Link: Full Game Notes (Huskers.com)
Nebraska (4-5, 3-3) at Minnesota (4-5, 1-5)
When: Saturday, November 11, 2017 | 11:00 a.m. (CT)
Where: TCF Bank Stadium (50,805) | Minneapolis, Minnesota
TV: FOX Sports 1 (Brian Custer, Ben Leber)
Radio: Husker Sports Network (Greg Sharpe, Matt Davison, Ben McLaughlin)
Satellite Radio: Sirius (Ch. 134) | XM (Ch. 196)
Internet Broadcast: Huskers.com
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Nebraska heads to Minnesota for the first of two consecutive November road games. The Huskers will take on the Golden Gophers on Saturday at Minnesota's TCF Bank Stadium. Kickoff is set for shortly after 11 a.m. CT, with national television coverage on FS1. The game can also be heard on the IMG Husker Sports Network.
Saturday's game is a key contest for the bowl hopes of both Nebraska and Minnesota, who both enter the game with a 4-5 record with three games to play. The Huskers and Gophers both need a pair of victories in the final three weeks to secure a postseason berth.
Nebraska's path to a bowl game got a little more difficult following a 31-24 overtime loss to Northwestern on Saturday in Lincoln. The Huskers took a touchdown lead into the final quarter, but the Wildcats rallied to force their third sraight overtime and prevailed in the extra session.
Minnesota enters the game with a 4-5 record and a 1-5 mark in Big Ten Conference play, following a 33-10 loss at Michigan on Saturday. The Gophers opened the year with a 3-0 non-conference record, before finding the going tougher in conference action, and posting a 1-5 record in Big Ten action.
Minnesota is led by first-year head coach P.J. Fleck, who guided Western Michigan to an unbeaten regular season in 2016. The Gophers have a strong defense, ranking fifth in the Big Ten, including second in the conference in pass defense.
Numbers to Know
105 - Nebraska redshirt freshman JD Spielman has 1,154 all-purpose yards this season. Spielman is 105 yards from the Nebraska freshman all-purpose yardage record of 1,259 yards set by Ahman Green in 1995.
3 - Nebraska senior linebacker Chris Weber has three consecutive games with double-figure tackles, including a team-high 11 against Northwestern. Weber leads the Huskers with 77 tackles on the season.
58 - Saturday's game will mark the 58th all-time meeting between Nebraska and Minnesota. The Huskers have played Minnesota more than any other Big Ten opponent. NU and Minnesota met for 19 straight seasons between 1934 and 1952 and eight straight years between 1967 to 1974.
Series History
Minnesota leads the all-time series with Nebraska 31-24-2 and the Gophers lead 21-13-2 in games played in Minneapolis, however Nebraska leads 2-1 in games played at TCF Bank Stadium. Nebraska leads the series 4-2 as Big Ten opponents and have won two straight in the series. Minnesota's win in 2013 ended a 16-game win streak for Nebraska in the series. The Gophers owned a 29-6-2 record in the first 37 games of the series, while Nebraska is 18-2 since that time.
