Deep passes make surprising, important return to Gophers offense

Mitch Leidner completed only four passes for 22 yards in the first half Saturday. Concerns about the Gophers passing game heated up again.

But Leidner's passing provided the necessary spark in the second half as the Gophers rallied from a double-digit deficit for a 39-38 victory over Purdue.

He passed for 143 yards in the third quarter — mostly on three deep throws — to jump-start the offense and take pressure off running back David Cobb.

"We had three very, very critical plays throwing the football," Gophers coach Jerry Kill said. "Really, that was the difference in the ballgame."

Leidner finished with only 165 yards passing and misfired on a couple of short passes. But he displayed nice touch on his vertical throws in the third quarter.

On the first series of the half, he connected with Donovahn Jones on a 42-yard completion. That helped set up Leidner's 6-yard touchdown run to cut Purdue's lead to 31-26.

On the next possession, Leidner hit Isaac Fruechte for 45 yards. That led to a Ryan Santoso field goal.

"We needed to pass because the running game, they kind of picked up on that," Maye said. "We had to switch it up a little bit. We were down, so we had to make some big plays in the passing game."

It was unexpected development. The Gophers have used more quick, high-percentage passes since Leidner returned from injury. Offensive coordinator Matt Limegrover took a different approach in the third quarter and Leidner made the most of his opportunities.

"I think it was a great spark for everyone," said Leidner, who also rushed for 84 yards. "After the first one, we knew we were going to be able do some things down field to these guys. Luckily, we were able to just keep taking shots at them and they were successful."

Their ability to add a vertical threat should help loosen up defenses focused on stopping Cobb's running, if Leidner can connect on those plays consistently.