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MINNEAPOLIS -- After an 0-2 start in the Big Ten, the Minnesota Golden Gophers have fought their way back into the race for the West Division title. Heres where it starts to get interesting.Rodney Smith ran for 153 yards and three touchdowns and quarterback Mitch Leidner ran for 74 yards and two more scores Saturday as Minnesota defeated Purdue 44-31.The Gophers (7-2, 4-2 Big Ten) opened conference play with an overtime loss at Penn State and a home loss to Iowa. But theyve rattled off four straight wins over admittedly lesser foes -- Maryland, Rutgers, Illinois and Purdue, who have combined for five conference victories this season.Now the schedule gets tougher, with road games at Nebraska and Wisconsin sandwiched around a visit from Northwestern. Minnesota can win the Big Ten West if it wins out, which seemed and unlikely position for them to be in four weeks ago.After our first two conference games nobody gave us a chance ... to be in here, Gophers coach Tracy Claeys said. They kind of said the season was over. We just kept battling one game at a time and we fought our way back into this thing.Smith and Leidner put the points on the board on Saturday, but the Gophers resurgence in the past month and against Purdue was due in large part to its defensive effort. Trailing 28-23 at halftime, Minnesota forced three second-half turnovers, and the offense turned each of them into touchdowns as the Gophers outscored the Boilermakers 21-3 in the second half.We cant keep beating ourselves like that. Its frustrating, said Purdue quarterback David Blough, who threw four touchdown passes in the first half but was held in check after the break. They gave us every single coverage in America in the second half, they kept throwing wrenches in (our offense).Purdue (3-6, 1-5) again was competitive but continued to be plagued by second-half woes in its third game since head coach Darrell Hazell was fired. The Boilermakers have been outscored 83-10 in the second half in their last three games.It puts tears in my eyes not to be able to get them to a point they can finish, Purdue interim coach Gerad Parker said. Thought it was a chance for us, got into the third quarter and had a chance to win the game. We got to do that and relay to them its not okay to finish short and just be close.As Purdue tries to regroup, Minnesota gets ready for the most important stretch of its season, beginning with a game Saturday night at Nebraska. That leaves little time to celebrate its recent success.It feels good, but we have bigger goals, Smith said. This week is a big week coming up for us and we know that.STREAKINGPurdue receivers racked up more than 100 yards after the catch in the first half thanks to two long touchdowns off short passes. In the first quarter, Cameron Posey caught a ball one step ahead of Minnesota safety Damarius Travis and ran the last 60 yards untouched for an 89-yard touchdown. De Yancey later shook off a tackle and ran the last 45 yards of a 60-yard touchdown playYou never know until you get into the games how youre going to match up, Claeys said. Speeds hard to tell on video -- it really is. So after those two big plays we went to more safety help on them.OFF TARGETMinnesota linebacker Nick Rallis was ejected after being called for targeting in the fourth quarter. Hell miss the first half of the Nebraska game as a result. Replays appeared to show that Rallis made a clean hit with his shoulder but the replay official confirmed the ejection.That was the sixth targeting call against the Gophers, and though Claeys admitted to frustration over the inconsistent way the rule has been interpreted and implemented, he knew better than to say anything about it after the game.I would add more but Christmas is coming up and I would much rather use my money on Christmas presents than send it to the Big Ten, he said.THE TAKEAWAYPurdue: Blough ended the day with 391 passing yards, the fifth time hes passed for 300 yards this year. . Yancey and Posey each topped 100 receiving yards with a touchdown for PurdueMinnesota: Smith topped the 100-yard mark for the fourth straight game and sixth time this season. . Gophers running back Shannon Brooks missed the game due to an unspecified injury. . Minnesota rushed for five touchdowns for the second straight game. . Sophomore Emmit Carpenter became the first Gopher in 19 years to kick two 50-yard field goals in a game. Carpenter converted from 52 and 53 yards in the first half. . Sophomore linebacker Blake Cashman, a walk-on filling in for two injured teammates, finished the game with two sacks.LAST WORDI know to you guys it seems like a theme: Purdue cant finish in the second half. But we were just as ready in the second half as we were in the first half. It was not anything about lack of effort. They just made more plays in the second half. -- Boilermakers linebacker Markus BaileyUP NEXTPurdue hosts Northwestern on Saturday