1900 - Minnesota 20, Nebraska 12 (Lincoln)
1901 - Minnesota 19, Nebraska 0 (Minneapolis)
1902 - Nebraska 6, Minnesota 0 (Minneapolis)
1904 - Minnesota 16, Nebraska 12 (Minneapolis)
1905 - Minnesota 35, Nebraska 0 (Minneapolis)
1906 - Minnesota 13, Nebraska 0 (Minneapolis)
1907 - Minnesota 8, Nebraska 5 (Minneapolis)
1908 - Nebraska 0, Minnesota 0 (Minneapolis)
1909 - Minnesota 14, Nebraska 0 (Omaha)
1910 - Minnesota 27, Nebraska 0 (Minneapolis)
1911 - Minnesota 21, Nebraska 3 (Minneapolis)
1912 - Minnesota 13, Nebraska 0 (Minneapolis)
1913 - Nebraska 7, Minnesota 0 (Lincoln)
1919 - Nebraska 6, Minnesota 6 (Minneapolis)
1932 - Minnesota 7, Nebraska 6 (Minneapolis)
1934 - Minnesota 20, Nebraska 0 (Minneapolis)
1935 - Minnesota 12, Nebraska 7 (Lincoln)
1936 - Minnesota 7, Nebraska 0 (Minneapolis)
1937 - Nebraska 14, Minnesota 9 (Lincoln)
1938 - Minnesota 16, Nebraska 7 (Minneapolis)
1939 - Nebraska 6, Minnesota 0 (Lincoln)
1940 - Minnesota 13, Nebraska 7 (Minneapolis)
1941 - #2 Minnesota 9, Nebraska 0 (Minneapolis)
1942 - #14 Minnesota 15, Nebraska 2 (Lincoln)
1943 - Minnesota 54, Nebraska 0 (Minneapolis)
1944 - Minnesota 39, Nebraska 0 (Minneapolis)
1945 - Minnesota 61, Nebraska 7 (Lincoln)
1946 - Minnesota 33, Nebraska 6 (Minneapolis)
1947 - Minnesota 28, Nebraska 13 (Lincoln)
1948 - Minnesota 39, Nebraska 13 (Minneapolis)
1949 - Minnesota 28, Nebraska 6 (Lincoln)
1950 - Nebraska 32, Minnesota 26 (Minneapolis)
1951 - Minnesota 39, Nebraska 20 (Minneapolis)
1952 - Minnesota 13, Nebraska 7 (Lincoln)
1954 - Minnesota 19, Nebraska 7 (Minneapolis)
1959 - Nebraska 32, Minnesota 12 (Minneapolis)
1960 - Minnesota 26, #12 Nebraska 14 (Lincoln)
1963 - Nebraska 14, Minnesota 7 (Minneapolis)
1964 - Nebraska 26, Minnesota 21 (Minneapolis)
1967 - #7 Nebraska 7, Minnesota 0 (Lincoln)
1968 - #9 Nebraska 17, #17 Minnesota 14 (Minneapolis)
1969 - Nebraska 42, Minnesota 14 (Minneapolis)
1970 - #6 Nebraska 35, Minnesota 10 (Minneapolis)
1971 - #1 Nebraska 35, Minnesota 7 (Lincoln)
1972 - #7 Nebraska 49, Minnesota 0 (Lincoln)
1973 - #2 Nebraska 48, Minnesota 7 (Minneapolis)
1974 - #6 Nebraska 54, Minnesota 0 (Lincoln)
1983 - #1 Nebraska 84, Minnesota 13 (Minneapolis)
1984 - #1 Nebraska 38, Minnesota 7 (Lincoln)
1989 - #3 Nebraska 48, Minnesota 0 (Minneapolis)
1990 - #8 Nebraska 56, Minnesota 0 (Lincoln)
2011 - #13 Nebraska 41, Minnesota 14 (Minneapolis)
2012 - #16 Nebraska 38, Minnesota 14 (Lincoln)
2013 - Minnesota 34, Nebraska 23 (Minneapolis)
2014 - Minnesota 28, #21 Nebraska 24 (Lincoln)
2015 - Nebraska 48, Minnesota 25 (Minneapolis)
2016 - #21 Nebraska 24, Minnesota 17 (Lincoln)
About Minnesota Football
Minnesota has won 18 Big Ten titles and seven national championships in its history. The Golden Gophers' last Big Ten title came in 1967 and their last national title came in 1960. The Golden Gophers have posted 14 undefeated seasons in program history -- most recently in 1941 -- including five unbeaten national championship seasons. Minnesota has made 19 bowl appearances, all since 1985.
First Season: 1882
Big Ten Titles: 18
National Titles: 7 (1904, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1940, 1941, 1960)
All-Time Record: 685-516-44
Bowl Record: 7-12
About 2017 Minnesota Football
Minnesota won its first three games of the season but has lost five of its last six. The Golden Gophers (4-5) are sixth in the Big Ten West Division with a 1-5 record in conference play. Minnesota has only one Big Ten win -- a 24-17 victory over Illinois -- but three of the Gophers' five losses have been by seven or fewer points.
