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University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Fall 40-20 at Indiana
10/6/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
Minnesota racked up 393 yards of total offense this afternoon but it wasn’t enough to pick up its first Big Ten win of the year as Indiana emerged with a 40-20 win over the Gophers in Bloomington, Ind. The Gophers fell to 1-5, 0-3 in the Big Ten while Indiana improved to 5-1, 2-1 in the Big Ten.
Adam Weber threw for 275 yards and a touchdown and ran for another to lead Minnesota’s offensive effort. However, his two interceptions proved costly and led to two Hoosier touchdowns. Ernie Wheelwright caught seven passes for 101 yards as well for Minnesota.
Brian Payton ran for 88 yards and three touchdowns while Kellen Lewis completed 24-of-36 for 244 yards and ran for 77 more to lead the Hoosiers.
The game started with plenty of offensive production for both teams as they each scored touchdowns on their first two possessions. Indiana marched down the field on its first drive. Lewis spearheaded the drive with a 51-yard completion to James Hardy down the sideline to the Gophers 7-yard line. Three plays later, Lewis connected with Hardy again on a two-yard scoring play to give IU a 7-0 lead.
Minnesota immediately responded with an efficient drive of its own. Duane Bennett ran for 21 yards on the drive and Adam Weber connected with Eric Decker on a 42-yard pass to set up a 7-yard touchdown run by Weber to knot the game at 7-7.
Indiana took the ensuing kickoff and scored again. Brian Payton scampered up the middle and broke away for a 48-yard touchdown run to put the Hoosiers back up 14-7. The lead didn’t last long as Weber completed 5-of-6 passes on the next drive including two to Ernie Wheelwright. Bennett ended the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run with 1:44 left in the first quarter to tie the score at 14-14.
The Hoosier defense rose up to force three straight Minnesota punts the remainder of the first half while Indiana added 13 second quarter points. Austin Starr kicked field goals of 33 and 47 yards and Payton added a 1-yard touchdown run and the Hoosiers took a 17-14 halftime lead.
After Minnesota was forced to punt to start the third quarter, Indiana moved the ball deep into Gopher territory again but the Minnesota defense didn’t break, holding IU to another Starr field goal of 25 yards. The Gophers were able to move the ball into Indiana territory on the next drive after a Jay Thomas 25-yard run but Weber was intercepted by Leslie Majors. Indiana seized the momentum and drove for a Starr 43-yard field goal, his fourth of the game, taking a 33-14 lead.
With just over a minute left in the third quarter, Indiana moved to the Gopher 32-yard line with a chance to put the game away but Kyle Theret picked off a Lewis pass intended for Ray Fisher and returned it 32 yards. The interception was the first of Theret’s career. However, the Gophers were unable to capitalize, gaining just three yards before turning the ball over on downs.
After an Indiana punt, the Gophers posted one of their top drives of the season, marching 93 yards on 12 plays. Weber capped the drive with a 3-yard touchdown pass to Decker. The Gophers went for a two-point conversion but a pass to Decker in the corner of the end zone fell incomplete. Amir Pinnix and Jay Thomas keyed the drive, combining for 65 yards.
The Gophers were able to force a 3-and-out possession by Indiana and got the ball back with just over five minutes left. After Weber completed a 13-yard pass to Wheelwright, William Patterson picked off Weber and returned it to the Gopher 5-yard line. Payton punched it in the end zone on first down to put the game away with a 41-20 lead and just 4:25 left.
Adam Weber threw for 275 yards and a touchdown and ran for another to lead Minnesota’s offensive effort. However, his two interceptions proved costly and led to two Hoosier touchdowns. Ernie Wheelwright caught seven passes for 101 yards as well for Minnesota.
Brian Payton ran for 88 yards and three touchdowns while Kellen Lewis completed 24-of-36 for 244 yards and ran for 77 more to lead the Hoosiers.
The game started with plenty of offensive production for both teams as they each scored touchdowns on their first two possessions. Indiana marched down the field on its first drive. Lewis spearheaded the drive with a 51-yard completion to James Hardy down the sideline to the Gophers 7-yard line. Three plays later, Lewis connected with Hardy again on a two-yard scoring play to give IU a 7-0 lead.
Minnesota immediately responded with an efficient drive of its own. Duane Bennett ran for 21 yards on the drive and Adam Weber connected with Eric Decker on a 42-yard pass to set up a 7-yard touchdown run by Weber to knot the game at 7-7.
Indiana took the ensuing kickoff and scored again. Brian Payton scampered up the middle and broke away for a 48-yard touchdown run to put the Hoosiers back up 14-7. The lead didn’t last long as Weber completed 5-of-6 passes on the next drive including two to Ernie Wheelwright. Bennett ended the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run with 1:44 left in the first quarter to tie the score at 14-14.
The Hoosier defense rose up to force three straight Minnesota punts the remainder of the first half while Indiana added 13 second quarter points. Austin Starr kicked field goals of 33 and 47 yards and Payton added a 1-yard touchdown run and the Hoosiers took a 17-14 halftime lead.
After Minnesota was forced to punt to start the third quarter, Indiana moved the ball deep into Gopher territory again but the Minnesota defense didn’t break, holding IU to another Starr field goal of 25 yards. The Gophers were able to move the ball into Indiana territory on the next drive after a Jay Thomas 25-yard run but Weber was intercepted by Leslie Majors. Indiana seized the momentum and drove for a Starr 43-yard field goal, his fourth of the game, taking a 33-14 lead.
With just over a minute left in the third quarter, Indiana moved to the Gopher 32-yard line with a chance to put the game away but Kyle Theret picked off a Lewis pass intended for Ray Fisher and returned it 32 yards. The interception was the first of Theret’s career. However, the Gophers were unable to capitalize, gaining just three yards before turning the ball over on downs.
After an Indiana punt, the Gophers posted one of their top drives of the season, marching 93 yards on 12 plays. Weber capped the drive with a 3-yard touchdown pass to Decker. The Gophers went for a two-point conversion but a pass to Decker in the corner of the end zone fell incomplete. Amir Pinnix and Jay Thomas keyed the drive, combining for 65 yards.
The Gophers were able to force a 3-and-out possession by Indiana and got the ball back with just over five minutes left. After Weber completed a 13-yard pass to Wheelwright, William Patterson picked off Weber and returned it to the Gopher 5-yard line. Payton punched it in the end zone on first down to put the game away with a 41-20 lead and just 4:25 left.
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