afternoon.Minnesota travels to Nebraska for a Saturday night clash with the Cornhuskers. Arizona Diamondbacks Shirts . Giroud, who wasnt in the starting lineup for two matches after allegations about his private life and a decline in form, scored twice in the first half. Tomas Rosickys chip made it 3-0 before half time at Emirates Stadium, while defender Laurent Koscielny scored an unmarked header in the second half. Diamondbacks Jerseys 2020 . Brett Kulak and Jackson Houck of the Vancouver Giants were each charged with assault causing bodily harm on Aug. 18, according to the B.C. court services. https://www.cheapdiamondbacksjerseys.us/ . -- Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson asked his players a simple question during Fridays morning shootaround: How many of them had ever been on a team 14 games over . Stitched Diamondbacks Jerseys .J. -- New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz will miss the rest of the season after having surgery on his left knee. Arizona Diamondbacks Store . He just needed to be his best twisting, turning acrobatic self. "I didnt need to be anybody else, I just needed to be myself and be aggressive," said Burks, who scored a career-high 34 points to spark the Utah Jazz to a 118-103 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Monday night. BOURBONNAIS, Ill. -- Leonard Floyd figures he will take a moment to scan the stadium, soak it all in. Then it will be time to show what he can do.The Chicago Bears are counting on big things from the outside linebacker after drafting him with the ninth overall pick. That starts with the preseason opener against the Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos on Thursday night.I try to do a circle and look at all the fans and stuff, Floyd said. And I get locked in on focusing on the game.It will be a big moment for Floyd and the Bears. Chicago drafted the Georgia standout with the idea that his speed and athleticism would help jolt a defense that lacked playmakers a year ago.Not only will the Bears be getting their first look at Floyd, they will also be seeing receiver Kevin White in a game situation for the first time.The No. 7 pick in the 2015 draft, he was sidelined last season by a fractured shin. Instead of forming a fierce tandem with Alshon Jeffery, White was a spectator.The Bears, meanwhile, are trying to pick themselves up after going 6-10 and finishing last in the NFC North. With just 11 wins over the past two years, they come into their second season under general manager Ryan Pace and coach John Fox looking for much more.The development of Floyd and White could go a long way toward determining if they get it.Its all about that `exam, Fox said. Those exams are those preseason games and I cant think of a better test than the defending world champs Thursday night.The Bears are trying to build a strong young core under Pace and Fox after years of shaky drafting under former GMs Jerry Angelo and Phil Emery. It sure would help if White and Floyd thrived, and there are big expectations for both players.The 6-foot-4 Floyd is a key addition to a defense that made big strides last season under coordinator Vic Fangio yet still had some huge deficiencies. Chicago rosee from 30th to 14th in the rankings but tied for 22nd in sacks and was just 30th in interceptions.ddddddddddddThe Bears addressed that by overhauling their front seven, adding 336-pound free agent defensive end Akiem Hicks and backing him with inside linebackers Danny Trevathan and Jerrell Freeman. With his speed and athleticism, Floyd brings a skillset that management believes will produce bigger numbers in the NFL than in college. Floyd had 4 1/2 sacks for Georgia last season, but he wont be dropping back in coverage the way he did in college.He will also be playing on both sides of the field and occasionally move inside, which could give him an edge over slower guards.It gives me an opportunity to make plays from different areas on the field, Floyd said. Pretty much all outside linebackers have the opportunity to play left, right and sometimes in the middle.The past two weeks have been eye opening for Floyd.Hes been soaking up as much as he can from the coaches as well as veterans such as Willie Young, Sam Acho and Pernell McPhee, trying to improve on his weaknesses. Hes trying to stay patient and focus on the big picture. But he also understands the pressure to make a quick impact.Ive got the highest expectations on myself, he said. I put the most on myself.Game notes Jeffery said no decision has been made about whether he will play on Thursday. The receiver practiced on a limited basis Monday and Tuesday after suffering a mild hamstring strain last week. Fox and quarterback Jay Cutler have said they hope Jeffery plays in the preseason, particularly after sat out the 2015 preseason and went on to miss seven games last season because of a variety of injuries.---Online:AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '