The Minnesota Golden Gophers are winners of three straight in the Big Ten.

And now, they have their sights set at trying to upset the Big Ten West. Next opponent is Purdue at 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday.

We talked to TheGopherReports.com's E.J. Stevens to get his take on the Golden Gophers.

GoldandBlack.com: Minnesota has won three straight in the Big Ten after dropping its first two. What has it done better during the winning streak?

Stevens: "The schedule has certainly helped out as Maryland, Rutgers and Illinois are definitely not on the same level as Penn State and Iowa.

"But the Gophers have relied heavily upon running backs Rodney Smith and Shannon Brooks to carry the load over the past three games. In their three Big Ten wins they have combined to rush for 587 yards and five touchdowns. The offensive line has been playing good football as well, consistently opening holes for the running backs and allowing them to get to the second and third levels of the defense.

"The defense has shown improvement when they are at full strength and starting cornerback KiAnte Hardin is in the lineup. He has played two out of the last three games but has missed four games this season with a suspension. They have done a good job forcing turnovers as well. They are No. 1 in the Big Ten in takeaways with 18 on the season, with 10 of those takeaways have come in the last three games, which has been huge, as well. They have only turned the ball over twice in that span."

GoldandBlack.com: The Golden Gophers rushing offense has been outstanding, but the passing offense has lagged behind. Can Minnesota continue to win with unbalance? What has made Minnesota's running game so dynamic that it can so heavily carry the load?

Stevens: "The offensive line is drastically improved from a year ago. Running backs Brooks and Smith have been terrific as well and they consistently make the first defender miss. Smith is well on his way to All-Big Ten accolades this fall as he is just 199 yards away from 1,000 and already has 10 touchdowns on the ground. Brooks and Smith are clearly Minnesota's two best offensive weapons and it is not really even close.

"The Gophers have struggled to throw at times this season because the receivers have been unable to consistently get separation. Couple that with quarterback Mitch Leidner's accuracy being a bit inconsistent and you get a passing game without much firepower at all. I think Minnesota will be able to run the ball well against Purdue, but they are going to need to find some sort of passing game in the coming weeks if they hope to compete for the Big Ten West crown."

GoldandBlack.com: How would you describe Leidner's play?

Stevens: "Leidner is a redshirt senior and through seven games (that he has played in) has thrown for five touchdowns at a 57.5-percent completion rate, so you can say his play has left a bit to be desired. To his defense, he really has no deep threat or explosive playmakers, and last week there were a couple untimely drops that would have led to first downs. But on times where he has had guys open, his accuracy has been suspect. Last week he had 6-foot-10 tight end Nate Wozniak wide open over the middle eight yards away. It was a very makeable throw and he threw it at the kneecaps of the huge tight end, who had to make a great catch to keep the drive going. He also checks down at times where there really isn't a ton of pressure and there are guys open downfield. I guess a check down is better than a turnover, and that is what he is trying to prevent. There are five to six games left in Leidner's Gopher career, and he will have to take his game up a notch if this team wants to achieve its lofty goals."

GoldandBlack.com: How does the loss of Brian Smith, who was dismissed from the team this week, affect Minnesota?

Stevens: "Smith was the No. 2 receiver on this team and had been performing pretty well before last week. The former walk-on from Milwaukee is a big target at 6-3 with normally reliable hands. He had 17 catches for 259 yards and a touchdown this season. Where he struggled at times was against man-to-man coverage and creating enough separation to beat his man and make a play. He had his best game on the road this season against Penn State, where he had his first career game with over 100 yards receiving.

"Minnesota will have to replace him with guys like redshirt junior Eric Carter (two catches, 17 yards) and true freshman Tyler Johnson (13 catches, 116 yards, one touchdown). Carter is a smaller and quicker receiver while Johnson has good hands and is reliable in the short to intermediate passing game."

GoldandBlack.com: The defensive numbers speak for themselves — only 22 points allowed per game — but what do the Gophers do well in slowing the opponent? Minnesota's front, and its ability to get into the backfield, has been impressive.

Stevens: "The defense has been better than expected at stopping the run this season. Minnesota is fourth in the Big Ten in stopping the run this season behind only Wisconsin, Michigan and Ohio State. Rutgers probably had the most success all year running on Minnesota. Iowa struggled most of the day against the Gophers to run the ball before finally breaking a big run in the fourth quarter to take the lead for good and win the game. The 18 turnovers Minnesota has forced this year has allowed their defense to get off the field quicker as well. They have forced a league-high 18 fumbles this season and have done an excellent job falling on the loose footballs to get their offense back on the field.

"The secondary has been up and down, but in the four games in which cornerbacks Hardin and Ray Buford have been able to play in, the pass defense has been much more difficult to throw on. Defensive Coordinator Jay Sawvel loves to mix up the personnel and blitz packages to confuse offenses and find ways to get to the quarterback. He was the former defensive backs coach who was promoted to his current position when Tracy Claeys got the head job this year. Their 19 sacks are tied for fourth in the Big Ten. In 2015, they had just 22 on the whole season."

GoldandBlack.com: What do you think we'll see on Saturday?

Stevens: "From the Gophers offense, I expect to see much of the same as the last three games with Rodney Smith and Brooks being used frequently out of the backfield. I also expect to see a couple more bubble screens and quick passes to guys like Drew Wolitarsky and Carter to get the passing game in rhythm and Leidner's confidence up for the home stretch of the season. Purdue will be able to move the ball a bit on this defense, especially if Hardin and Buford are held out of the game this weekend.

"Blough will go to the air early and often and will most likely throw for 240-280 yards. The Gopher defense will force two turnovers and Minnesota will fight off a late surge from the Boilermakers to win 38-24."

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