After dueling late 60-yard field goals, No. 4 Indiana escapes Minnesota's upset bid in OT

On a nightmarish special teams day, Indiana got an incredible kick to avoid a second loss of the season.

Seconds after Minnesota kicker Luke Drzewiecki hit a go-ahead 60-yard field goal to put the Gophers up 16-13, Paddy McAteer drained a kick of the same length as time expired in the fourth quarter to get the game to overtime.

From there, Charlie Becker caught a 25-yard pass from Grant Wilson on the first play of the extra period and the Indiana defense prevented Minnesota from getting into the end zone in the Hoosiers' 23-16 win.

Minnesota got inside the Indiana 5-yard line on its overtime possession, but Drake Lindsey was sacked on fourth down after he scrambled for no gain on third down.

The Gophers entered the game as 20.5-point underdogs and the win is Indiana's 29th consecutive against an unranked opponent.

"This is entertainment, so we thought we'd put some entertainment value into this game," Indiana coach Curt Cignetti deadpanned after the game.

Before McAteer's kick, Indiana had missed two field goals, had another gone awry because of a bad snap and shanked a punt. It was a horrific day for the Hoosiers' special teams unit and looked sure to cost them the game after Drzewiecki buried his kick.

However, McAteer stepped up to drain his. Nico Radicic is Indiana's primary kicker — and had missed the two attempts earlier in the game — but McAteer was called on to smash a 60-yarder down the middle with room to spare.

Indiana was fortunate simply to have a chance for McAteer to attempt the kick. After Indiana stopped Minnesota on third down, the Hoosiers had two timeouts remaining. Cignetti didn't use one of those two timeouts, which allowed Minnesota to stop the clock with 24 seconds remaining before attempting the kick.

The special teams mistakes were even more significant because of the way Indiana's offense struggled for much of the game. QB Josh Hoover has appeared to be dealing with an injury sustained in the second half of the Hoosiers' loss to Ohio State. And he took another big hit late in the second half, Cignetti made a QB change.

Grant Wilson opened the second half under center for Indiana, though the Hoosiers immediately punted on that drive. Wilson finished the game 9-of-17 for 156 yards and the TD to Becker after Indiana was initially hesitant to let him throw the ball. Six of Indiana's first seven plays when he entered the game were runs.

Hoover, meanwhile, was 8-of-19 passing for 119 yards and a TD and an interception. A week ago against Michigan, Hoover was just 8-of-18 for 81 yards and a pick in the 13-6 overtime win.