Nebraska football fans might’ve done a double take, wondering if the Huskers were wearing maroon-and-gold instead of all-white — with pink on shoes, helmet stripes, Ns and face masks for Breast Cancer Awareness.
Friday night’s game at Huntington Bank Stadium in Minneapolis went as expected, except with Minnesota pounding Nebraska rather than the other way around.
The Golden Gophers won 24-6, their sixth-consecutive victory against Nebraska.
It wasn’t supposed to go that way. The Huskers should’ve physically dominated the fourth quarter to preserve, or emerge with, a sixth victory. Instead, the season’s narrative has changed in many ways.
Nebraska’s probably not a playoff contender, for example, not at 5-2. That’s an extreme.
Speculation Matt Rhule might be leaving for Penn State is probably off the table.
And so much for being ranked. Nebraska was 25th in the Associated Press Poll this week.
This was supposed to be a turnaround, beginning with a Minnesota victory. The Huskers started 5-1 before losing four in a row last season, with the first of the four at Indiana — wearing all-white — 56-7.
The Gophers didn’t score nearly that many points, but the result was similar. They dominated, allowing Nebraska just two first-half field goals.
The defining moment(s) came in the third quarter after a Husker downed Archie Wilson’s 49-yard punt at the Minnesota 2-yard line. The Gophers proceeded to drive 98 yards on 10 plays to increase their lead to 14-6. More importantly, they used up 8 minutes and 43 seconds on the clock.
Then, if 14 points weren’t insurmountable, Minnesota scored another touchdown 2 minutes and 28 seconds into the fourth quarter on a four-play, 40-yard drive. The Gophers retained possession even though Andrew Marshall intercepted a pass on third-and-3 from the Minnesota 45-yard line. The problem was, Donovan Jones was called for pass interference, nullifying the interception.
On the third play of the 40-yard drive, a 35-yard pass to the Husker 1-yard line on third-and-6, it appeared a Gopher blocker held. But no flag was thrown. Just an observation, not an excuse.
Minnesota earned the victory. “We flat-out got beat,” quarterback Dylan Raiola said.
That Nebraska only managed the two field goals, “I take all the blame,” said Raiola. “I take all the hate,” of which there was plenty — on the Twitter side chat during the interviews, for example.
Raiola, who went 17-for-25 for 177 yards, took nine sacks, count ‘em: nine. Minnesota had 14 sacks combined in its first six games. “Dylan just got beat up,” Rhule said, understating.
Raiola’s competitiveness couldn’t be questioned. He completed one pass as he stretched out, falling to the ground, and another left-handed under pressure.
Though some will probably claim so, the sacks weren’t entirely on the offensive line, which was without guard Rocco Spindler and tackle Elijah Pritchett, both starters. Spindler suffered a hand injury, which Rhule couldn’t specifically identify but caused Spindler to be sent to a hospital. Pritchett was ejected for targeting, leading with his helmet to the head of a Gopher already down.
Linebacker Vincent Shavers Jr. started but had to leave the game because of the effects of a broken thumb on which he underwent surgery Tuesday.
Nebraska had a net of 36 yards rushing. Add the 63 yards lost on the sacks, the Huskers had 99 yards on 20 actual carries, while Minnesota had 186 yards on 35 carries — 71 of the yards came on a Darius Taylor run to set up the Gophers’ first touchdown in the second quarter.
Taylor finished with 148 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries.
The Huskers were supposed to control the game by establishing the run, but the team in maroon-and-gold did. Minnesota flipped the script in many ways.
Emmett Johnson gave it his all in his Minneapolis homecoming, carrying 14 times for 63 yards and catching five passes for 37 yards. The game’s message was “just making this next week the best week,” he said, meaning practice, not just Northwestern, which comes to Lincoln Saturday.
By the way, it’s a home game, so no chance Nebraska will be wearing all-whites.
