Rachel Blount: Groggy Decker's toughness is key to Gophers' victory

The Gophers had just taken the field to start Saturday's fourth quarter when Adam Weber, in some apparent confusion, signaled for a timeout as the play clock hit zero. The snap came anyway, bouncing around the backfield while the television broadcast switched to a much prettier scene: computer simulations of the new TCF Bank Stadium being built a couple of miles away.

For stretches of their 16-7 victory over Indiana, watching an imaginary tour of a stadium under construction seemed more appealing than witnessing what was happening at the Metrodome. One man, though, commanded attention every time he stepped on the turf. On the first play after that wasted time out, Eric Decker hauled in a tough catch for a 15-yard gain and a first down, one of the 13 passes he caught for 190 yards.

That scene replayed itself over and over. The Gophers would commit a turnover, or allow Weber to be sacked, or fail to give their running backs any room to operate.

Those stumbles ignited groans that echoed off the wide swaths of empty seats. Then Decker's sure hands would keep a drive going and defuse the frustration while he tied the school record for most catches in a game.

The junior from Cold Spring has become so valuable to his team that Decker sat out only one series after that fourth-quarter grab. Two Hoosiers converged on him, knocking him silly with a blow to the helmet. He staggered off the field, cleared his head and finished the game, surprising exactly none of his teammates.

"He's a tough guy, and it was great to see him come back," said Weber, who put nearly 60 percent of his completions into Decker's hands Saturday. "Eric puts the team on his back and says, 'Throw me the ball.' He'll find a way to get open. That's a testament to a good player, a good wide receiver and a good competitor."

Decker managed to hang onto the ball knowing he was about to be crunched by two defenders. The details were a little fuzzy, naturally, but he estimated he was knocked unconscious for a few seconds.

"I was dizzy, and I have a headache," said Decker, whose 190 receiving yards were the third-highest total in Gophers history. "I'll be fine. I'm a little banged up, but that's the nature of the game.

"I did ask to come back in. I try to do anything I can for the team, and I want to win just as bad as anyone. I wanted to be out there with the team."

Decker wasn't the only casualty Saturday. Defensive coordinator Ted Roof said mascot Goldy Gopher rolled his ankle coming into the Metrodome, but on a day when the Gophers got their first Big Ten victory under coach Tim Brewster, the rodent bravely soldiered on. So did Weber, who hobbled off on a gimpy leg after the team's first series.

Decker worried more about his quarterback's health than his own. Weber hung tough under intense pressure and found Decker five times in the first quarter for 49 yards and four of his team's six first downs. In the third, as Weber was being chased, he saw Decker slip behind cornerback Chris Adkins and hit him with a 53-yard strike that set up the winning field goal.

On the Gophers' two scoring drives of the quarter, the pair accounted for 93 yards and four first downs. After Decker's injury, he even absorbed a hit from one of his own -- wide receiver Ralph Spry crashed into him while going for a ball -- and still stayed in.

Woozy as he was, Decker stayed lucid enough to put the proper spin on this victory. The Gophers allowed many scoring opportunities to slip away and must improve to have a chance against better Big Ten competition.

If he clears a medical examination he expected to have late Saturday night, Decker is certain to be a target for defenses as well as for Weber. Decker admitted he relishes the situation and has told his coaches he wants the ball, wants to carry the Gophers as much as he can. They would be wise to keep giving him the opportunity -- and maybe a bottle of aspirin, just for good measure.

"I had a couple of concussions in high school," Decker said. "Shoot, I just get up and keep going."