Minnesota vs Purdue Football: Everything You Need To Know

Minnesota has an excellent chance to improve to 7-2 with Purdue coming to town. The Golden Gophers are on a three-game winning streak and Saturday, they pummeled Illinois 40-17. Minnesota held the Illini to 245 total yards and held Illinois quarterback Jeff George Jr. to an under 50 percent completion percentage (He completed 16 of 34 passes for 156 yards).

Offensively, the Golden Gophers were led by running back Rodney Smith who gained 100 yards on 20 carries and scored 2 touchdowns. Quarterback Mitch Leidner was efficient, completing 10 of 19 passes for 112 yards. He also ran for a touchdown. Minnesota figures to continue its production against a Purdue defense that has given up 138 points in its last three matchups.

Purdue enters this game having been blown out Saturday by Penn State 62-24. The Boilermakers have lost three in a row and have been blown out in all three of their losses. Purdue has the capability of scoring points (the Boilermakers averaged more than 24 points per game in those three defeats, and if they are going to beat the Gophers, they will almost certainly have to outscore Minnesota.

Kickoff time: 2:30 p.m. CT
TV and radio: Big Ten Network, Minnesota sports radio network
Point spread: Minnesota is favored by 16.5, according to scores and odds.
Tickets: Tickets are available at the Minnesota football website.

Parking information can be found at the Minnesota football website.
Get free real-time news alerts from the Southwest Minneapolis Patch.
Subscribe

Available locations for single game parking

· West Bank (limited availability): 19th Avenue Ramp and 21st Avenue Ramp (No tailgating allowed)
· St. Paul: Lot S 108 (Tailgating allowed)
· East Bank: East River Road Garage and Church Street Garage (No tailgating allowed)

Shuttles

On home game days, Gopher Football Shuttles will connect parking on the St. Paul campus to TCF Bank Stadium.
· Football shuttles will run every 10 minutes starting 3 hours before the game and increase to 3-5 minutes service starting 2 hours before the game.
· During the game, shuttles will run every 10 minutes.
· After the game, shuttles will run every 3-5 minutes until the crowd is gone. After the mass crowd is gone, 20 minute service will continue for one additional hour.
· The St. Paul Shuttle will stop at Lot S108 (St. Paul fairgrounds):
Paratransit Service is provided on the St. Paul shuttle route two hours before kick off. Drivers will take a break 15 minutes after kick and get back out in service at half time until the entire crowd is gone.
· All Gopher Football Shuttles are low-floor, one-level buses and are equipped with wheelchair lifts.
· The University's Campus Connector operates on its weekend schedule (every 20 minutes from 9:30 a.m. until midnight). See a gameday map of the routes and stops.

Tips for Single Game Attendees

· Find specific directions to campus and plan your commute before you leave home.
· Arrive early. Parking facilities will be open 6 hours before the start of game, but not before 7 am. Waiting will not be allowed at any of the parking facilities before opening.
· Please park in designated lots provided for game day parking. Illegal parking will be strictly enforced, on and off campus, and will be subject to tagging and towing at owner's expense.
· Do not walk or drive across railroad property. It is dangerous to walk between rail cars. The Railroad Police will be issuing citations for trespassing.

Other Parking Information

RV Parking

RV and bus parking is available on game day only in Lot S108 (the state fairgrounds lot) in the St. Paul campus area. The cost is $40/game. Buses can drop off people on the corner of 4th St SE and 23rd Ave Se behind the Days Inn.
Gopher football shuttles will provide connections to the stadium from the St. Paul parking. Dedicated ADA accessible shuttles for those with disabilities or in need of extra assistance will be available on the St. Paul shuttle routes. The St. Paul disability shuttle, post-game, will load on the west side of 23rd Ave. where the shuttle drops off pregame.
RVs with season parking passes (only available to season ticket holders) will be in the Gateway Lot on the East Bank.

Disability Parking

Day-of-game disability parking is available in the University Ave. Ramp or Lot S108 on the St. Paul campus. For more information please call the Gopher Ticket Office at (612) 624-8080.

Image via edkohler, Flickr, used under Creative Commons