Takeaways: Drake Lindsey plays hero in Gophers’ win over Michigan State

The Gophers weren’t exactly an offensive juggernaut on Saturday.

Through the better part of the second half, they had mustered only 56 yards after intermission as Michigan State overcame a 10-point halftime deficit, taking a 17-10 lead with 1:52 left in the fourth quarter.

Drake Lindsey and Co. picked the right time to find their stride.

Lindsey, the redshirt freshman starting quarterback, capped a tying touchdown drive with a 2-yard QB sneak in the final two minutes and scored the winning TD on a 3-yard bootleg in overtime as the Gophers edged the Spartans 23-20 at Huntington Bank Stadium.

“I want to thank all of our fans for sticking around, hanging there with us,” Gophers coach P.J. Fleck said of the announced crowd of 45,339. “If you happened to leave, you missed the heck of an ending. If I had said Drake Lindsey is going to run it in for a touchdown win in overtime, you probably would have taken the under.”

The response was big late.

After Michigan State’s Elijah Tau-Tolliver broke free for an 85-yard run that set up Brandon Tullis’ 1-yard touchdown plunge with 1:52 left, Lindsey led a nine-play, 65-yard drive, knotting the score 17-17 on his sneak with 29 seconds left.

Michigan State settled for Martin Connington’s 36-yard field goal and a 20-17 lead. Minnesota got a key stop on third down when QB Alessio Milivojevic threw incomplete. Originally, Gophers safety Kerry Brown was called for pass interference on the play, but officials conferred and wiped out the penalty.

In their possession in OT, the Gophers got a first down when Le’Meke Brockington drew a pass interference call on Malcolm Bell in the end zone, setting up Minnesota at the 4. After two Fame Ijeboi rushes for 1 yard, the Gophers faced third-and-goal from the 3.

“Twenty-four blast,” Fleck said of offensive coordinator Greg Harbaugh Jr.’s play call. “Drake, keep it.”

Lindsey, 6-5 and 230 pounds and not known for his speed, spun to his left after a play-action fake and just reached the pylon before defenders could knock him back. The play was reviewed and confirmed, setting off a celebration by the players and fans.

Listening to his coaches talk through his helmet communications, Lindsey knew the call. “Here we go,” he said. “I had to make something happen, and then I just went for the pylon.”

The Gophers took a 10-0 first-half lead when Ijeboi, playing in place of the injured Darius Taylor, found a hole, cut back to the left and raced 49 yards to the Spartans’ 14. Lindsey found Jalen Smith for a 13-yard gain to the 1 on third-and-10, aided by a rugby scrum push. Ijeboi took it in from the 1 for a 7-0 lead with 2:24 left in the first quarter.

Brady Denaburg added a 30-yard field goal but missed a 33-yard attempt just before halftime. Ijeboi finished with 108 yards on 17 carries. Lindsey completed 26 of 39 passes for 197 yards.

Michigan State (3-6, 0-6 Big Ten) got a 71-yard TD pass from Milivojevic to Rodney Bullard II and the 85-yard burst by Tau-Tolliver. Milivojevic completed 20 of 28 passes for 311 yards.

With their sixth victory, the Gophers qualified for a bowl for the seventh time in Fleck’s nine years in Minnesota. They still have a chance to upgrade their postseason destination — i.e., avoid a trip to Detroit — if they can win a couple of more games in a schedule that finishes at Oregon, at Wrigley Field vs. Northwestern and at home vs. Wisconsin.

“We know we have to play better,” Fleck said. ”But the goal was to be 1-0 [this week], and we’ll handle how we got to 1-0 later. But we got to 1-0 and we’re all celebrating.”

Gophers at No. 6 Oregon | Friday, Nov. 14 | 8 p.m. | Autzen Stadium | FOX, 100.3-FM

Minnesota ventures to Eugene, Ore., for the first time to take on an Oregon team that’s in the running for a College Football Playoff berth.