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Broadcast Info:
- Date: Thurs., Aug. 31
- TV channel: FOX
- Time of kickoff: 7:00 p.m. (CST)
- Betting line: Minnesota (-7.5) v Nebraska, o/u: (43.5 points)
Opponent Information (Nebraska):
- 2022 record: 4-8
- v Northwestern 28-31 L
- V. North Dakota (FCS) 38-17 W
- V. Georgia Southern 42-45 L
- V. Oklahoma 14-49 L
- V. Indiana 35-21 W
- @ Rutgers 14-13 W
- @ Purdue 37-43 L
- V. Illinois 9-26 L
- V. Minnesota 13-20 L
- @ Michigan 3-34 L
- V. Wisconsin 14-15 L
- @ Iowa 24-17 W
- Head Coach: Matt Rhule (1st year)
- Players to watch: Jeff Sims (QB), Bryce Benhart (RT), Billy Kemp (WR), Luke Reimer (LB), Quinton Newsome (CB)
The University of Minnesota’s 2023 football campaign starts off with a bang. Thursday night will mark year seven of the P.J. Fleck era, while Nebraska welcomes a new head coach Matt Rhule returning to the college ranks. With 14 new transfers and two new coordinators, the Cornhuskers will have plenty of questions to answer as they attempt to return back to national relevancy. August 31 will mark a new era for Gophers football as heralded QB Athan Kaliakmanis will begin his first season as the full-time starter and Minnesota will attempt to make a run at a Big Ten West title for the final time before college football is flipped on its head in 2024.
Nebraska Season Storylines:
- Year 1 of the Matt Rhule era:
Five seasons in and a 16-31 record later, Nebraska finally cut ties with the notorious Scott Frost last season after losing to Georgia Southern at home. The Cornhuskers went out and made a splash by hiring Matt Rhule after he got fired from a tough run with the Carolina Panthers. After turning around Temple and Baylor in just a few seasons, Rhule is viewed as a very good head coach by many. He brought in OC Marcus Satterfield and DC Tony White with him to Lincoln along with Georgia Tech transfer QB Jeff Sims.
Rhule has already impressed in the recruiting trail by adding former 5-star TE Arik Gilbert from the portal along with 4-star WR Malachi Coleman. Satterfield’s relationship with Rhule made him a relatively easy higher, but those three moves made his first offseason look like a success to most. While the program is certainly heading in the right direction, the question is how long will it take for the Cornhuskers to return to national relevancy.
- Can Jeff Sims lead Nebraska to a bowl game?:
The biggest personnel addition of the offseason for Nebraska was Georgia Tech transfer QB Jeff Sims. As a former 4-star recruit Sims has received his fair share of hype. Despite showing flashes for the Yellow Jackets, he was never able to put it all together to string together some consistent play. Rhule chose Sims over former start Casey Thompson, and he believes that he is one of the better QBs in the sport. While he is quite elusive and a very good athlete at the position, there is no evidence that his decision-making can translate to the Big Ten.
Ultimately, Nebraska will go as far as Jeff Sims takes them this season. They have talent on the offensive side of the ball, but I do not believe it will be good enough to elevate Sims’ play. Jeff Sims will have to elevate the offense around him. They have a good enough offensive line to be competitive and good enough weapons, but Sims will determine if he can get them back to a bowl game for the first time since 2016.
- Rebuilding Nebraska football:
Nebraska has 5 National Championships, ranking them 13th-best in the history of college football. But they haven’t been to a bowl game since Barack Obama was the President of the United States. Cornhusker fans will tell you that Nebraska football is a blue-blood program and one of the most storied in the history of the sport. While that might be partly true, I don’t know if they have the capability to compete with premier programs any longer. There is no reason why they cannot compete with the likes of Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin in the Big Ten, but that ain’t happening overnight. While I believe Matt Rhule was the right hire, I am very intrigued to see what Nebraska’s ceiling will be under his tutelage for the years to come.
Gophers’ path to victory:
I believe that Minnesota simply has better personnel than Nebraska. Outside of maybe linebacker and offensive line, I don’t think you can make a convincing argument that the Cornhuskers have an advantage. With that being said, along with this being game one of the Rhule-era, Minnesota should win this game. But the Gophers also have their fair share of questions. Greg Harbaugh Jr. and Matt Simon are new co-offensive coordinators, while Athan Kaliakmanis is beginning his first full season as QB1.
The biggest key to this game will be whether or not Joe Rossi’s Gophers defense can contain Jeff Sims’ legs. If Sims is able to scramble around, extend plays and pick up yardage on the ground, it will open up the game for Nebraska’s offense. I believe Minnesota’s defense has the potential to be one of the better units in the conference, but it will take time with so many moving pieces. ILB2 is a major question mark for Minnesota and if Marcus Satterfield is able to exploit that Nebraska’s offense could move the ball with some explosive plays.
Offensively, I don’t think there is anything Nebraska has that will be scaring the Gophers. For that reason, I think Minnesota will simply outscore the Cornhuskers and start 2023 off on the right foot, with a 27-14 victory. It will be very important for the Maroon & Gold to start this game fast and not let Nebraska get comfortable. Matt Rhule is a good coach and will have his boys ready, so this game will be no cakewalk, but I believe that this will be the worst Nebraska team we see this season, giving Minnesota an advantage.