Gophers-Purdue player/coach ratings: Drake Lindsey's struggles continue

The Gophers entered West Lafayette, Indiana, with a prime letdown spot against Purdue, and they delivered a huge letdown performance. It’s hard to find many positives from their 41-13 blowout loss to the Boilermakers.

Drake Lindsey: 5.2

Despite the historic win, Lindsey had one of the worst games of his career against Michigan. He had just 136 passing yards with one touchdown and two interceptions in that game. Purdue entered Saturday with one of the worst pass defenses in the country, but you would’ve guessed otherwise by the way Lindsey threw the football. He finished 22 of 39 for 248 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

Greg Harbaugh Jr.: 3.1

The Gophers continue to have the same offensive issues they’ve faced all season, but Harbaugh has shown nothing to think he will fix them. Minnesota still has zero run game, and the offense looked lost all night. Purdue allowed 35 points per game before Saturday night. One garbage-time offensive touchdown is inexcusable.

Danny Collins: 2.8

Any thoughts of Collins’ defense turning a corner with dominant performances against Washington and Michigan were wrong. Minnesota faced Ryan Browne last season, but it looked like this was their first time ever game-planning for the entire Purdue system. Collins and the entire defensive staff were completely out-schemed all night.

Run game: 2.3

Minnesota let Fame Ijeboi leave the program and pursue bigger opportunities, and he made them feel that decision on Saturday night. It looked like they might’ve found something against Akron, Washington and Michigan, but their run game was almost nonexistent against Purdue with just 25 yards on 12 carries while Ijeboi had 195 yards on 31 carries.

Javon Tracy: 7.2

After a quiet performance against Michigan, Tracy led the Gophers with seven catches for 51 yards. He had a solid performance, but it didn’t impact much in a disappointing night for the offense altogether.

Noah Jennings: 5.2

Jennings was coming off his best game of the season, but he wasn’t able to sync up with Lindsey against Purdue. A pair of costly drops halted any offensive momentum, and he finished with a season-low three catches for 15 yards.

Anthony Smith: 6.0

Smith was the preseason Big Ten defensive player of the year. He has just 13 total tackles and 1.5 sacks. Is he receiving far more attention and double teams than he did last season? Certainly, but it’s also hard to argue that he hasn’t been at least a little underwhelming this season.

Offensive line: 7.0

Minnesota’s offensive line has faced a ton of adversity this season, and they were not the issue against Purdue. Lindsey wasn’t sacked once, but the run game couldn’t get anything going. The offensive line should be the least of Minnesota’s worries right now.

P.J. Fleck: 2.1

Fleck has been at Minnesota for 10 years, and Saturday night was one of his worst-coached games with the program. His team was incredibly unprepared, and a handful of baffling decisions added to the narrative that he’s not a good in-game coach. He has been at the program for long enough, and bone-headed timeout usage, fourth-down decisions, and letdown spots have become the norm.