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Full Game Notes
NEBRASKA CORNHUSKERS (5-1, 2-1) | at | MINNESOTA GOLDEN GOPHERS (4-2, 2-1) |
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WHEN: Friday, October 17 | 7:00 PM (CT)
WHERE: Huntington Bank Stadium | Minneapolis, Minnesota
TV: FOX (Tim Brando, Devin Gardner, Josh Sims)
RADIO: Huskers Radio Network (Kyle Crooks, Damon Benning, Jessica Coody)
HUSKERS
Record: 5-1 (2-1 Big Ten)
Last Game: at Maryland (W 34-31)
Streak: Won 2
Rank: AP (#25) | Coaches (RV)
Coach: Matt Rhule (17-14, 3rd year NU | 64-57, 10th year overall | 0-1 vs. Minnesota)
GOPHERS
Record: 4-2 (2-1 Big Ten)
Last Game: Purdue (W 27-20)
Streak: Won 1
Rank: AP (NR) | Coaches (NR)
Coach: P.J. Fleck (62-41, 9th year MIN | 92-63, 13th year overall | 6-1 vs. Nebraska)
THIS WEEK'S NUMBERS
3 - Nebraska has a trio of receivers with at least three touchdown catches this season, including Nyziah Hunter (4), Dane Key (4) and Jacory Barney Jr. (3). This is the first time Nebraska has had three wideouts catch three or more TD passes in a season since 2015
4 - Nebraska is one of four schools in the country to have a player ranked in the top 20 nationally in rushing yards per game (Emmett Johnson) and passing yards per game (Dylan Raiola). The other three schools are Baylor, Rutgers and USC
10 - Nebraska led Maryland 24-17 at the half, marking the 10th straight game Nebraska has led or been tied at the half dating back to last season. The previous time Nebraska had a streak of 10 consecutive games without trailing at the half was a 12-game streak spanning the 2000 and 2001 seasons
THE MATCHUP
Nebraska returns to the road for a second consecutive week in Big Ten play, as the Huskers travel to Minneapolis to take on Minnesota in a Friday night contest. Game time from Huntington Bank Stadium is set for 7 p.m. CT and the game will be televised by FOX. The contest can also be heard on the Huskers Radio Network, Huskers.com and the official Huskers App.
Nebraska is 5-1 overall and 2-1 in Big Ten Conference play after a dramatic 34-31 comeback victory at Maryland on Saturday. The victory pushed Nebraska into the national polls for the first time this season. NU is ranked No. 25 in the AP poll and is just outside of the top 25 in the Coaches Poll. This week against the Gophers, Nebraska will look for back-to-back road victories in consecutive weeks for the first time since 2006, and a win would give Nebraska its first 6-1 start since winning its first seven games in 2016.
The Huskers trailed 31-24 in the fourth quarter at Maryland before rallying with 10 points in the final 7:47 to pull out the three-point victory. The win was Nebraska's first when trailing entering the fourth quarter since 2022. The Huskers relied on a balanced offensive attack in the win, rolling up 193 yards on the ground, while throwing for 260 yards. Nebraska gained 187 yards in the fourth quarter and had scoring drives of 83 and 81 yards.
Minnesota enters the game at 4-2 overall and 2-1 in Big Ten action. The Gophers also had a fourth-quarter rally last week in a 27-20 win over Purdue. Minnesota outscored the Boilermakers 14-0 in the final quarter to pull out the win. Minnesota relies on a strong defense that allows just over 300 yards per game, and has recorded 10 takeaways on the season, including three defensive touchdowns. Minnesota is a perfect 4-0 at home this season.
SERIES HISTORY
Friday's game in Minneapolis is the first meeting between the schools since Matt Rhule's first game as the Huskers' head coach in August of 2023.
- Minnesota owns a five-game winning streak in the series, dating back to a win in Minneapolis in 2019. Each of the past four Gopher victories have been by seven or fewer points, including a walk-off 13-10 victory in 2023.
- Nebraska won four of the first six meetings between the schools after joining the Big Ten, but Minnesota has won six of the past seven games to hold an 8-5 advantage in Big Ten play (since 2011)
- Before joining the Big Ten, Minnesota was the most frequent non-conference opponent for the Huskers among Big Ten schools. The Huskers and Gophers met 51 times between 1900 and 1990, including 19 consecutive seasons between 1934 and 1952 and eight straight years from 1967 to 1974.
