The Gophers missed a huge opportunity to take down a weakened Michigan State team in their conference opener at home last week; a loss that still stings. Holding a double digit lead for most of the game, Minnesota slowly gave back the game before forcing overtime and coming up just short. In the scope of the entire season, the loss isn’t debilitating, but it represents the first missed opportunity for a team desperately needing to establish relevancy, while proving it can overcome beatable teams at home.
The task gets much taller, literally, as the Gophers head out out to West Lafayette to play only their second true road game against 15th-ranked Purdue.