MINNEAPOLIS -- With only four weeks left in the race, the West Division is thick with contenders for a trip to the Big Ten championship game.Minnesota has crept into the crowd, despite losing the first two conference games, with a boost from a soft middle of the schedule. Theres just one more game to win before the Gophers can dive into a daunting yet potentially stirring finish, but they simply cant afford to let daydreams of a December game in Indianapolis and being heavy favorites at home distract them from playing Purdue on Saturday.If we dont take it one game at a time its not going to happen, linebacker Nick Rallis said.The Gophers (6-2, 3-2) narrowly beat struggling Rutgers at home two weeks ago, but they sandwiched that one with convincing wins on the road over Maryland and most recently Illinois . Not having Michigan or Ohio State on the schedule this season has been a benefit to the Gophers, one they neednt apologize for after going through a gauntlet of top-20 teams last year. The breather would be wasted if they dont beat the Boilermakers (3-5, 1-4), though, because games at Nebraska and Wisconsin are looming the rest of the month along with a home matchup against Northwestern.Many of the Gophers have vivid memories of a 39-38 victory over Purdue at TCF Bank Stadium in 2014 , when they needed a 52-yard field goal to take the lead late in the fourth quarter after rallying from a 31-20 halftime deficit. Purdues skill-position speed overwhelmed Minnesota that afternoon, and that Gophers team in 2014 fared better than any other in the past 12 seasons.Two years ago they came in here and had me scrambling, said Minnesota coach Tracy Claeys, who was the defensive coordinator at the time. He added: So were going have to make sure were ready, or we wont win.Here are some key angles to know about the game:AIRING IT OUT: Purdue quarterback David Blough leads the Big Ten with 2,346 yards passing, averaging close to 300 yards per game. Hes been intercepted 12 times, but the Boilermakers remain the same threat to produce long gains and score quickly like they were while dicing up Minnesotas defense in 2014. DeAngelo Yancey has 557 yards and six touchdowns .Some good athletes, Claeys said. Were going to have to have a great job of tackling.PIRSIG HEALING: Minnesota right tackle Jonah Pirsig, who has missed the last three games with a sprained ankle, was cleared to practice this week and could return to the lineup. Garrison Wright had switched from left tackle to fill in for Pirsig.Hes really excited and itching to get back in the huddle, quarterback Mitch Leidner said.INTERIM STRUGGLE: Interim coach Gerad Parker has had a rough start for Purdue since replacing the fired Darrell Hazell. The Boilermakers lost Parkers first two games, both to ranked opponents, by a combined score of 89-38. The bigger picture presents some hope for the 35-year-old former wide receivers coach, however. Four coaches have held the interim or acting tag in program history, and the three who filled in for more than one game all won at least three times.I think to have this position now and in the future, wherever it may be, Parker said, I embrace it because this is what Ive been called to do.BACK HOME: Freshman Brian Lankford-Johnson, Purdues second-leading rusher, is a native Minnesotan who played at Cretin-Derham Hall High School in St. Paul before moving to Florida to finish his prep career. He carried the ball 18 times for 127 yards and a touchdown last month in a win at Illinois.Hes a talented guy that deserves and will have a great career here, Parker said, but hes also got to learn how to do it all the time.THIRTY SOMETHING: Purdue has struggled under new defensive coordinator Ross Els. In the first eight games, the Boilermakers have allowed more than 30 points five times. Now they have to rebound from one of the worst performances in program history, having given up 45 second-half points to now-20th-ranked Penn State in a 62-24 rout at Ross-Ade Stadium. To be competitive against the Gophers, the Boilermakers must make some dramatic improvements.---For more college football coverage: http://www.collegefootball.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-Top25 Roshes Shoes For Sale . The 43-year-old closer, in his 19th and final big league season, has said hed like to play the outfield. Yankees manager Joe Girardi says hes thinking about allowing Rivera to do it this weekend, when the Yankees finish their season with a three-game series at the Houston Astros. Nike Roshes Cheap Online . MLS Commissioner Don Garber and Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez also will attend the session, which was announced Monday. The league has discussed placing its next two expansion teams in Miami and Atlanta. http://www.cheapnikeroshe.com/ . -- 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 . Cheap Nike Roshe Shoes . Vancouver Whitecaps and Toronto FC failed to make the postseason while Montreal Impact fell at the first hurdle losing heavily to Houston Dynamo in the Eastern Conference Knockout Round. Roshes On Sale . After Mondays hard-fought loss, the wait seemed longer than usual. Getting set to go their separate ways for a short Christmas break, the Raptors coach credited his team for their effort on a seemingly impossible three-game road trip, urging them to build on that success when they get back to work at the end of the week. On Sunday,?Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton?made it clear he is unhappy with the way he has been officiated, and the numbers prove he has a point. Newton hasnt drawn an accepted roughing the passer penalty since the 2014 season, according to ESPN Stats & Information data. And while Newton is the most contacted quarterback in the NFL over the past two seasons because of designed runs and scrambles, he isnt even getting the calls when hes a traditional passer.Newton has endured 59 hits inside the pocket over the past 1? seasons, the ninth-highest number in the league. And yet, notable quarterbacks who have been hit a similar number of times have gotten far more calls over that span --?Drew Brees (10 roughing the passer calls), Tom Brady (five), Jameis Winston (five),?Aaron Rodgers (four),?Russell Wilson (three) and Matt Ryan (two).Sure, some quarterbacks such as Brady, Rodgers and Winston?will embellish these hits and sell the penalty on contact. Thats part of the act. But similar to?Andrew Luck and Ben Roethlisberger, Newtons rare size for the position (hes listed at 6-foot-5, 245 pounds) often leads to officials treating him less like a quarterback when hes inside the pocket.?Need proof? Lets look at some examples of roughing calls that were blatantly missed on Newton and compare those hits to some that were flagged with