It was a sloppy performance for Indiana on Saturday against Minnesota at home. The Hoosiers looked as if they were scared of their own shadow, which was fitting for a Halloween game. Indiana had two turnovers and a missed field goal in an ugly game. 

But no matter how messy it was, what mattered was that Indiana got a win, beating Minnesota 23-16 in overtime on Saturday to improve to 8-1. Indiana has now officially escaped with wins in back-to-back in overtime games, winning in OT against Michigan last week. 

The biggest hero of the game was Indiana starting receiver Charlie Becker, who finished with eight receptions for 149 yards and a touchdown. His touchdown grab was one of two clutch catches he had late in the game. Perhaps more impressively, he made them while Indiana was playing with a backup quarterback. 

Here’s a look at Becker’s monster game and how he helped seal the win for Indiana. 

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Charlie Becker clutch catches vs. Minnesota

Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti even made a quarterback change in the second half, opting to start Grant Wilson over Josh Hoover under center. It didn’t matter who Becker was catching balls from, as he made two huge catches late in the game. 

Indiana was trailing 16-13 with 19 seconds left, as Golden Gophers kicker Luke Drzewiecki nailed a 60-yard field to take a 16-13 lead with just 19 seconds left.

It appeared as though Indiana was going to lose its second game of the season with less than 30 seconds left. But amazingly, Wilson got the Hoosiers down to deep field goal territory thanks to a 33-yard strike that Becker hauled in perfectly:

The catch helped set up incredible back-to-back 60-yard field goals, as Indiana kicker Paddy McAteer nailed it to force overtime: 

On the very first play of Indiana’s opening possession of overtime, Wilson threw a strike to Becker, good for 35 yards and a touchdown:

On Minnesota’s ensuing possession, the Gophers did manage to get down to Indiana’s three-yard line, but Indiana came up with a clutch sack of Gopher quarterback Drake Lindsey to seal Indiana’s win. 

After the game, Becker described how his team was able to come in through the clutch:

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Charlie Becker stats

Team G REC YDS Y/R TD
Indiana 12 0 0   0
Indiana 16 34 679 20 4
Indiana 8 50 875 17.3 9

Charlie Becker NFL Draft projection

Charlie is a junior in 2026, so he will be eligible for the 2027 NFL Draft if he wants to enter next spring.

Before the Minnesota win, Becker was listed as the No. 8 overall player on Mel Kiper Jr.’s most recent 2027 NFL Draft Big Board. Per NFL Mock Draft Database, Becker is considered a first-round draft pick. Several mocks have him landing at No. 6 overall to the Philadelphia Eagles per the database. 

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