The Gophers had basically nothing going in the first half against Rutgers on Saturday until a perfect deep ball from Drake Lindsey injected life into the home crowd and sparked a turnaround.
Trailing 14-0 early in the second, Minnesota had been out-gained 191 to 26 and recorded just one first down to Rutgers’ 13 across five combined possessions. With the ball at their own 19, Gophers offensive coordinator Greg Harbaugh Jr. dialed up a shot play. Lindsey dropped back, had good protection, and showed off his arm talent by ripping a perfect bomb to Jalen Smith over the top of the defense.
The ball traveled 50 yards in the air and hit Smith in stride. He then dragged the Rutgers cornerback for another 20-plus yards after first contact before finally going down inside the 5. The end result was a 78-yard gain, marking the Gophers’ longest play of the season (and their longest play since an 80-yard run by Darius Taylor against Nevada last September)…