- Overall, Minnesota leads the all-time series 37-25-2 and the Gophers lead 25-13-2 in games played in Minneapolis.
ABOUT MINNESOTA
Minnesota has fielded a football team since 1882, and the Golden Gophers have tallied over 700 wins as a program. Minnesota has claimed seven national titles and 18 Big Ten Conference championships. The Gophers have made 24 bowl appearances, claiming 12 wins. Minnesota's last bowl game appearance came last season when the Gophers took on Virginia Tech in the Duke's Mayo Bowl, defeating the Hokies with a 24-10 victory
First Year: 1882
All-Time Record: 745-560-44
Bowl Record: 12-12
Conference Titles: 18
National Titles: 7 (1904, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1940, 1941, 1960)
Stadium: Huntington Bank Stadium
Capacity: 50,805
Surface: FieldTurf
Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Enrollment: 54,890
Colors: Maroon & Gold
ABOUT 2025 MINNESOTA FOOTBALL
Schedule/Results
Buffalo (W 23-10)
Northwestern State (W 66-0)
at California (L 14-27)
Rutgers (W 31-28)
at Ohio State (L 3-42)
Purdue (W 27-20)
Nebraska
at Cockeye
Michigan State
at Oregon
at Northwestern
Wisconsin
Minnesota enters Friday night with a 4-2 record, including a 2-1 mark against Big Ten foes after recording a 27-20 victory over Purdue last weekend.
The Gophers come in averaging 340.8 yards per game, with 228.5 yards per game through the air and 112.3 yards per game on the ground. Drake Lindsey has completed 113-of-188 passes for 1,284 yards, nine touchdowns and three interceptions. Le'meke Brockington has 23 receptions for 253 yards and two touchdowns, followed by Javon Tracy with 16 grabs for 253 yards and two scores. Fame Ijeboi leads the Gopher rushing attack with 255 yards and a touchdown on 48 carries, followed by Darius Taylor with 55 rushes for 205 yards on the year.
Defensively, Minnesota is allowing 308.3 yards per game and 21.2 points per game. Devon Williams leads the Gophers with 50 tackles, followed by Maverick Baranowski and Koi Perich with 42 and 35 stops, respectively. Anthony Smith has a team-high 6.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks, while John Nestor has snagged a team-leading three interceptions through six games.
ABOUT P.J. FLECK
P.J. Fleck is in his ninth season as the head coach at Minnesota. In eight years, Fleck has recorded three seasons with nine or more wins. In 2019, Minnesota finished 11-2, the most wins for a Gopher team since 2003. Fleck was named 2019 Big Ten Coach of the Year and was a National Coach of the Year finalist.
Fleck came to Minnesota after spending four years as the head coach at Western Michigan, where he was 30-22 overall and 21-11 in the Mid-American Conference. The Broncos were 1-11 in his first year in 2013, but ended the 2016 season with a No. 12 national ranking, a 13-1 record, a MAC championship and a berth in the Cotton Bowl.
Prior to serving as head coach, Fleck served as wide receivers coach with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2012), Rutgers (2010-2011) and Northern Illinois (2007-2009).
Fleck will be facing Nebraska for the eighth time as a head coach on Friday. He holds a 6-1 record against the Big Red. The Huskers last faced Fleck in 2023, when Nebraska visited Minneapolis, where Fleck and the Gophers picked up a 13-10 victory to open the 2023 season.
LAST MEETING: AUGUST 31, 2023
MINNESOTA 13, NEBRASKA 10
Minneapolis - Nebraska's defense provided an outstanding effort, but a 47-yard walk-off field goal by Minnesota's Dragan Kesich lifted the Golden Gophers to a 13-10 come-from-behind victory over the Huskers at Huntington Bank Stadium on Thursday night in the season opener for both teams.
Minnesota capitalized on a pair of Nebraska turnovers in the final five minutes after the Huskers built a 10-3 lead and the ball near midfield late in the fourth quarter after outscoring the Gophers 10-0 in the first 25 minutes of the second half.
Nebraska finished the night with 181 rushing yards and 114 passing yards, while holding the Gophers to just 55 on the ground and 196 through the air. The Huskers outgained Minnesota 295-261 on the night, but a 4-1 turnover edge by the Gophers was enough to doom the Big Red.
Quarterback Jeff Sims finished the night 11-of-19 through the air for 114 yards, while adding a team-best 91 rushing yards on 19 carries. Gabe Ervin Jr. added 55 yards on seven carries, while Anthony Grant contributed nine carries for 27 yards.
