‘I Couldn’t Have Done It Without Them,’ ‘He Cares About His Teammates’ — Barry Odom Praises Fame Ijeboi After 195-Yard Night Against Minnesota

Fame Ijeboi spent last season as Minnesota’s No. 2 running back. On Saturday night, the Purdue sophomore ran for a career-high 195 yards and three touchdowns as the Boilermakers beat his old team 41-13 at Ross-Ade Stadium.

Ijeboi carried 31 times and scored on runs of 3, 1 and 1 yards. Purdue (3-3, 2-1 Big Ten) won consecutive conference games for the first time since the final two weeks of the 2022 season, while Minnesota (4-2, 2-1) took its first Big Ten loss.

Fame Ijeboi Posts Career-High 195 Rushing Yards for Purdue

“I couldn’t have done it without them,” Ijeboi said, crediting his offensive line after a night in which he averaged 6.3 yards per carry and broke off a 30-yard run.

Purdue coach Barry Odom called Ijeboi’s game tremendous. “He cares about his teammates. He finishes runs going forward.”

The 195 yards rank 15th for a single game in program history and are the most by a Purdue player since Markell Jones ran for 217 at Indiana on Nov. 25, 2017. The three scores gave Ijeboi nine this season, tying Kory Sheets (2006) for the most by a Boilermaker through the first six games of a season since 1995.

He ran for 131 yards on 18 carries before halftime as Purdue built a 20-3 lead, its largest at the break in a Big Ten game since it led 29-7 at Illinois on Oct. 13, 2018.

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Sam King, who covers Purdue for the Journal & Courier and the USA Today network, wrote that Ijeboi was “the first Purdue player with 100 yards rushing in a half since Devin Mockobee had 102 in the second half at Oregon State in 2024.”

Still, the outburst came after two quiet weeks, 41 yards against Notre Dame and 65 at Illinois, both at 3.4 yards per carry. His previous career high was 114 yards against Wake Forest on Sept. 12, and his best game at Minnesota was 108 yards against Michigan State in 2025.

Pro Football Network’s grades had him in the top half of FBS running backs heading into the game. Ijeboi’s PFN Impact grade of 83.4 through Week 5 ranks tied for 35th of 369 graded and qualified FBS running backs, on a board UCLA’s Wayne Knight leads at 95.9.

Quarterback Ryan Browne added 81 rushing yards on seven carries, including a 12-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter, and went 14-of-24 passing for 159 yards with a 15-yard scoring throw to George Burhenn. Browne’s PFN Impact grade of 81.3 through Week 5 ranks tied for 40th of 165 graded and qualified FBS quarterbacks.

P.J. Fleck Says Purdue Dominated Minnesota, Ijeboi’s Former Team

“They dominated the game in pretty much every facet,” Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck said. He added that Purdue deserved a ton of credit and that his team has to get a lot better.

Ijeboi ran for 441 yards and two touchdowns as a redshirt freshman at Minnesota in 2025, playing behind Darius Taylor. Purdue defensive coordinator Kevin Kane, who coached the Gophers’ linebackers last season, convinced the Boilermakers’ offensive staff that Ijeboi was the right fit, The Journal Gazette reported in September.

Jeff Wald, a digital sports reporter for FOX 9 covering Minnesota sports, wrote early in the game that Fleck “needed to find more money for Fame Ijeboi” to keep the running back.

Taylor ran seven times for 15 yards, and Minnesota’s rushing total was the lowest by a Purdue opponent in a Big Ten game since Penn State managed 18 yards on Oct. 9, 2004. Minnesota quarterback Drake Lindsey’s 42-yard touchdown pass to receiver Jalen Smith cut the deficit to 27-13 in the third quarter, but Purdue answered with two fourth-quarter touchdowns.

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One Gophers fan wrote that “the only positive thing from this game for me was watching Ijeboi absolutely dominate PJ Fleck.”

Minnesota, which beat Michigan 20-14 the previous week, does not play again until it hosts Iowa on October 24.

Looking Ahead in Week 7 to Washington

Purdue gets a short week before Friday’s Week 7 game against Washington at Ross-Ade Stadium, an 8 p.m. ET kickoff on Fox.

The Huskies (3-3) are coming off a 41-24 home loss to Iowa the night before Purdue beat Minnesota. Iowa ran for 263 yards in that game, and running back Kamari Moulton had 208 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries, more rushing yards than Ijeboi had against the Gophers.

Ijeboi said in September that he wants to be leaned on. “I want to be the reason we win games, I want people to rely on me.”

This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.