Minnesota is led by its defense, which ranks 23rd nationally in total defense (329.0 yards per game), 29th in scoring (20.3 points per game), and 16th in fewest first downs allowed (146). The Golden Gophers have also excelled at forcing turnovers, ranking 27th nationally with 17 turnovers forced, including 14th in fumbles recovered (9). Individually, linebacker Thomas Barber ranks third in the Big Ten and 33rd nationally with a team-leading 82 total tackles, including leading the Big Ten and ranking sixth nationally with 6.3 solo tackles per game. Jacob Huff has intercepted three passes to rank fifth in the Big Ten and 32nd nationally in that category, while Carter Coughlin paces the Golden Gophers with 8.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks.
Offensively, Minnesota runs the ball twice as often as it passes. Quarterback Conor Rhoda was the starter for the first half of the season, and he completed over 54 percent of his passes while throwing for 839 yards and five touchdowns. Demry Croft has started the last three games and has thrown for 486 yards but is completing only 42 percent of his passes. Tyler Johnson has caught 32 passes, 19 more than any other Gopher. Johnson ranks fourth in the Big Ten and 21st nationally with seven receiving touchdowns. On the ground, Rodney Smith has rushed for 665 yards.
Minnesota is also a disciplined team, ranking third nationally in both fewest penalties per game (3.7) and fewest penalty yards per game (30.8).
2017 Minnesota Schedule (4-5)
Buffalo (W 17-7)
at Oregon State (W 48-14)
Middle Tennessee State (W 34-3)
Maryland (L 24-31)
at Purdue (L 17-31)
#21 Michigan State (L 27-30)
Illinois (W 24-17)
at Iowa (L 10-17)
at Michigan (L 10-33)
Nebraska
at Northwestern
Wisconsin
About Minnesota Coach P.J. Fleck
P.J. Fleck is in his first year as head coach of the Minnesota program and sports a 4-5 record with the Gophers. This will be his first ever meeting as a head coach against Nebraska. This is his fifth season overall has an FBS head coach after having spent four years at Western Michigan where he won one MAC championship and took the Broncos last season to the Cotton Bowl. Fleck has an overall head coaching record of 34-27. Fleck played at Northern Illinois as a wide receiver from 1999 through 2003 and spent two years with the San Francisco 49ers (2004-2005) as a receiver. Fleck began his coaching career as a G.A. at Ohio State in 2006 and then became an assistant receivers coach at Northern Illinois (2007-2009). He then moved onto Rutgers as receivers coach (2010-11) and spent one season (2012) as a receivers coach in the NFL with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In 2013 Fleck was named head coach at Western Michigan.
Last Meeting: November 12, 2016: Nebraska 24, Minnesota 17 (Lincoln)
After being knocked out of the game the week before against Ohio State, Nebraska quarterback Tommy Armstrong wasn't medically cleared for the Minnesota game until just hours before the Saturday night contest. Armstrong, who injured his ankle and hamstring in the game, led Nebraska on a 91-yard drive in the fourth quarter to score the eventual game-winning touchdown for the Huskers, rebounding from the 62-3 loss to Ohio State last week.
Nebraska totaled just 374 yards of total offense (217 pass, 157 rush) and committed no turnovers in the game. The Huskers had their best defensive performance of the year to date holding Minnesota to just 265 total yards (180 pass, 85 rush) while the Gophers committed one turnover. Time of possession was nearly equal in the contest (Minnesota 30:54, Nebraska 29:06).
Individually, Tommy Armstrong was 19-of-27 for 217 yards with 2 TD passes and also rushed nine times for 61 yards and a score. Terrell Newby rushed 16 times for 85 yards in the win. Jordan Westerkamp was the leading receiver with six catches for 50 yards. Tre Bryant and Terrell Newby each caught touchdown passes in the victory.
For Minnesota, Mitch Leidner was 18-of-27 for 180 yards with 1 INT and rushed 8 times for 15 yards. Leading rusher was Rodney Smith with 17 carries for just 53 yards and one TD. Leading receiver for the Gophers was Drew Wolitarsky with eight catches for 90 yards.
