Michigan State Spartans at Minnesota Golden Gophers

Lindsey's OT touchdown run helps Minnesota deny Michigan State first Big Ten win with 23-20 victory

The Spartans (3-6, 0-6) took possession first in OT but had to settle for a 36-yard field goal by Martin Connington, who missed kicks from 46 and 23 yards in regulation, for a 20-17 lead.

A pass interference penalty on Michigan State's Malcolm Bell on third-and-4 kept the drive alive for the Gophers (6-3, 4-2), and Lindsey capped the comeback when he faked a handoff and rolled left on a bootleg that put him one-on-one with Spartans linebacker Darius Snow. Lindsey stiff-armed Snow to get the corner and beelined for the front corner of the end zone.

“It was really cool to see Drake kind of just put the ball in his hands and put the game on his shoulders,” tight end Jameson Geers said. “He’s a playmaker, and he went out and won the game for us.”

The Spartans, who had a season-high 467 total yards on offense, trailed 10-0 at halftime and took their first lead at 17-10 with 1:52 remaining. Elijah Tau-Tolliver gained 85 yards on a first-down run, and Brandon Tullis ran it in from a yard out two plays later.

But after Connington's kickoff went out of bounds, the Gophers got to start at the 35 with two timeouts. A facemask penalty on Michigan State's Jordan Hall got them going with a 15-yard boost, and a pass interference call on Malik Spencer on a second-and-1 incompletion from the 8 gave Minnesota first-and-goal from the 2 with 30 seconds left.

Lindsey completed 26 of 39 passes for 197 yards.

“I just love his guts, and the team believes in him,” Gophers coach P.J. Fleck said. “When you’ve got a team who believes in your quarterback, and he’s really young, you feel really good as a head coach.”

After a 41-3 loss to rival Iowa the week before, Lindsey reset his mind after a meeting with close friend and former Gophers quarterback Max Brosmer, who's now in the NFL with the Minnesota Vikings.

“You’ve just got to stay mellow,” Lindsey said. “This game’s so full of highs and lows, and if you ride that rollercoaster you’re just going to caught up in it.”

Fame Ijeboi, who had 108 yards on 17 rushes for the Gophers, had a 49-yard rush in the first quarter and capped the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run.

Brady Denaburg kicked a 30-yard field goal in the second quarter but missed one from 33 with 17 seconds left.

Spark for the Spartans Michigan State quarterback Aidan Chiles had made 20 consecutive starts, but coach Jonathan Smith turned to Milivojevic after giving both players equal time with the offense in practice during the week. The Spartans found the spark they were seeking with 311 yards on 20-for-28 passing for the redshirt freshman Milivojevic.

“He’s got some moxie,” Smith said. “He worked really hard. He was prepared.”

Rodney Bullard Jr. along the sideline for a 71-yard touchdown pass three plays into the third quarter to pull the Spartans within 10-7. Bullard had four catches for 102 yards and Tau-Tolliver had 127 yards on 11 carries for the Spartans, who had 10 penalties for 96 yards.

The takeaway Michigan State: The Spartans are 0-6 in the Big Ten for the first time since 2016 when they lost their first seven and finished 1-9. Their only conference victory that season was a 49-0 win over Rutgers.

Minnesota: The Gophers, who set a program record with nine sacks in a 24-6 victory over then-No. 25 Nebraska two weeks ago, had six sacks in the first half and finished with seven. The Gophers had 12 tackles for loss in all for 72 yards in lost yardage for the Spartans.

Up next Minnesota: Plays at No. 6 Oregon on Nov. 14.

Michigan State: Hosts Penn State on Nov. 15.