The Gophers tried a passing play late in the first half of Saturday’s game against Purdue, and it backfired, helping give the Boilermakers a 28-23 lead after two quarters.
Leading 23-21, Minnesota forced a Purdue punt and took over at its own 23-yard line with 15 seconds remaining in the half. In recent years, the Gophers have been very cautious in those situations. This time, quarterback Mitch Leidner tried to hit Drew Wolitarsky with a pass, and they appeared to have a miscommunication.
Defensive back Antonio Blackman grabbed the interception and returned it to the 2-yard line with five seconds remaining. Purdue stayed aggressive, and David Blough threw his fourth touchdown pass of the half, this one to Brycen Hopkins.
There were loud boos at TCF Bank Stadium, as the Gophers went to the locker room.
All of that overshadowed a big first half for Gophers kicker Emmit Carpenter, who hit field goals from 52, 53 and 28 yards. He is the first Gophers kicker to hit multiple field goals of at least 50 yards since Adam Bailey hit from 52 and 50 yards against Penn State in 1997.
