Minnesota Is 59-56 Winner : Big Ten: Eckers passes for six touchdowns to overcome five-touchdown effort by Purdue’s Alstott. Teams combine for 1,184 yards.

Jim Wacker, who left Texas Christian to coach Minnesota before the 1992 season, needed 17 games to make good on his promise of a wild-and-crazy passing attack. The 17th was wilder than Wacker ever expected, a record-setting 59-56 victory over Purdue Saturday night.

Purdue, which had 299 rushing yards compared to the Gophers’ 402 passing yards, scored more points than any major-college team ever had in a loss. San Diego State had held that dubious distinction, losing, 52-51, to Wyoming in 1990.

The Boilermakers lost despite getting a school-record five touchdowns from fullback Mike Alstott.

The game came down to the very end. Scott Eckers capped a spectacular first collegiate start with a 55-yard pass play to Antonio Carter, setting up Mike Chalberg’s 18-yard field goal with eight seconds left.

Eckers threw a school-record six touchdown passes and Omar Douglas set a Big Ten record with five touchdown receptions.

Eckers, who replaced ineffective Tim Schade during last Saturday’s loss to Indiana, was 24 of 36 for 402 yards as the teams combined for 1,184 yards--625 by Minnesota, 559 by Purdue.

“Look at those drives -- 80 yards, 64, 76, 55, 74, 63, 57, 73 . . . I mean, that’s crazy,” Wacker said. “The whole game was crazy, but what fun! That’s offense, folks. That’s fun.”

Purdue Coach Jim Colletto agreed. “We did it the hard way, they did it the fun way,” Colletto said. “My kidneys hurt from yelling so much.”

Minnesota improved to 2-4 overall and 1-2 in the Big Ten. Purdue is 1-4, 0-2.