Indiana survives Minnesota scare with second straight overtime win to keep national title defense alive
Fourth-ranked Indiana beat Minnesota 23-16 in overtime, securing its second consecutive overtime win and keeping its national title defence on track. The defending champions trailed with 19 seconds left, but a late field goal forced overtime, where backup quarterback Grant Wilson connected with Charlie Becker for the winning touchdown.
Minnesota had taken a 16-13 lead on Luke Drzewiecki’s career-long 60-yard field goal; Indiana replied with Paddy McAteer’s own 60-yarder as time expired. Indiana replaced starting quarterback Josh Hoover at half-time after he threw an interception and took a heavy hit. Wilson threw for 156 yards and a touchdown, while Becker caught eight passes for 149 yards; Indiana next has a bye before hosting Southern California on 14 November.
In short
- Indiana beat Minnesota 23-16 in its second straight overtime game.
- Grant Wilson found Charlie Becker for the winning touchdown.
- Paddy McAteer’s 60-yard kick forced overtime as time expired.
Explained simply
Indiana is a university in Bloomington whose American football team competes in the Big Ten, a conference of major US universities. Minnesota, another Big Ten team, is based in Minneapolis. Their games are part of the college football season, which ends with a national championship.
Indiana are the defending national champions, so each win helps keep their title defence going. Quarterbacks lead the offence and throw passes to receivers such as Charlie Becker; Josh Hoover started this game, while Grant Wilson came on as his replacement.