Nebraska (4-5, 3-3) at Minnesota (4-5, 1-5)
When: Saturday, November 11, 2017 | 11:00 a.m. (CT)
Where: TCF Bank Stadium (50,805) | Minneapolis, Minnesota
TV: FOX Sports 1 (Brian Custer, Ben Leber)
Radio: Husker Sports Network (Greg Sharpe, Matt Davison, Ben McLaughlin)
Satellite Radio: Sirius (Ch. 134) | XM (Ch. 196)
Internet Broadcast: Huskers.com
===============================
Nebraska heads to Minnesota for the first of two consecutive November road games. The Huskers will take on the Golden Gophers on Saturday at Minnesota's TCF Bank Stadium. Kickoff is set for shortly after 11 a.m. CT, with national television coverage on FS1. The game can also be heard on the IMG Husker Sports Network.
Saturday's game is a key contest for the bowl hopes of both Nebraska and Minnesota, who both enter the game with a 4-5 record with three games to play. The Huskers and Gophers both need a pair of victories in the final three weeks to secure a postseason berth.
Nebraska's path to a bowl game got a little more difficult following a 31-24 overtime loss to Northwestern on Saturday in Lincoln. The Huskers took a touchdown lead into the final quarter, but the Wildcats rallied to force their third sraight overtime and prevailed in the extra session.
Minnesota enters the game with a 4-5 record and a 1-5 mark in Big Ten Conference play, following a 33-10 loss at Michigan on Saturday. The Gophers opened the year with a 3-0 non-conference record, before finding the going tougher in conference action, and posting a 1-5 record in Big Ten action.
Minnesota is led by first-year head coach P.J. Fleck, who guided Western Michigan to an unbeaten regular season in 2016. The Gophers have a strong defense, ranking fifth in the Big Ten, including second in the conference in pass defense.
Numbers to Know
105 - Nebraska redshirt freshman JD Spielman has 1,154 all-purpose yards this season. Spielman is 105 yards from the Nebraska freshman all-purpose yardage record of 1,259 yards set by Ahman Green in 1995.
3 - Nebraska senior linebacker Chris Weber has three consecutive games with double-figure tackles, including a team-high 11 against Northwestern. Weber leads the Huskers with 77 tackles on the season.
58 - Saturday's game will mark the 58th all-time meeting between Nebraska and Minnesota. The Huskers have played Minnesota more than any other Big Ten opponent. NU and Minnesota met for 19 straight seasons between 1934 and 1952 and eight straight years between 1967 to 1974.
Series History
Minnesota leads the all-time series with Nebraska 31-24-2 and the Gophers lead 21-13-2 in games played in Minneapolis, however Nebraska leads 2-1 in games played at TCF Bank Stadium. Nebraska leads the series 4-2 as Big Ten opponents and have won two straight in the series. Minnesota's win in 2013 ended a 16-game win streak for Nebraska in the series. The Gophers owned a 29-6-2 record in the first 37 games of the series, while Nebraska is 18-2 since that time.
