Drake Lindsey threw three touchdowns, including a go-ahead 4-yard score to Javon Tracy with 3:19 remaining as host Minnesota outlasted Rutgers for a 31-28 victory Saturday afternoon in Minneapolis.
Lindsey completed 31 of 41 passes for 324 yards and also threw TDs to Lemeke Brockington and Jalen Smith to help the Golden Gophers (3-1, 1-0 Big Ten) overcome an early 14-0 deficit.
His third TD capped a seven-play, 72-yard drive when Tracy made a leaping grab on second-and-4.
After Minnesota regained the lead, they held on at the end when Dane Pizzaro missed a potential tying 56-yard field goal with 17 seconds left.
Lindsey’s performance occurred on a day when Minnesota’s top-ranked defense gave up 387 yards, though the Golden Gopher defense also sacked former quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis seven times. The biggest of those sacks was a 15-yard loss on the final drive that made it third-and-25, and following a three-yard gain, Pizzaro’s field goal hooked left.
Lindsey connected with nine different receivers, including Smith who finished with 103 yards on four catches. Tracy’s TD capped a 54-yard performance for him.
Kaliakmanis, who played at Minnesota for two seasons before transferring, completed 21-of-34 passes for 249 yards. He completed his first nine passes and threw TDs to KJ Duff and DT Sheffield in the first half.
Antwan Raymond rushed for a career-high yards 161 yards on 26 attempts, and his 4-yard run put Rutgers (3-2, 0-2) up 28-24 with 11:28 remaining. That play came after Smith caught a tying TD and Brady Denaburg made a 26-yard field goal to give the Golden Gophers their first lead of the game, 24-21, with 11 seconds left in the third quarter.
Despite Jai Patel’s 22-yard field goal being blocked early on, Rutgers took a 14-0 lead on a 4-yard catch by Sheffield in the back of the end zone with 3:16 left in the first and Duff’s 14-yard grab through double coverage with 10:42 left in the second.
Fame Ijeboi scored from two yards out less than two minutes after Minnesota fell behind 14-0 as his run was set up by Jalen Smith’s 78-yard catch. Less than a minute later, the Golden Gophers capitalized on Kerry Brown’s 28-yard interception return and Brockington made a leaping 8-yard catch to forge a 14-14 tie.
Cam Davis was stopped on fourth-and-1 at the Rutgers 37 and Raymond scored from two yards out in the final minute to give the Scarlet Knights a 21-14 lead. The first half ended as Denaburg missed a 50-yard field goal.
