The Minnesota Gophers (5-3) were 19 seconds away from beating the defending national champions on Saturday. Instead, No. 4 Indiana tied it with a 60-yard field goal at the gun and won 23-16 in overtime at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington.

The Hoosier comeback came after the Gophers took a 16-13 lead on Luke Drzewiecki’s career-long 60-yarder that left under 20 seconds for Indiana to drive down and kick a game-tying field goal, which Paddy McAteer did… for 60 yards, just like Drzewiecki.

Indiana then scored on the first play of overtime, and Minnesota came up empty from first-and-goal from the 3-yard line [full MIN @ IND postgame here].

PJ Fleck has nothing but praise for Minnesota Gophers after loss

After the heartbreaking loss, MN Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck met with media and praised his football team for their effort and guile, despite the disappointing final score.

In fact, Fleck opened his presser with a somewhat surprising evaluation of his team’s effort, especially on offense. According to PJ, the Minnesota Gophers did “everything they possibly could” to beat the Hoosiers Saturday.

P.J. Fleck says Gophers did “everything we possibly could” vs Indiana

Fleck started his opening statement by giving Indiana credit, then made his case for his own team.

“It’s a heartbreaking loss, but we did everything we possibly could to win that football game. And not everything’s gonna be perfect. So I’m so proud of our players… And they walked in there thinking they’re gonna win the football game.

“…They feel like they’re a really good football team, and they’re right, and we just ran into another really good football team. And when you look at our schedule, that’s just the way it is. Play more ranked teams than anybody else, I think, in the country.”

“Sports aren’t kind. I love them. I’m proud of their heart, the type of men they are, type of people they are. It’s one game, a loss, expected to win, didn’t win. We’ll learn from it like any other game and we’ll move on and do everything we possibly can to find a way to go beat UCLA.”

P.J. Fleck, via Gopher Gazette and FOX 9

Was PJ Fleck sleeping while the offense was out on the field tonight? Did nobody hand him a stats card during or after the game? Because whatever effort his offense put forth, it wasn’t very good.

Minnesota finished with 215 total yards to Indiana’s 419, picked up just 10 first downs and went 3-for-15 on third down. I’m not sure you can call that “everything we possibly could” to win a football game.

And his future early-round NFL draft pick under center was the biggest problem. On Saturday, Drake Lindsey completed just 20 of his 37 passes for 120 yards (a season low), averaging 3.2 yards per attempt.

Take away Lindsey’s 39-yard first half touchdown pass to Roman Voss, and his other 19 completions went for 81 yards and no touchdowns. The kicker accounted for 10 of Minnesota’s 16 points, for God’s sake.

Fleck has no explanation for Gophers’ final OT downs

In overtime, the Minnesota Gophers offense pushed the football all the way down to Indiana’s 3-yard line, before stalling out on the next four plays.

When asked what didn’t work out on that series, Fleck kept his answer so short that it felt borderline disrespectful toward Pioneer Press reporter Andy Greder, who asked it.

So much so that PJ even felt a need to clarify that he wasn’t trying to be a “smart Alec” with his answer.

“We didn’t get it. What didn’t work out was we didn’t get it. I’m not sure what your question is specifically, Andy, but we didn’t get it… You just throw the ball up?

“If you want to throw the ball up, they got to get open. We got to create space. We got to be able to see it. We got to do a lot of things. I’m not being a smart Alec. I’m really not. I’m just first and goal from the four. We called the best plays we felt gave us the best chance to score a touchdown.”

P.J. Fleck, via FOX 9

The Gophers got the ball to Indiana’s 3-yard line in overtime, needing a touchdown to extend the game. Lindsey threw incomplete on second down, then Indiana sacked him for a 1-yard loss on third down and a 5-yard loss on fourth down to end it.

That finish fit the night for Minnesota’s offense, which was facing a defense that entered the game allowing 12.0 points per game, second-fewest in FBS. The Gophers never found a way to break it when it mattered most.

Fleck didn’t have much to say about the final possession. When the talk turned to the other side of the ball, though, his tone changed completely.

Fleck: Winning “not promised” after Gophers defense held Indiana in check

Fleck saved his strongest words for a Gophers defense that kept the defending national champions in check for most of the night, and for what a loss like this should teach his players.

“Oh man, we swarmed the ball, played incredibly aggressive. They were tough, they were smart, they’re resilient, they got after it.

“I told our team, I said, we did everything we said we were going to do. I mean, exactly, except just score one more point than them. And that’s sport. And sometimes you do everything you’re supposed to do, how you’re supposed to do it, when you’re supposed to do it, the way you’re supposed to do it, and you don’t win. I mean, winning is not promised.

“You got to keep earning it all the way to the whistle. Final whistle. And they had to earn it the final second. I mean, 60 yards into the wind. Have to earn it.”

P.J. Fleck, via FOX 9

Indiana didn’t score a touchdown from the first quarter until overtime. Starter Josh Hoover went 8-of-19 for 119 yards with a touchdown and an interception before he was replaced at halftime, and the Hoosiers finished 2-of-13 on third down.

The only Indiana touchdown in regulation came on a short field after Lindsey was sacked and stripped in the first quarter. Minnesota’s special teams also blocked a 52-yard field goal, and Indiana missed a 31-yarder and botched a snap on another try.

Next up for the Gophers is UCLA at Huntington Bank Stadium. Fleck said the team will study the loss tonight and into tomorrow before turning the page.