PREGAME NOTES
No. 25 Minnesota (7-3 overall, 4-2 Big Ten) at No. 16 Nebraska (8-2 overall, 4-2 Big Ten)
Lincoln, Nebraska – Memorial Stadium (87,000)
Saturday 11:00 a.m. CT – ESPN
It is nothing short of do or die for the Gophers over the next two weeks. With wins over Nebraska and Wisconsin, Minnesota will win the Big Ten West and be headed to the Big Ten Championship game. The road to Indianapolis starts on Saturday as Minnesota looks for its second-straight win over the Huskers.
“Here we’re in November in a situation that the kids had the opportunity and wanted to be in,” said Jerry Kill. “Our job is to make sure we get ’em prepared, and go to Lincoln and, you know, play hard and play well. That’s where we’re at.”
Series History
The Gophers lead the all-time series by a tally of 30-22-2 but are just 8-10 when playing on the road. Minnesota’s most recent game in Lincoln came in 2012, with the Huskers winning easily, 38-14. What stood out to Kill about the road trip?
“Tom Osborne running out of the tunnel, I knew we were in trouble,” joked Kill. “So I would say that was the first thing, and then they ‑‑ before the game, I don’t know how many thousand but their stands are three‑quarters full when you jog out on the field for warm‑up and they’re a tremendously passionate people.”
Once the game started, things didn’t improve for the Gophers. The Huskers outgained Minnesota, 444-177 as Taylor Martinez threw for 308 yards and two touchdowns.
“I think the big thing is that we went to Lincoln last time and it wasn’t very good,” said Kill.
Last season, decades of history were brought to a head as the Gophers beat Nebraska for the first time since 1960. David Cobb pounded the ball for 138 yards while the Minnesota defense held the Huskers to just 139 yards passing as the Gophers rushed the field to victory, 34-23.
“Wins of that nature help your program,” said Kill. “Winning and beating Penn State; that helped our program. Anytime you get big wins it allows you, hey, we can do this, we can get this done. I think our kids are a different team than what we’ve been and we’re certainly a different from what we were early in the year.”
Season to Date
Nebraska enters the season with an 8-2 record. The Cornhuskers opened the season with five straight wins before falling to Michigan State in East Lansing, 27-22. Following the loss, Nebraska rattled off three more conference wins in impressive fashion: beating Northwestern (38-17), Rutgers (42-24), and Purdue (35-14). The winning streak ended last week when the Huskers were embarrassed by Melvin Gordon and Wisconsin. Gordon gashed the NU defense for 408 yards and four touchdowns on just 25 carries. His rushing total broke the single-game FBS record of 406—previously set by TCU’s Ladainian Tomlinson in 1999. Coach Kill knows the Huskers will be intense and focused as they look to rebound from the humiliating loss last week.
“They won’t be in a very good [state of mind] and they’ll play their tail end off,” said Kill. “I’ve got the greatest respect for Coach Pelini. We’ve had one of those games this year; some things just snowball. I promise you that his football team and with his intensity, they’re probably getting after it right now. He will have them ready. I’d much rather play a Coach Pelini team that had won a game.”
Coaching Preview
Bo Pelini is in his seventh season as the head coach at Nebraska. During his tenure, Pelini has often been more recognized for his sideline behavior and post-game meltdowns than his impressive record, 66-26 (.717). Despite his criticized antics, few coaches have enjoyed as much sustained success as Pelini. Nick Saban is the only other coach in the nation to win at least nine games in the past six seasons. Pelini needs just one more win to make it seven in a row.
Matchup to Watch
No question, the difference between victory and defeat for both teams will hinge on the success of the Minnesota rushing attack.
“We feel like we’ve got to run the football,” said Kill. “We have to be able to do that with any team we play; that’s important to us. We have a great deal of respect for Nebraska and we’re going to have to execute really well…For us to win the game, we’re going to have to be able to run the ball.”
The Gophers were able to rush for 218 yards on Ohio State; something Nebraska is well aware of.
“They have an identity, they know that they want to do,” said Pelini. “They stay committed to running the football and they don’t get discouraged out of running the football.”
The Huskers showed significant holes in their running defense against Wisconsin, allowing Melvin Gordon to run for 408 yards on just 25 carries. Despite the Badgers’ success, the Gophers know they will be facing an improved Nebraska defense.
“So the last thing we can do right now is sit back and say, hey, we got this thing figured out, we’ll do exactly what Wisconsin did to them and have the same kind of success,” said Matt Limegrover. “They’re going to be ready so this is a really big week for us as far as preparation goes.”
Nebraska boasts a number of impressive athletes on defense but will need to be much better than last week in order to stifle David Cobb and the Minnesota ground game.
“[They have] two defensive ends that are long and can rush the passer and [are] aggressive, good run players,” said Kill. “Again, a very good football team as we go down the stretch from Iowa on up, they’re all good football teams. We’ll have to execute very well to be successful. That’s what we need to do.”
Player to Watch
Kenny Bell – Bell is the most prolific wide receiver in Nebraska history. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound senior ranks first in school history for career receptions (170) and receiving yards (2,492). He’s also third in career touchdown receptions with 18. While Ameer Abdullah garners most of the attention from opposing defenses, Bell is a big-play threat that must be accounted for on every snap.
“They’re explosive with Kenny Bell on the edge,” Kill said. “Kenny is a great player, he catches the ball. You can’t beat yourself, that’s the key.”
Background
Location: Lincoln, Nebraska
Enrollment: 24,593
Conference: Big Ten
Mascot: Lil’ Red
Colors: Scarlet and Cream
Coach: Bo Pelini (7th Season)