Gophers blow 21-point 4th quarter lead and lose to Northwestern in OT
Northwestern shocked the Gophers with a 21-point comeback and the game-tying touchdown with two seconds to play, and then beat Minnesota 37-34 on their first offensive play of overtime. The gut-wrenching loss drops the Gophers to 2-2 on the season and 1-1 in the Big Ten.
Minnesota built a 24-7 lead at the half and led 31-10 in the fourth quarter only to watch the Wildcats catch fire and gash Minnesota for three fourth quarter touchdowns and the winning touchdown in overtime.
Trailing 31-24 with 2:05 left, Northwestern quarterback Ben Bryant, playing on a bad ankle, drove the 'Cats the length of the field and hit A.J. Henning for the game-tying 11-yard touchdown pass with two seconds left in the fourth quarter.
In overtime, the Gophers settled for a field goal despite sitting at 2nd-and-goal from the 3-yard line. That set the stage for Bryant's game-winning pass to tight end Charlie Mangieri.
"Pure joy. So happy for these guys," said Northwestern head coach David Braun on the field with Big Ten Network after the game. Braun played and coached at Winona State University in southeastern Minnesota.
The second half was a disaster for the Gophers, whose offense managed just 129 yards and punted on five of six possessions. The only drive that didn't end in a punt was when Darius Taylor broke a tackle on 4th-and-1 and got loose for a 43-yard touchdown to put Minnesota head by three touchdowns, 31-10.
Taylor, the true freshman running back who had just one carry in the season opener against Nebraska, rushed for 198 yards and two touchdowns. He was 12th in the nation with 334 rushing yards entering the game.
Minnesota built a 24-7 lead at the half thanks to the balanced offensive attack, led by Athan Kaliakmanis completing 8-of-8 passes for 97 yards and touchdown strikes to Le'Meke Brockington and Daniel Jackson, and Taylor rushing for 137 yards and a score on 18 carries. Kaliakmanis's first touchdown went for nine yards to Brockington on Minnesota's first play after Northwestern fumbled deep in its own territory. The second touchdown pass went to Jackson for 18 yards.
It got dicey after that as Minnesota's defense was gashed by the Wildcats on back-to-back scoring drives, one going 75 yards on 11 plays and the next going 69 yards on just three plays. Suddenly, Minnesota's lead was to 31-24 with 9:46 to go.
Northwestern's game-tying drive started at their own 20-yard line with 2:05 to play. The Wildcats got the ball at the 20 because Gophers special teamer Quentin Redding lost track of where he was on the field and fielded a perfect punt in the end zone rather than downing it at the 1-yard line.
The next gift was a 15-yard facemask penalty to set Northwestern up at midfield with a minute to go. The Wildcats drove to the Minnesota 12-yard line with 8 seconds to play, giving them two shots at the end zone. The first attempt went incomplete and Bryant hit Henning for the game-tying touchdown.
Bryant completed 33 of 49 for 396 yards and four touchdowns. His favorite target was Bryce Kirtz, who caught 10 passes for 215 yards and two touchdowns.
Up next: Gophers vs. Louisiana, Saturday, Sept. 30 at 11 a.m. Ct.
