Hoosiers Top Gophers 51-43
Loss Snaps Minnesota's 3-Game Win Streak
Following last week's emotional win at Ohio State, which vaulted No. 22 Minnesota (5-3, 3-2) into a four-way tie for first place in the Big Ten conference, Gophers coach Glen Mason said that his team had to be concerned about the Hoosiers and their elusive quarterback. Randle El rushed for two scores and threw a pair of touchdowns Saturday, leading Indiana (3-4, 2-2) to a 51-43 victory at Memorial Stadium.
He also recovered an on-side kick late in the fourth quarter, dashing the Gophers' hopes for a final shot at the endzone.
Indiana's combination of running back Levron Williams and Randle El plagued the Gophers throughout the game. Williams rushed for three touchdowns off pitches from Randle El.
Randle El (pictured, left), who rushed for 207 yards and passed for 200 yards in two previous games against Minnesota, opened the scoring when he threw a 24-yard touchdown strike to Versie Gaddis at 10:42 of the first quarter. Last week against Michigan, Randle El became only the second player in major college history to pass for at least 5,000 yards and rush for 2,000 yards in a career.
Minnesota got on the board with 3:37 remaining in the first quarter when sophomore Dan Nystrom kicked a 23-yard field goal.
Indiana's Andy Payne booted a 53-yard field goal to give the Hoosiers a 10-3 lead just before the end of the first quarter. The Hoosiers took a 17-3 lead early in the second quarter on Randle El's second touchdown pass of the first half. Dewayne Hogan reeled in a 47-yard scoring pass from Randle El at 12:17 of the second quarter.
Nystrom narrowed the deficit to 17-6 with a 24-yard field goal at 4:44 of the second quarter, but Williams answered for Indiana. Williams scampered 24 yards for a touchdown with just more than four minutes remaining before the half.
Minnesota climbed back into the game by scoring 23 unanswered points. Ron Johnson (pictured, left), who caught eight passes for 163 yards and a touchdown last week against Ohio State, ignited the Gophers' comeback. Quarterback Travis Cole connected with Johnson on an 82-yard touchdown pass, trimming the Hoosiers' lead to 24-13.
Nystrom added his third field goal, a 20-yard boot, with 38 seconds remaining to make the score 24-16 at halftime.
The Gophers continued the onslaught at the start of the third quarter with a key play on special teams. Jermaine Mays returned the opening kickoff of the second half 100 yards for a touchdown. The two-point conversion attempt failed.
Minnesota took its first lead of the game on a five-yard touchdown run by Cole, who scrambled away from the Hoosiers defense and dove into the endzone. The score was set up after a pass interference call against Indiana.
Randle El responded on the ensuing drive with a 41-yard run to Minnesota's 5-yard line. The Gophers defense thwarted the drive when Karon Riley (pictured, right) dropped into pass coverage and intercepted a pass in the endzone.
The interception was Minnesota's fourth of the season.
Cole found Johnson in the middle of the field for a 40-yard gain, but the Gophers failed to capitalize on the turnover when Nystrom's field goal attempt sailed wide. The 35-yard miss brought Nystrom's field goal streak to an end at 13 -- one short of the school record he set last year.
The Hoosiers grabbed a 30-29 lead late in the third quarter. Williams took a pitch 36 yards down the left sideline. The two-point conversion attempted failed.
Minnesota's defense struggled to contain Randle El in the fourth quarter. He ran for a series of gains before Williams padded Indiana's lead with his third touchdown run. Randle El attracted a wave of Gopher defenders before pitching to Williams, who bolted 13 yards down the right sideline, giving the Hoosiers a 37-29 lead with 12:28 remaining.
Minnesota marched 80 yards on 12 plays on the next drive. Another pass interference and a fourth-down conversion near midfield allowed Minnesota to maintain the scoring drive.
The pass interference call moved the ball to Indiana's 10 yard line. A holding penalty pushed Minnesota back to the 15, but Cole connected with Redmon in the endzone on fourth-and-17.
Indiana preserved a 37-35 lead when Devin Schaffer sacked Cole on a two-point conversion attempt.
Riley delivered another key play when he forced a fumble later in the quarter. Minnesota's Greg White recovered the ball in Indiana territory, but Cole threw his second interception of the season three plays later.
Randle El bobbed and weaved for a 35-yard gain to help Indiana put the game away. The run set up his 3-yard touchdown run, giving the Hoosiers a 44-35 lead at 4:30. A heavy hit forced Cole to fumble on the Gophers' next possession, and Randle El scored on a 1-yard touchdown plunge.
Reserve quarterback Asad Abdul-Khaliq led the Gophers on a six-play, 62-yard scoring drive that consumed only 52 seconds. Abdul-Khaliq capped the drive with a 4-yard touchdown run. His two-point conversion pass to Ryan Keller closed the scoring.
Randle El finished with 263 yards passing. He rushed 27 times for 217 yards. Indiana gained 366 yards on the ground, including 134 from Williams.
The two teams combined for almost 1,100 yards total offense, including a career-high 473 by Randle El.
The teams combined for 94 points, the highest game total involving the Golden Gophers since Nebraska defeated Minnesota 84-13 in 1983.
Tellis Redmon rushed for 103 yards -- his fourth straight game of 100-plus yards.
