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Indiana wins after trading field goals with Minnesota to force overtime
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- Indiana wins after trading field goals with Minnesota to force overtime
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Indiana football will go into the new week with another ugly win that questions its credibility as a national title contender, but most importantly, the defending champions are still in prime Playoff position. Although the Hoosiers may never fix their offensive issues enough to make another deep run, three consecutive seasons with a double-digit win total is a benchmark people never thought was attainable. Curt Cignetti's squad is inching closer to that feat after Saturday's 23-16 overtime victory versus Minnesota .
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Fans vividly remember Fernando Mendoza's heroic drive in University Park last November, but Bloomington witnessed a bonkers finish for the ages on Saturday. The Golden Gophers grabbed a 16-13 lead with 19 seconds remaining, courtesy of a Luke Drzewiecki 60-yard field goal, but Indiana somehow had a response. Seemingly unaware that star wide receiver Charlie Becker was ruled out of bounds after securing a 33-yard catch, Cignetti allowed the clock to tick down without using a timeout. Paddy McAteer let him off the hook and sent the home crowd into a fog.
The redshirt senior transfer nailed a 60-yarder of his own to extend the game into overtime, completing one of the most improbable sequences one will find in a college football matchup.
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The drama remained high, as Becker promptly scored a 25-yard touchdown. The Hoosiers' top-notch defense clamped down at the goal line and clinched the W with a sack on Drake Lindsey. What a ride.
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Indiana (8-1) is truly fortunate to survive this Big Ten battle, especially since McAteer was not even the starting kicker. Nico Radicic missed a 31-yard field goal attempt and was also blocked from 52 yards out, causing Curt Cignetti to make a switch with the game on the line. That decision enabled the Hoosiers to overcome their mistakes.
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But how much longer can they go on like this? Once Indiana football comes off this Halloween high, it must figure out how to beat unranked opponents without teetering on the edge of destruction.
Related: Panic Meter: Are Ohio State's College Football Playoffs chances doomed without Julian Sayin?
Related: Braylon Edwards congratulates Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith on breaking his Big Ten TD record