Alex Bullock led the Husker receivers with three receptions for 54 yards and a touchdown, while Marcus Washington added three catches for 31 yards.
Daishon Singleton and Omar Brown led a gritty Blackshirt defensive effort with seven tackles apiece, while Brown added an interception. Nash Hutmacher, Blaise Gunnerson and Luke Reimer all contributed sacks for the Husker defense to just 251 yards on 69 offensive plays.
The decisive turnover came with less than one minute left and Nebraska moving the ball in hopes of a walk-off score of its own. A Sims pass over the middle intended for Nate Boerkircher was intercepted by Minnesota's Tyler Nuben - his second of the game - at the Gopher 35 with 58 seconds remaining.
Minnesota then moved the ball quickly to the Nebraska 35, hoping to push the ball a few yards closer for the strong leg of Kesich. But the Gophers were flagged for a false start to set up 3rd-and-13 at NU 40 with 17 seconds left. The Gophers overcame the mistake with an 11-yard run by Sean Tyler to set up Kesich's 47-yard field goal as time expired. Tyler finished with 10 carries for 41 yards to lead to the Minnesota running game.
The whole exchange may have been impossible had the Big Red not suffered a lost fumble from Grant with 4:53 left that was forced by Justin Walley and recovered Aidan Gousby at the Minnesota 47.
Just over two minutes later, quarterback Aithan Kaliakmanos kept Minnesota's hopes alive by connecting with Daniel Jackson on a spectacular 13-yard touchdown on the left side of the end zone to convert on 4th-and-10 with 2:32 remaining in the game. Kesich's PAT tied the score at 10.
Kaliakmanos finished the night 24-of-44 passing for 196 yards with one touchdown and one interception while being sacked three times. Jackson led the Gopher receivers with nine receptions for 68 yards while Corey Crooms added seven receptions for 63 yards.
In a low-scoring Big Ten slugfest, Nebraska scored its first touchdown of the season on back-to-back huge plays to open the second half.
Rahmir Johnson electrified the thousands of Nebraska fans who followed the Big Red on the road to Minneapolis on with a 63-yard kickoff return to start the half after going to halftime trailing 3-0.
On the first play from scrimmage following Johnson's return, Sims pitched the ball to the right to Grant, who threw a lateral back to Sims in the left flat that bounded to the turf. Sims gave chase, gathered the ball and then threw deep for a 34-yard touchdown to an uncovered Alex Bullock standing alone in the end zone.
Freshman place-kicker Tristan Alvano then connected on the first PAT of his career to give Nebraska a 7-3 lead less than 20 seconds into the third quarter.
Nebraska's defense continued to play lights out for the rest of the quarter, including a crucial interception by cornerback Omar Brown late in the period after the Golden Gophers threatened the Husker red zone.
The Big Red moved the ball effectively late in the period and took the 7-3 edge to fourth quarter after penetrating the Minnesota red zone.
The Huskers pushed inside the Gopher 5, but could not punch it in the end zone. Alvano came on to boot the first field goal of his career, connecting from 27 yards with 12:42 left to extend NU's edge to 10-3.
The Husker defense continued to out-physical the Minnesota offense for the next 10-plus minutes until the turnovers came back to cost the Cornhuskers.
In a low-scoring first half, Minnesota's offensive was able to maintain possession by converting on repeated 3rd-and-long situations. But the Blackshirt defense limited the damage by surrendering just a 34-yard, second-quarter field goal to Kesich with 12:41 remaining the first half.
After Kesich missed a second field goal attempt for the Gophers from 54 yards out with 3:34 left in the second quarter, Sims march Nebraska down to the goal line. In fact, the Huskers appeared to have a go-ahead touchdown from Gabe Ervin Jr. on a 1st-and-Goal blast from the Minnesota 4, but Ervin was ruled short of the goal line. Upon review, it appeared that the nose of the ball cross the front of the goal line before Ervin's right elbow hit the ground, but the call on the field stood.
The review after Nebraska quickly gathered to try and pound the ball into the end zone on 2nd-and-Goal in the closing seconds before time expired, but the Huskers were flagged for a false start to move the ball back to the 6. After a Nebraska timeout to avoid a 10-second runoff, a Sims pass was intercepted by Nuben in the end zone.
Nebraska missed a golden opportunity to take a lead to the halftime when a short Sims pass was intercepted in the end zone.
