Philip Nelson leads Minnesota past Purdue in second career start

MINNEAPOLIS -- Freshman Philip Nelson threw three touchdown passes in the first half of his second college start for Minnesota , and the Gophers breezed to their first Big Ten victory of the season by beating Purdue 44-28 on Saturday afternoon. Nelson led Minnesota (5-3, 1-3 Big Ten) to touchdowns on four straight possessions while the Gophers averaged almost 10 yards per play. He completed 12 straight passes in one stretch and had all 246 of his yards in the first half on the way to a 34-7 lead, more points than Minnesota had in any game last year. Purdue's Caleb TerBush was pulled for Robert Marve in the third quarter for Purdue (3-5, 0-4) after finishing 5 for 18 for 49 yards and an interception that Michael Carter returned 43 yards for a score. Nelson connected with A.J. Barker for two scores and Derrick Engel for another.