Indiana needed overtime, a late rally and a little bit of everything else to escape Minnesota with a 23-16 win at Memorial Stadium in front of 54,695 fans.
The Hoosiers never made it easy on themselves. They opened with two drives that produced just two total yards, then finally got moving after Byron Baldwin Jr. sacked Minnesota quarterback Drake Lindsey and forced a fumble. Indiana took over deep in Gophers territory and made the most of it in two plays, with Josh Hoover hitting Nick Marsh for a 9-yard touchdown that put IU ahead 7-3 at the 6:42 mark of the first quarter.
From there, though, the game turned messy. Indiana struggled to sustain anything on offense, and special teams problems kept piling up.
Minnesota took advantage with a trick play in the second quarter, using a flea flicker on 1st and 10 from the IU 39-yard line. Lindsey found Roman Voss for a deep touchdown, and the Gophers grabbed a 10-7 lead that left the Memorial Stadium crowd stunned.
Indiana’s offense got a different look to start the third quarter, with Hoover benched and Grant Wilson taking over. Wilson’s first drive stalled before midfield, but his second one finally produced points.
The Hoosiers moved to the Minnesota 30-yard line, and Nico Radicic tied the game with a 46-yard field goal at the 2:13 mark of the third quarter. It was Radicic’s first make of the afternoon after his first attempt was blocked and his second missed.
Minnesota answered with a 51-yard field goal from Luke Drzewiecki to go up 13-10, and Indiana looked ready to respond. Wilson connected with Charlie Becker for 47 yards to get the Hoosiers to the Minnesota 28, then Lee Beebe Jr. added a 13-yard run to push IU into the red zone.
On third and 9, Wilson appeared to find Shazz Preston for a touchdown, but the play was overturned on review. That sent Indiana to a field goal try, and the snap was fumbled before the kick could even get away, handing the ball back to Minnesota with 9:11 remaining.
The final minute brought even more drama. Drzewiecki drilled a 60-yard field goal to put Minnesota ahead 16-13 with 19 seconds left.
Indiana still had one answer. Wilson hit Becker for 33 yards on the first play of the drive, and after the Hoosiers failed to stop the clock, McAteer came on and buried a 60-yard field goal as time expired to force overtime.
Once the extra period began, Indiana wasted no time. Wilson and Becker connected on a 25-yard touchdown on the first play, giving the Hoosiers the lead. Minnesota then drove to the IU 3-yard line and faced fourth and goal, but Tobi Osunsanmi sacked Lindsey on the final play to seal the win.
Wilson finished the second half 9 of 17 for 156 yards and a touchdown. Becker had eight catches for 149 yards and a touchdown, Marsh added four catches for 59 yards and a score, and Beebe Jr. ran 15 times for 84 yards.
Defensively, Baldwin Jr., Osunsanmi, Jeff Utzinger and Mario Landino each recorded a sack. Preston Zachman led Indiana with nine tackles, including one for loss. The Hoosiers held Minnesota to 215 total yards and 3.6 yards per play.
Indiana is off next week before returning in Week 11 against USC at Memorial Stadium.
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No. 4 Indiana Escaped Another Scare And Fans Know Why
Another tense afternoon at Memorial Stadium ended with Indiana finding just enough to survive, as the Hoosiers slipped past Minnesota 23-16 in overtime. It was the kind of game that had plenty of clean chances to get away from them, but instead turned into a grind filled with turnovers, special teams miscues and long stretches where neither offense could find much rhythm.
Indiana still had to lean on timely execution late, including a field goal that tied the game and forced overtime after the Hoosiers had spent much of the day trading punches with a stubborn Minnesota team. Josh Hoover and Grant Wilson both helped move scoring drives along, but the bigger takeaway for Indiana fans was familiar: this team keeps finding ways to escape, even when the margin for error disappears. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana Spotlight Weekend Included A Brutal Near Miss Fans Wont Forget
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This time, though, the payoff never came, and the near miss was the kind fans will remember because it felt so close. The segment still closed with a splash of Indiana flavor, as special guest Isiah Thomas joined in to make his picks ahead of the Hoosiers Big Ten game, but the missed kicks left Bloomington with a little extra sting and a lot of what-if conversation. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana Heads Into Bye Week With A Quarterback Problem Fans Noticed
Indiana got through Minnesota 23-16 in overtime, but the win came with enough rough edges to keep the bye week busy. Special teams mistakes helped make things harder than they needed to be, and the offense never found much rhythm before the Hoosiers leaned on their defense to keep the game within reach and eventually finish it off.
Grant Wilson took over for Josh Hoover at quarterback after halftime, a move that changed the feel of the offense and ultimately produced the game-winning touchdown in overtime. Even with the result in hand, the quarterback situation is now one of the biggest questions on the table as Indiana heads into a week off with plenty to sort through. [Read more 🡒]