Poised Hance Rallies Purdue

Brandon Hance is picking up where Drew Brees left off.

Hance caught a touchdown pass and threw for three more, including the go-ahead score to John Standeford in overtime, as No. 24 Purdue rallied from an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat Minnesota, 35-28, Saturday.

“This game tops them all,” Purdue receiver Sean Morales said. “Just craziness.”

A freshman playing in his first Big Ten game, Hance looked a lot like Brees, the record-setting Purdue quarterback who left after last season.

Hance drove Purdue 63 yards in 18 seconds to set up the tying field goal in regulation and finished 22 for 36 for 308 yards and two interceptions.

“I just got the ball in there and they caught it,” Hance said. “I think it shows what we’re capable of doing.”

Hance passed to Standeford from 19 yards out on third and four on the Boilermakers’ first overtime possession.

Minnesota’s Travis Cole had his third-down pass intercepted in the end zone by Stuart Schweigert. On first down, Cole found Antoine Henderson for an apparent touchdown, but officials ruled Henderson’s foot touched the sideline.

“It was a touchdown, simple as that,” Cole said. “His foot was in by six or seven inches.”

Purdue (3-0, 1-0 Big Ten) trailed, 28-17, with 8:09 left after Cole’s three-yard touchdown pass to Ron Johnson.

But Hance was seven for eight on the next drive, capped by a six-yard touchdown pass to Seth Morales. He found Taylor Stubblefield in the flat for a two-point conversion to pull Purdue to 28-25 with 4:05 left.

The Golden Gophers (1-2, 0-1) chewed up the clock and a punt put Purdue at its own six with 19 seconds left. Hance promptly completed passes to Standeford and Stubblefield.

With the officials frantically trying to spot the ball and move the chains, the Boilermakers set up for Travis Dorsch’s 48-yard kick just before time ran out.

The Gophers didn’t think it should’ve counted.

“It’s tough to swallow,” Minnesota Coach Glen Mason said. “I don’t know how they get it off in one second. The only way is to snap it on the whistle. That did not happen. Fact.”