Connell's two games against Power Five opponents this season, he has 59 and 56 passing attempts. If the Gophers are able to get out to an early lead on the Boilermakers, it's almost certain he'll hit the 50s again on Saturday.

We mentioned his two big weapons above in WR Charlie Jones and TE Payne Durham. Other names to know include junior wide receiver Tyrone Tracy Jr who has 14 receptions for 87 yards this season.

When it comes to their rushing attack, Purdue's this season has been better than it has been throughout the Jeff Brohm era. This season the Gophers are averaging 31 rushing attempts per game for 135.5 yards on average. However, against Power Five opponents Penn State and Syracuse, the Boilermakers were only able to average 2.8 and 2.9 yards per carry and totaled 61 yards in both games.

Purdue's defense this year hasn't been terrible but it hasn't been a strength of the Boilermakers either. Their pass defense for the most part has been solid, after allowing 308 yards to Penn State, the Boilermakers haven't allowed more than 230 passing yards in their other three games.

Their run defense has been servicable as well but is coming off their worst game of the season, allowing 190 yards to FAU on 43 attempts, an average of 4.4 yards per carry. This will be the best-run game the Boilermakers have faced yet this season as Penn State's rushing attack didn't get going until week two.

Purdue's offense has a chance to put up points in this one and I think their explosive could cause some issues for the Gophers early on. That being said, I expect Joe Rossi and his unit to be able to adapt as the game goes on and slow down Purdue through the air. Offensively, the Gophers should be able to have plenty of success with a balanced game plan. Wouldn't be shocking if this was a close game in the first half but I expect the Gophers to pull away in the second half.

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