Nebraska will try to keep its first national ranking of the season from being a one-week outlier when it visits Minnesota for a Big Ten clash Friday night in Minneapolis.
The Cornhuskers (5-1, 2-1 Big Ten) entered the Associated Press Top 25 at No. 25 after winning in dramatic fashion last week at Maryland – just the third time in seven years that Nebraska has appeared in the poll.
They accomplished the feat after winning their first road game of the season. Now comes their second road game on a short week.
“We haven’t won road games in back-to-back weeks since 2006, which is mind-boggling,” said Nebraska coach Matt Rhule.
Minnesota (4-2, 2-1) comes off a comeback victory over Purdue, its fourth win in as many tries at home. Both Big Ten wins have been by one score and the Gophers have owned a plus-4 turnover margin in those games.
“One-possession games usually come down to (taking care of) the ball,” said Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck. ” … You’ve got to be able to win close games, you have to do it.”
Nebraska sophomore Dylan Raiola ranks second in the Big Ten in touchdown passes with 16. He threw four last week — including the game-winner to Dane Key with 1:08 left — but also had three interceptions. That contributed to the Cornhuskers blowing a double-digit lead for the second straight game.
“I love what we’re doing in the fourth quarter,” Rhule said. “Need to improve the third quarter.”
Minnesota redshirt freshman Drake Lindsey bounced back from a tough game against No. 1 Ohio State by throwing for 232 yards and two TDs against Purdue. That helped offset a rushing game that netted just 30 yards on 18 carries. In three Big Ten games, the Gophers are averaging a league-worst 44.3 yards per game on the ground. Nebraska, meanwhile, ranks second-worst in the conference in defending the run.
“We haven’t been able to do it very successfully to this point,” Fleck said, noting his team has been down early in each Big Ten game. ” … We have to execute better across the board.”
Nebraska’s Emmett Johnson stands second in the Big Ten with 650 yards, including 176 last week. Minnesota just allowed a season-worst 253 rushing yards to Purdue.
Minnesota holds a 37-25-2 advantage against Nebraska, winning the last five matchups including the most recent in 2023. The Cornhuskers’ last victory in the series was in 2018 and their last in Minneapolis was in 2015.
“This Nebraska team has nothing to do with seven years ago or five years ago,” Fleck said.
Rhule, who owns a 17-14 record in his third year at Nebraska, has had his name mentioned for the opening at Penn State, his alma mater, following James Franklin’s firing on Sunday.
“I’m not going to talk a lot about job openings when they come,” Rhule said. “Maybe it’s been a while here, but this is what happens when you win. I’ve dealt with it at Temple, when we won a lot at Baylor. … I want us to continue to take the steps needed to turn this into a beast.”
A win for Nebraska would make it bowl eligible for a second consecutive season, which last happened in 2015-16. The Cornhuskers missed the postseason seven straight years before winning the Pinstripe Bowl last year.
