BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — Indiana coach Curt Cignetti always believed in backup quarterback Grant Wilson.
asserted
Cignetti → believe → Wilson
When the seventh-year player got his chance Saturday, he delivered.
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he → get → chance
Wilson took over for the injured Josh Hoover in the second half and threw a 25-yard touchdown pass on the first play of overtime to help No. 4 Indiana rally for a 23-16 victory over Minnesota.
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Indiana → take → Minnesota
The defense closed out the win by sacking Minnesota quarterback Drake Lindsey on fourth down to end it.
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defense → close → it
“This is entertainment, so I thought we’d bring some entertainment to this game,” Cignetti joked.
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Cignetti → think → game
“Minnesota played great and we just made some plays, but this team just finds a way (to win).”
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team → play → way
Indiana (8-1, 5-1 Big Ten) needed overtime for the second straight week to avoid a damaging second loss as it tries to repeat as national champions.
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it → need → champions
Last week, the Hoosiers won 13-6 at Michigan.
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Hoosiers → win → Michigan
This one appeared to be over when the Golden Gophers (5-3, 3-2) took a 16-13 lead with 19 seconds left on Luke Drzewiecki’s career long 60-yard field goal.
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Gophers → appear → goal
But Becker’s 33-yard catch on the next play from scrimmage set up Paddy McAteer for a career-long 60-yarder to tie the score as time expired.
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time → set → score
It marked the second season in Big Ten history that multiple field goals of 60 or more yards were made — and it happened in the same game.
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it → mark → game
For Minnesota, it was a crushing blow after leading most of the game on the road and on national television.
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it → crush → television
Instead, the Gophers fell to 0-13 against defending national champs, and they still have beaten Top 25 opponents in back-to-back weeks since 1956.
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they → fall → 1956
“They made some big-time plays, and we did everything we could to put ourselves in position to win,” Gophers coach P.J. Fleck said.
uncertain
Fleck → make → position
“But our kids never blink, never back down.
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kids → blink → ?
We expected to win this game.
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We → expect → game
That’s a hurt locker room in there.”
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That → ’ → ?
Indiana pulled struggling starting quarterback Josh Hoover at halftime after he took a big shot on his second interception of the season, and two late replay reviews overturned potential game-winning situations — one erased a go-ahead TD pass, the other took away an interception that would have put Indiana deep in Minnesota territory with 2:59 left in regulation.
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2:59 → pull → regulation
Wilson was 9 of 17 for 156 yards and one score after Hoover went 8 of 19 for 119 yards with one TD and the interception in the first half.
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Hoover → go → half
Becker caught eight passes for 149 yards and the decisive score.
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Becker → catch → yards
Quarterback Drake Lindsey led Minnesota by going 20 of 37 with 120 yards and one TD.
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Lindsey → lead → yards
Javon Tracy had seven receptions for 40 yards.
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Tracy → have → yards
The Gophers played well enough defensively to give themselves a chance in a huge game.
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Gophers → play → game
But the two late pass coverage breakdowns proved costly, and an offense that finished with only 215 total yards couldn’t bail them out at the end.
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that → prove → end
While the offense struggled through a fourth straight game, one of the Football Bowl Subdivision’s stingiest continues to stand tall.
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one → struggle → Subdivision
But it’s a dangerous combination with November and the College Football Playoffs looming.
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November → ’ → ?
It started with a 5-yard running into the kicker penalty on the first punt of the game though Fleck argued it should have been a 15-yard roughing the kicker call.
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it → start → kicker
Billy Gowers’ punts of 15 and 27 yards in the first half set up Minnesota’s first two scores as the Gophers took a 10-7 halftime lead.
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Gophers → set → lead
And Nico Radicic had a 52-yard field goal blocked, missed a 31-yard field goal wide left and never got to try a 27-yarder with 9:11 left in regulation because of a bad snap.
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goal → have → snap
LB Rolijah Hardy hurt is back in pregame warmups and did not play.
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Hardy → hurt → warmups
Hoover started the game with an injured right shoulder and landed hard on the shoulder before his head bounced off the turf on the interception return.
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head → start → return
RB Turbo Richard did not return after leaving in the third quarter after hurting his left shoulder and CB A.J. Harris left with an undisclosed injury in the fourth.
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Harris → return → fourth
TE Julian Johnson was injured on an incomplete pass in the third quarter that left him on the ground for several minutes as his teammates took a knee.
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teammates → injure → knee
Eventually, he was helped off the field and went to the injury tent before going to the locker room.
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he → help → room
Up next
Minnesota: Hosts No. 7 UCLA next Saturday.
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Minnesota → host → UCLA
Indiana: Hosts Southern California on Nov. 14 following an off week.
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Indiana → host → week
The Aporia