1900 - Minnesota 20, Nebraska 12 (Lincoln)
1901 - Minnesota 19, Nebraska 0 (Minneapolis)
1902 - Nebraska 6, Minnesota 0 (Minneapolis)
1904 - Minnesota 16, Nebraska 12 (Minneapolis)
1905 - Minnesota 35, Nebraska 0 (Minneapolis)
1906 - Minnesota 13, Nebraska 0 (Minneapolis)
1907 - Minnesota 8, Nebraska 5 (Minneapolis)
1908 - Nebraska 0, Minnesota 0 (Minneapolis)
1909 - Minnesota 14, Nebraska 0 (Omaha)
1910 - Minnesota 27, Nebraska 0 (Minneapolis)
1911 - Minnesota 21, Nebraska 3 (Minneapolis)
1912 - Minnesota 13, Nebraska 0 (Minneapolis)
1913 - Nebraska 7, Minnesota 0 (Lincoln)
1919 - Nebraska 6, Minnesota 6 (Minneapolis)
1932 - Minnesota 7, Nebraska 6 (Minneapolis)
1934 - Minnesota 20, Nebraska 0 (Minneapolis)
1935 - Minnesota 12, Nebraska 7 (Lincoln)
1936 - Minnesota 7, Nebraska 0 (Minneapolis)
1937 - Nebraska 14, Minnesota 9 (Lincoln)
1938 - Minnesota 16, Nebraska 7 (Minneapolis)
1939 - Nebraska 6, Minnesota 0 (Lincoln)
1940 - Minnesota 13, Nebraska 7 (Minneapolis)
1941 - #2 Minnesota 9, Nebraska 0 (Minneapolis)
1942 - #14 Minnesota 15, Nebraska 2 (Lincoln)
1943 - Minnesota 54, Nebraska 0 (Minneapolis)
1944 - Minnesota 39, Nebraska 0 (Minneapolis)
1945 - Minnesota 61, Nebraska 7 (Lincoln)
1946 - Minnesota 33, Nebraska 6 (Minneapolis)
1947 - Minnesota 28, Nebraska 13 (Lincoln)
1948 - Minnesota 39, Nebraska 13 (Minneapolis)
1949 - Minnesota 28, Nebraska 6 (Lincoln)
1950 - Nebraska 32, Minnesota 26 (Minneapolis)
1951 - Minnesota 39, Nebraska 20 (Minneapolis)
1952 - Minnesota 13, Nebraska 7 (Lincoln)
1954 - Minnesota 19, Nebraska 7 (Minneapolis)
1959 - Nebraska 32, Minnesota 12 (Minneapolis)
1960 - Minnesota 26, #12 Nebraska 14 (Lincoln)
1963 - Nebraska 14, Minnesota 7 (Minneapolis)
1964 - Nebraska 26, Minnesota 21 (Minneapolis)
1967 - #7 Nebraska 7, Minnesota 0 (Lincoln)
1968 - #9 Nebraska 17, #17 Minnesota 14 (Minneapolis)
1969 - Nebraska 42, Minnesota 14 (Minneapolis)
1970 - #6 Nebraska 35, Minnesota 10 (Minneapolis)
1971 - #1 Nebraska 35, Minnesota 7 (Lincoln)
1972 - #7 Nebraska 49, Minnesota 0 (Lincoln)
1973 - #2 Nebraska 48, Minnesota 7 (Minneapolis)
1974 - #6 Nebraska 54, Minnesota 0 (Lincoln)
1983 - #1 Nebraska 84, Minnesota 13 (Minneapolis)
1984 - #1 Nebraska 38, Minnesota 7 (Lincoln)
1989 - #3 Nebraska 48, Minnesota 0 (Minneapolis)
1990 - #8 Nebraska 56, Minnesota 0 (Lincoln)
2011 - #13 Nebraska 41, Minnesota 14 (Minneapolis)
2012 - #16 Nebraska 38, Minnesota 14 (Lincoln)
2013 - Minnesota 34, Nebraska 23 (Minneapolis)
2014 - Minnesota 28, #21 Nebraska 24 (Lincoln)
2015 - Nebraska 48, Minnesota 25 (Minneapolis)
2016 - #21 Nebraska 24, Minnesota 17 (Lincoln)
About Minnesota Football
Minnesota has won 18 Big Ten titles and seven national championships in its history. The Golden Gophers' last Big Ten title came in 1967 and their last national title came in 1960. The Golden Gophers have posted 14 undefeated seasons in program history -- most recently in 1941 -- including five unbeaten national championship seasons. Minnesota has made 19 bowl appearances, all since 1985.
First Season: 1882
Big Ten Titles: 18
National Titles: 7 (1904, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1940, 1941, 1960)
All-Time Record: 685-516-44
Bowl Record: 7-12
About 2017 Minnesota Football
Minnesota won its first three games of the season but has lost five of its last six. The Golden Gophers (4-5) are sixth in the Big Ten West Division with a 1-5 record in conference play. Minnesota has only one Big Ten win -- a 24-17 victory over Illinois -- but three of the Gophers' five losses have been by seven or fewer points.
