Takeaways: Gophers turn it on late to defeat Purdue 27-20

Trailing by seven points and outrushed 239 yards to 16 through three quarters, the Gophers didn’t have the look of a football team that would emerge victorious against Purdue on Saturday night at Huntington Bank Stadium.

Enter Drake Lindsey and then Koi Perich — seven seconds apart.

Lindsey led a must-have-it, 14-play, 70-yard drive and hit tight end Jameson Geers with a 4-yard touchdown pass that tied the score 20-20 with 7:47 left in the fourth quarter. On the very next play from scrimmage, Perich intercepted a pass from Purdue quarterback Ryan Browne intended for Nitro Tuggle and returned it 27 yards for the go-ahead touchdown, setting off a huge celebration by the homecoming crowd.

And after the Gophers defense turned Purdue aside on fourth down from the Minnesota 7 with 1:56 left, then withstood three passes in the final 15 seconds, the Gophers had a 27-20 victory.

“No ifs ands or buts about it, that was truly gutsy,” Gophers coach P.J. Fleck said. “It didn’t always go our way for a lot of different reasons. You’ve got to give Purdue a lot of credit for that.”

Jai’Onte McMillan broke up Browne’s fourth-down pass intended for Michael Jackson III at the goal line, ending the next-to-last Purdue threat.

In the final 15 seconds, Gophers cornerback John Nestor had a pass breakup, Browne threw incomplete under pressure from linebacker Matt Kingsbury and linebacker Emmanuel Karmo recovered a Purdue fumble on hook-and-ladder attempt as time expired.

“The fourth quarter and that drive, that’s where you find out who you are as a team,” Lindsey said. “Your leaders got to really step up, and you’ve got to get it done. We did a really good job being gritty.”

For Purdue (2-4, 0-3 Big Ten), Browne complete 21 of 40 passes for 203 yards with two interceptions. He also frustrated the Gophers defense by escaping the pocket and rushing eight times for 61 yards, including a 12-yard TD scramble in the second quarter. Devin Mockobee rushed 21 times for 98 yards but threw an interception on a halfback option pass deep in Minnesota territory.

The Gophers improved to 4-2 overall and 2-1 in the Big Ten, avoiding a two-game losing streak. They are 2-2 in games against teams from Power Four conferences. They are two victories from gaining bowl eligibility.

“There’s incredible fight in that locker room, coaches and players,” Fleck said. ”I’m just proud to be a part of it."

Perich’s pick-six, in which he faked a blitz and dropped back into coverage before leaping to snatch the ball, put a charge in the stadium and secured a key win for the Gophers.

With the Gophers trailing 10-0 early in the second quarter and gaining only one first down to that point, Taylor took a screen pass from Lindsey and weaved his way 40 yards to the Purdue 35. Two plays later, Brockington took a screen from Lindsey 24 yards for a touchdown.

“Darius’ screen really kind of uplifted us,” Fleck said. “And our defense, … they just kept responding. They kept us in that football game."

178-13 Purdue’s advantage in rushing yards in the first half, in which the Boilermakers built leads of 10-0 and 17-13.

The redshirt freshman quarterback had a key, fourth-and-2 scramble for 3 yards on the fourth-quarter drive that tied the score. Three plays later, Lindsey found Javon Tracy for a 16-yard gain to the Purdue 9. That set up his clutch TD pass to Geers.

“When we needed it most, if it was his arm or his legs, he was gonna get it done,” Perich said of Lindsey. “I have so much respect for him.”

Wide receiver Jalen Smith was shaken up in the second quarter and left the game but quickly returned. Brockington suffered a leg injury later in the third quarter and was examined in the medical tent. He returned to the game.

Gophers linebacker Maverick Baranowski was shaken up and left the field in the third quarter. Defensive back Garrison Monroe was helped off the field with an apparent leg injury in the third quarter.

Gophers vs. Nebraska, 7 p.m. Friday, Huntington Bank Stadium, FOX, 100.3-FM