Hoosiers fall to Golden Gophers, 42-39

In its Homecoming matchup against Minnesota, IU lost 42-39 to fall to 3-5 (1-3 Big Ten).

With a chance to improve its record to 0.500, match its highest single season win total in the IU Coach Kevin Wilson era and pull within two wins of bowl eligibility, the Hoosiers turned the ball over inside the red zone in the waning seconds.

On second-and-goal from the 8-yard line, sophomore quarterback Nate Sudfeld threw a swing pass behind the line of scrimmage to sophomore running back Tevin Coleman.

Coleman couldn’t handle the throw and, thinking the play would be ruled an incomplete pass, he gave up on the play. But the ball was still live, and Minnesota linebacker Aaron Hill picked up the fumble.

Redshirt sophomore quarterback Tre Roberson started for the first time since the Hoosiers matchup against Navy on Sept. 7. Roberson was 8-of-18 for 80 yards and one touchdown in the first half.

Wilson said with the way Minnesota’s defense was set up, IU’s coaching staff thought the Hoosiers needed to run the ball against man coverage.

“Our backs did well today, and we thought Tre would take part in that,” he said.

Minnesota completed a 40-yard completion on a flea flicker pass on the first play from scrimmage, which fueled a seven-play scoring drive that ended in a touchdown reception by Derrick Engel.

The Hoosiers reached the red zone three times in the first quarter but had to settle for field goals inside the Minnesota 20-yard line on two of those possessions.

“We left three scoring opportunities empty,” Wilson said.

IU’s defense also missed opportunities in the first half. With Minnesota leading 14-13, Golden Gophers freshman quarterback Mitch Leidner fumbled twice and nearly threw an interception, which was dropped by IU cornerback Michael Hunter.

Minnesota went on to score a touchdown on that possession as part of a 28-0 scoring run in the second and third quarters.

Down 28-13 at halftime, IU’s coaching staff decided to play Sudfeld at quarterback in the second half.

“Tre was just a little bit off in the first half, as was the rest of the offense,” Wilson said.

IU trailed 35-13 midway through the third quarter, and the student section was nearly empty.

IU then scored 26 unanswered points.

“There was a stretch at the end where we were really playing well together and had a lot of momentum,” Wilson said.

The Hoosiers’ offense started to click with Sudfeld at quarterback. He was 13-of-20 for 189 yards and two touchdowns.  

IU’s running game had new life in the second half. Sophomore running back Tevin Coleman and senior running back Stephen Houston combined for 151 yards and one touchdown on 15 carries in the second half.

For the game, IU’s running back duo compiled 219 yards and two touchdowns on 27
carries.

“We changed it up a little and went out of pistol, and that worked a lot for the O-line to get their blocks right and for us to see the holes better,” Coleman said.

The Hoosiers failed a pair of two-point conversions in the fourth quarter after their final touchdowns of the game.

Wilson said the coaching staff talked about the different scenarios and whether to go for two.

“Maybe we were being a little bit over-aggressive in hindsight,” he said.

IU briefly reclaimed the lead late in the fourth quarter after a 30-yard touchdown strike from Sudfeld to junior wide receiver Cody Latimer, but Minnesota quickly
countered.

“Our guys fought back, and we had a lot of good fight, but we’re gonna need to figure out ways to win in the end,” Sudfeld said.

Golden Gophers sophomore quarterback Philip Nelson threw what proved to be the winning touchdown pass to red shirt freshman tight end Maxx Williams with just more than three minutes remaining. 

“I thought we had the best chance to win that game, and I’m really disappointed for our players,” Wilson said.

Follow reporter Andy Wittry on Twitter @AndyWittryIDS