Aidan O’Connel is reportedly expected to start against No. 21 Minnesota after sitting out last week against Florida Atlantic with an upper-body injury. ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported the news.

The Boilermakers barely escaped last week with a win after FAU scored a touchdown with 5 minutes left to bring the Owls within 2 points, but a failed 2-point conversion helped Purdue keep the lead.

The Boilermakers had just 166 passing yards in O’Connell’s absence.

Throughout 3 games, O’Connell was one of the top passers in the country in terms of yards with 1,000 while adding 8 touchdowns and just 1 interception.

O’Connell had 3,712 yards passing last season with 28 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, leading Purdue to an impressive 9-4 record, including win over No. 2 Iowa and No. 5 Michigan State.

The Boilermakers have been off to a shaky start this season, however. Purdue has a 2-2 record including some very close losses to Penn State and Syracuse. Getting O’Connell back is crucial as Purdue enters the bulk of its B1G action.