Another week, another nail-biting victory for the Indiana Hoosiers. Indiana picked up a 23-16 overtime win over the Minnesota Golden Gophers on Saturday, giving the Hoosiers their second consecutive overtime win. Furthermore, Indiana has now played four straight one-possession games, going 3-1 in that span.
The Hoosiers now enter a much-needed bye week with an overall record of 8-1 on the season. Entering the bye, let's take a look back at some of the winners and losers from Indiana's Week 9 win over Minnesota.
Winners
1. Grant Wilson
Indiana trailed 10-7 at the half. With the offense struggling to get anything going, Curt Cignetti decided to make a quarterback change. Cignetti benched Josh Hoover in favor of back Grant Wilson, and Wilson made the most of his opportunity. In total, he completed 9 of his 17 pass attempts for 156 yards and a touchdown. The Hoosier offense simply looked better with Wilson leading the way, as Indiana scored 16 points with Wilson as opposed to 7 points with Hoover. Moving forward, it will be interesting to see how Cignetti handles the QB situation.
2. Paddy McAteer
Indiana's special teams were a disaster all game long. But Paddy McAteer's 60-yard field goal at the end of regulation was utterly incredible. McAteer is considered Indiana's long-range kicker, and his range was on full display with this electric kick. It probably would have been good from 65! What a moment!
HOWWWWWW?!?!
— CBS Sports College Football 🏈 (@CBSSportsCFB) October 31, 2026
ANOTHER 60 YARDER!!!
PADDY MCATEER SENDS IT TO OVERTIME!
📺 CBS | Paramount+ pic.twitter.com/P0NMHzQ7zb
3. The Hoosiers finding a way to win
In his interview with CBS Sports' Jenny Dell on the field after the game, Cignetti said this team just find a way to win. It isn't always flashy, and it isn't always smooth, but the Hoosiers just find a way to make the winning plays when it matters most. Seeing IU come up with big plays in the biggest moments is a signature of Cignetti's tenure.
Losers
1. Josh Hoover
Josh Hoover's rough stretch continued against the Golden Gophers. Hoover has not been very accurate or efficient over the last few weeks, and those issues persisted on Saturday. Hoover completed just 8 of his 19 pass attempts for 119 yards with zero touchdowns and an interception before being benched at halftime. He's now thrown an interception in back-to-back games, and has struggled mightily to find any sort of rhythm. He's been playing banged up, so hopefully the bye week gives him some time to get healthy. But with the way Wilson performed, it will be interesting to see who Cignetti turns to as Indiana's starting quarterback on November 14 against USC.
2. Indiana's special teams
As previously mentioned, Indiana's special teams had a brutal afternoon. Nico Radicic had a 52-yard field goal blocked in the 2nd quarter, and then missed a 31-yarder in the 3rd quarter. The Hoosiers then botched the snap on a chip-shot 4th-quarter field goal try. It went from bad to worse all game long. McAteer's 60-yard bomb at the end of regulation saved them, but Indiana's special teams unit has a lot of work to do during the bye week.
3. Indiana's 3rd down offense
Indiana's 3rd down offense was abysmal all throughout this contest. The Hoosiers went just 2-for-13 on 3rd down, which led to a heavy lack of offensive rhythm. If the Hoosiers want to compete for another National Championship, going 2-for-13 on 3rd down isn't going to cut it.
4. Minnesota's Big Ten title chances
If the Golden Gophers would have won this game, they would have been playing for first place in the Big Ten standings next week when they host No. 5 UCLA. But instead, Minnesota falls to 5-3 on the season with a 3-2 mark in Big Ten play. UCLA now owns the top spot in the conference with an overall record of 8-0 and a 5-0 record against Big Ten competition in Year 1 of the Bob Chesney era. Indiana is in second place with a 5-1 mark in Big Ten play.
