Two weeks before Halloween, No. 25 Nebraska football went into its house of horrors and limped out beaten and worried about the future of the season.
The Cornhuskers (5-2, 2-2 B1G) were throttled by Minnesota (5-2, 2-2 B1G), 24-6, Friday night at Huntington Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. The win was the Golden Gophers’ sixth straight over Nebraska and pushed UM coach PJ Fleck’s career record against the Huskers to 7-1. Minnesota sacked Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola a school record nine times.
Nebraska got on the board late in the first quarter, marching from their 15 to the Gophers’ 10. But after an incomplete pass, Raiola was sacked and the Huskers had to settle for a 33-yard field goal to lead 3-0 as the first quarter clock ran out.
Minnesota wasted no time answering. Despite being buried at their 10 with a holding penalty on the kickoff, the Gophers picked up a first down, then moved to the doorstep of the end zone with a 71-yard run by Darius Taylor. Drake Lindsey snuck in a touchdown from one yard out one play later, and Minnesota took a 7-3 lead.
After the teams traded three-and-outs, the Huskers got the ball back on their 19. Nebraska picked up one first down, then Raiola hit Quinn Clark for a 43-yard gain, the biggest gain of the night, to the UM 22. Emmett Johnson gained 11 yards on a run to take the ball to the 11. But then the drive was totally sidetracked. Johnson was stuffed for a one-yard loss on first down. On second down, Raiola was sacked for a six-yard loss. Then on third down, NU offensive tackle Elijah Pritchett was flagged for targeting and was ejected from the game. For the second time, Nebraska had to settle for a field goal after driving inside Minnesota’s 15. The Gophers took a 7-6 lead to halftime.
The Huskers got the ball first in the third quarter and drove to midfield, before having to punt. Freshman punter Archie Wilson pinned Minnesota inside its two. But then, the Gophers went on a churning 14-play, 98-yard, eight minute, 43 second game that all but secured the victory for Minnesota. Lindsey hit Lemeke Brockington for a 20-yard touchdown to push the UM lead to 14-6 with 2:36 to go in the third quarter.
Nebraska went three-and-out on its next drive and Minnesota took over at its 38. A third-down interception by Andrew Marshall was erased on a pass interference penalty, and the drive continued. On the ensuing third down, Lindsey hit Jalen Smith for a 35-yard gain to take the ball to the NU one. This time, Taylor punched in the touchdown with a one-yard run and the Gophers’ lead grew to 21-6 with 12:32 to go in the game. The Huskers punted on their next drive and Minnesota’s Brady Denaburg kicked a 30-yard field goal to make 24-6 with 5:14 to go, and the Gophers hung on to win.
Raiola finished the game 17-for-25 for 177 yards while being sacked nine times. The NU offensive line was patched together by game’s end with Pritchett’s ejection and Rocco Spindler’s hand injury, which knocked him out of the game in the first half. Johnson ran 14 times for 63 yards coming off his career-high rushing performance at Maryland. Johnson also caught five passes for 37 yards. Nyziah Hunter made five catches for a team-leading 40 yards. One bright spot was Javin Wright, who had 10 or more tackles in a game for a fourth straight games. Wright made 12 stops for Nebraska, while Marques Watson-Trent made a season-high 11 tackles.
Lindsey was 16-for-20 for 153 yards and a touchdown pass while also rushing for a touchdown. Taylor rushed 24 times for 148 yards and a touchdown, nearly half of the total coming on the key second-quarter run to set up the first touchdown.
The Huskers will return home to face Northwestern Saturday, Oct. 25. Kickoff time has not yet been set by the Big Ten, but the game will be broadcast on KLIN and Froggy 98.