a few of the top names at the position.Blow to the head/neck inside of the pocketIn the Week 1 opener versus the Denver Broncos, Newton took some serious hits from Wade Phillips defense. And that did create some conversation about how the league can do more to protect Newton when he is inside of the pocket.Again, Im not talking about designed runs or scrambles. When Newton tucks the ball down, he knows he wont get any special treatment from the officials. But when he is dropping back to pass, Newton should be officiated the same as any other quarterback, with an emphasis on protecting passers from late hits and blows to the head/neck area.?Heres an example from that Week 1 matchup with Broncos outside linebacker?Shaquil Barrett contacting Newtons helmet after the ball was released:With Barrett following through to rake down on the arm of Newton (a technique taught to pass-rushers at every level), he makes contact to the side of the helmet. By rule, that should be called. What really stands out from this play? With referee Gene Steratore in clean view of the contact, Barrett is still permitted to wrangle Newtons neck, with no flag being thrown.The comp: Tom BradyLets take a look at how officials treated Brady in Week 3 last season, when?the quarterbacks helmet/face mask gets contacted on an inside the pocket throw:Jaguars defensive lineman Jared Odrick?is running an?inside pressure stunt here. And like all defenders, hes taught to get a hand up when you cant get home to the quarterback. That still creates an opportunity to disrupt the throw or to bat the ball down. However, Odrick follows through and makes contact to Bradys helmet/face mask. Thats football, but its still a clear violation of the rules. And, unlike Newton, Brady gets the call.Hit below the kneesWhen quarterbacks plant their front foot to throw, they have to be protected. We are talking about serious knee and ankle injuries when defenders go low on contact or chop down through the thigh boards of quarterbacks in the pocket.?This rule is in place for a reason.During the Panthers Week 8 win over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, Newton took a shot below the knees from Calais Campbell that looked nasty -- and illegal -- in real time. This is the hit that had Newton so riled up after the game:When we watch this play again, two things are clear: Campbell was not pushed into Newton by a blocker, which would have negated a penalty; and Campbell goes below the knees on contact. That puts Newton in an adverse position when he releases the ball. Think of the stress being put on his knee when he is folded back. As the quarterback said after the game: I could have torn an ACL. That was the breaking point for me. This was an easy call to make, and the officials whiffed again.ddddddddddddhe comp: Aaron RodgersIn Week 10 of the 2015 season, Rodgers took almost the same hit from Detroit Lions defensive end Ezekiel Ansah. Take a look:The initial contact from Ansah is a little higher when compared with Campbell, but we are seeing the same action on the wrap/finish from the Lions defensive end. And just like Newton, Rodgers is in a position where his knee/ankle is at risk. He gets folded under and is lucky to escape without a busted-up knee. But the difference here is that Rodgers gets the call, as he should, according to the rules.Helmet to the chestWeve all seen quarterbacks get calls that straddle the line between legal and illegal. And as a former defensive player, I always felt quarterbacks would, more often than not, get the benefit of the doubt. The hit below -- levied last season by former Giants defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins?on Newton -- falls within that grey area. Personally, I think this is good football and a legal blow. Jenkins avoided contact to the quarterbacks head/neck and used his pads to deliver a blow to Newtons shoulder/midsection:A big hit? No doubt. Jenkins does drop the crown of his helmet a bit on contact, but with Newton opening his chest to throw the ball, the Giants defensive tackle is in the proper position to deliver a shot to the target zone.But you and I both know that a ton of quarterbacks of Newtons stature get borderline calls like this, especially ones that look so violent at full speed.The comp: Russell WilsonLast season, Wilson took a shot from Rams defensive end Robert Quinn?in the season-opener that was in that same grey area:You could argue that Quinn is too high on contact, but he is targeting the shoulder pad of Wilson as the quarterback releases the ball. I see this as a clean hit, with a wrap on contact. But as we so often see, Wilson gets the superstar treatment from the official watching on. Quinn gets dinged for roughing the passer on a hit that looked pretty similar to the one Newton took versus the Giants.Helmet-to-helmet contactIn todays league, helmet-to-helmet contact is almost an automatic call. We see it every Sunday with wide receivers and defensive backs on throws in the middle of the field. Defenders have been forced to adjust and lower the target zone.The helmet-to-helmet emphasis usually gets ratcheted up to another level when a quarterback is on the other end of the blow. But Newton got no such treatment on this?Von Miller?strip/sack in Super Bowl 50:Miller wins on the edge and has a clear path to Newton. But instead of lowering his target zone and going for the strip, Miller leads with his helmet and makes clear contact to the head of Newton. In real time, I didnt really notice it given the magnitude of this play. Miller gets the ball out, and the Broncos recover it in the end zone to push their lead to 10-0 over the Panthers in the first quarter. Its a heck of an all-around play from Miller to win off the edge and get the ball out. But when we go back and focus on how the league is officiating Newton, this is a bad miss for the league on the games biggest stage.The comp: Aaron RodgersIn Week 15 last season, Rodgers took a helmet-to-helmet shot from Cardinals defensive back Jerraud Powers. The crown of the helmet drops and Powers make contact with Rodgers headgear/face mask:With Rodgers helmet coming off at the end of his play, the refs are going to throw the flag. Even without seeing the initial hit, that sight alone is going to draw a penalty on Powers. But this goes back to the discussion on Newton. We can say that the Powers hit is more violent, and he catches some of the face mask on contact. Maybe that makes is a more clear call for the refs before the Packers quarterback loses his lid on the turf. But as Rodgers gets another call, Newton is left to wonder why the league isnt giving him the same protection as the rest of the top quarterbacks in the NFL. 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