Minnesota is led by its defense, which ranks 23rd nationally in total defense (329.0 yards per game), 29th in scoring (20.3 points per game), and 16th in fewest first downs allowed (146). The Golden Gophers have also excelled at forcing turnovers, ranking 27th nationally with 17 turnovers forced, including 14th in fumbles recovered (9). Individually, linebacker Thomas Barber ranks third in the Big Ten and 33rd nationally with a team-leading 82 total tackles, including leading the Big Ten and ranking sixth nationally with 6.3 solo tackles per game. Jacob Huff has intercepted three passes to rank fifth in the Big Ten and 32nd nationally in that category, while Carter Coughlin paces the Golden Gophers with 8.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks.
Offensively, Minnesota runs the ball twice as often as it passes. Quarterback Conor Rhoda was the starter for the first half of the season, and he completed over 54 percent of his passes while throwing for 839 yards and five touchdowns. Demry Croft has started the last three games and has thrown for 486 yards but is completing only 42 percent of his passes. Tyler Johnson has caught 32 passes, 19 more than any other Gopher. Johnson ranks fourth in the Big Ten and 21st nationally with seven receiving touchdowns. On the ground, Rodney Smith has rushed for 665 yards.
Minnesota is also a disciplined team, ranking third nationally in both fewest penalties per game (3.7) and fewest penalty yards per game (30.8).
2017 Minnesota Schedule (4-5)
Buffalo (W 17-7)
at Oregon State (W 48-14)
Middle Tennessee State (W 34-3)
Maryland (L 24-31)
at Purdue (L 17-31)
#21 Michigan State (L 27-30)
Illinois (W 24-17)
at Iowa (L 10-17)
at Michigan (L 10-33)
Nebraska
at Northwestern
Wisconsin
About Minnesota Coach P.J. Fleck
P.J. Fleck is in his first year as head coach of the Minnesota program and sports a 4-5 record with the Gophers. This will be his first ever meeting as a head coach against Nebraska. This is his fifth season overall has an FBS head coach after having spent four years at Western Michigan where he won one MAC championship and took the Broncos last season to the Cotton Bowl. Fleck has an overall head coaching record of 34-27. Fleck played at Northern Illinois as a wide receiver from 1999 through 2003 and spent two years with the San Francisco 49ers (2004-2005) as a receiver. Fleck began his coaching career as a G.A. at Ohio State in 2006 and then became an assistant receivers coach at Northern Illinois (2007-2009). He then moved onto Rutgers as receivers coach (2010-11) and spent one season (2012) as a receivers coach in the NFL with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In 2013 Fleck was named head coach at Western Michigan.
Last Meeting: November 12, 2016: Nebraska 24, Minnesota 17 (Lincoln)
After being knocked out of the game the week before against Ohio State, Nebraska quarterback Tommy Armstrong wasn't medically cleared for the Minnesota game until just hours before the Saturday night contest. Armstrong, who injured his ankle and hamstring in the game, led Nebraska on a 91-yard drive in the fourth quarter to score the eventual game-winning touchdown for the Huskers, rebounding from the 62-3 loss to Ohio State last week.
Nebraska totaled just 374 yards of total offense (217 pass, 157 rush) and committed no turnovers in the game. The Huskers had their best defensive performance of the year to date holding Minnesota to just 265 total yards (180 pass, 85 rush) while the Gophers committed one turnover. Time of possession was nearly equal in the contest (Minnesota 30:54, Nebraska 29:06).
Individually, Tommy Armstrong was 19-of-27 for 217 yards with 2 TD passes and also rushed nine times for 61 yards and a score. Terrell Newby rushed 16 times for 85 yards in the win. Jordan Westerkamp was the leading receiver with six catches for 50 yards. Tre Bryant and Terrell Newby each caught touchdown passes in the victory.
For Minnesota, Mitch Leidner was 18-of-27 for 180 yards with 1 INT and rushed 8 times for 15 yards. Leading rusher was Rodney Smith with 17 carries for just 53 yards and one TD. Leading receiver for the Gophers was Drew Wolitarsky with eight catches for 90 yards.
