WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- The Gophers' offensive line was without two starters, a freshman removed his redshirt to play center and a tackle moved to the other side.
No matter. Gophers coach Jerry Kill still challenged the short-handed group to rush the football against Purdue on Saturday.
Mission accomplished. Minnesota ran the ball 48 times for 326 yards, a 6.8-yard per carry average, and two touchdowns in a 41-13 win over the Boilermakers.
"We've still got a lot of work to do, but that looks more like what Minnesota's supposed to look like," Kill said. "We've got two very talented running backs, and we just need to get a body on a body, let those guys go to work.