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Watch: Drake Lindsey deep ball sparks Gophers' first-half turnaround

After a slow start, Lindsey got the Gophers going with a 78-yard strike to Jalen Smith.
Will Ragatz|
Sep 27, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers quarterback Drake Lindsey (5) makes a pass against Rutgers Scarlet Knights during the first quarter at Huntington Bank Stadium.
Sep 27, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers quarterback Drake Lindsey (5) makes a pass against Rutgers Scarlet Knights during the first quarter at Huntington Bank Stadium. | Nick Wosika-Imagn Images

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Minnesota Golden Gophers

The Gophers had basically nothing going in the first half against Rutgers on Saturday until a perfect deep ball from Drake Lindsey injected life into the home crowd and sparked a turnaround.

Trailing 14-0 early in the second, Minnesota had been out-gained 191 to 26 and recorded just one first down to Rutgers' 13 across five combined possessions. With the ball at their own 19, Gophers offensive coordinator Greg Harbaugh Jr. dialed up a shot play. Lindsey dropped back, had good protection, and showed off his arm talent by ripping a perfect bomb to Jalen Smith over the top of the defense.

The ball traveled 50 yards in the air and hit Smith in stride. He then dragged the Rutgers cornerback for another 20-plus yards after first contact before finally going down inside the 5. The end result was a 78-yard gain, marking the Gophers' longest play of the season (and their longest play since an 80-yard run by Darius Taylor against Nevada last September).

A couple plays later, running back Fame Ijeboi punched in a two-yard rushing touchdown to get Minnesota on the board. The Gophers followed that with a Kerry Brown interception and a nicely-placed Lindsey touchdown pass to Le'Meke Brockington to tie the game. They ultimately trailed 21-14 at halftime when this story was published.

The deep ball to Smith and the touchdown to Brockington are a couple examples of Lindsey's high-end arm talent. The redshirt freshman from Arkansas has all kinds of tools at 6'5" and 230 pounds.

Smith has proven to be the top deep threat for Lindsey early this season. In addition to that 78-yard gain, he had a 60-yard touchdown reception in the opener against Buffalo that helped the Gophers pull away and win that game. Smith is also a redshirt freshman, hailing from Mankato, MN, so that connection could be a productive one for several years.

We'll see if the Gophers can overcome a touchdown deficit at halftime and get the job done at Huntington Bank Stadium in the second half. But after things got off to such a miserable start on both sides of the ball for P.J. Fleck's team, the Lindsey deep ball to Smith was a much-needed infusion of momentum that helped the home team get right back into this game.

Lindsey was 8 of 13 for 122 yards and a TD at half. Former Gophers QB Athan Kaliakmanis was 12 for 20 for 150 yards, 2 TDs, and an interception.

Gophers On SI will have complete coverage of today's game upon its conclusion.

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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI, who also covers the Twins, Timberwolves, Gophers, and other Minnesota teams. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.

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