Grant Wilson does enough to lift Indiana football to overtime win vs Minnesota | Grades

BLOOMINGTON — Indiana football pulled out a thrilling 23-16 overtime comeback win over Minnesota on Saturday with backup quarterback Grant Wilson helping lead his team to victory.

Minnesota went ahead 16-13 with 19 seconds left in regulation on a 60-yard field goal by kicker Luke Drzewiecki. Wilson then connected with Charlie Becker on a deep pass on the next IU offensive snap, which set up Paddy McAteer to make a 60-yard field goal of his own at regulation ended.

The Hoosiers had one offensive snap in overtime, with Wilson throwing a 25-yard touchdown pass to Becker. Minnesota moved the ball to the 4-yard line, but a 4th-down sack by Tobi Osunsami ended the game for IU.

Wilson entered the game for an ailing Josh Hoover to start the second half. The No. 4 Hoosiers (8-1, 5-1 Big Ten) overcame a series of special teams gaffes to pull out their first win over Minnesota (5-3, 3-2) since 2007.

Here's a report card for Saturday's overtime win.

IU offense has issues it needs corrected

OFFENSE: D

Indiana football coaches will have a lot to work on over the idle week.

The Hoosiers need Hoover to get healthy — he was replaced at the start of the second half by Wilson — but the problems extend beyond his injured throwing arm. The Hoosiers offensive line isn't getting the knock back it needs in the run game and the lack of explosiveness on the ground has allowed teams to better cover IU's weapons on the outside.

They didn't even convert a third down until there was 5:17 left in the third quarter.

This offense is too talented with at least three draft picks, including a likely top 10 pick in Charlie Becker, to be struggling this much.

Right mix of pressure, coverage fuels IU defense

DEFENSE: A

Indiana's defense did its best to go it alone.

Minnesota leaned heavily on a screen game that had little room to breathe with the way the Hoosiers were swarming to the ball. More often than not, those plays didn't even make it across the line of scrimmage.

Indiana's pass rush also made it nearly impossible for Gophers quarterback Drake Lindsey to survey the field whenever he dropped back in the pocket. Bryon Baldwin Jr. forced a fumble inside Minnesota's 15-yard line to help IU score its lone first half touchdown.

Through the first three quarters, Lindsey only had two completions go for 10 or more yards, and one of those came on a double-reverse flea flicker.

Paddy McAteer saves IU from failing special teams

SPECIAL TEAMS: D

All Minnesota's points in the first half came with Billy Gowers gifting the Gophers a short field with punts of 15- and 27-yards.

The gaffes didn't stop there — Nico Radicic missed another chip shot field goal, IU had a separate field goal attempt blocked and Charlie Becker fielded a punt backed up at his own 3-yard line. The Hoosiers were also flagged for a running into the kicker penalty that could have easily been a roughing the kicker call.

McAteer's bomb to force overtime salvaged the day for the unit.

Indiana hasn't stacked up that many miscues on special teams in a single game during Curt Cignetti's tenure, and every one of them mattered in such a close contest. Radicic found a bit of redemption by tying the game with a 46-yard field goal in the third quarter, only for a bad snap to prevent IU from attempting a field goal in the fourth that would have brought the game back to even.

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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Grant Wilson does enough to lift Indiana football to overtime win vs Minnesota | Grades