Just when it looked like the Syracuse Orange might find the end zone, the Minnesota Golden Gophers defense came up huge when they had to.
Earlier in the drive, what appeared to be a stop was negated by linebacker Aaron Hill's personal foul penalty for hitting Syracuse quarterback Ryan Nassib late. Syracuse continued marching down the field, aided by two pass interference penalties on Michael Carter.
With Syracuse facing third and goal from the Minnesota 5-yard line, safety Brock Vereen blitzed right through the middle of the Syracuse offensive line and hit Nassib just as he was getting ready to throw. The ball went high into the air, and Hill atoned for his earlier mistake by going high into the air to secure the interception and stop the Syracuse drive. The Syracuse drive had gone fifteen plays and over six minutes of game time to cover 83 yards, but it was all for naught thanks to the third Syracuse turnover of the evening.
Minnesota takes over deep in their own territory, but they remain ahead of the Syracuse Orange with 3:31 left in the third quarter of play, 14-3.