BleedGopher
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Daily Nebraskan chimes in:
Noah Johnson, Senior Sports Editor: Nebraska 28, Minnesota 24
Nebraska’s 34-31 loss to Northwestern last weekend felt like a collective gut punch to the Husker faithful.
For three and a half quarters, Nebraska looked like a completely different unit in all aspects of the game. Yet instead of turning the corner and picking up his first win as Nebraska’s head coach, Scott Frost and the Huskers are staring at an 0-6 record, the worst start in program history.
Minnesota comes to Nebraska off an impressive showing against then-No. 3 Ohio State. Freshman running back Mohamed Ibrahim earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week after he picked up 157 yards and two touchdowns against the Buckeyes. Senior running back Shannon Brooks is back with Minnesota following a weekend arrest, and his status for Saturday’s game is unclear. While Nebraska stuffed Northwestern’s run game on Saturday, I wouldn’t expect that trend to continue against Minnesota’s surging running game.
For Nebraska, it’s going to come down to remaining consistent throughout all four quarters, something that doomed the Huskers last week. There’s no doubt the Huskers will put up yards on Minnesota’s defense, but being able to do so consistently while winning the penalty and turnover battle is something that has yet to be seen from Nebraska’s offense.
You should expect Minnesota to take a run-heavy approach against Nebraska this weekend. If the Husker defense can respond the same way they did against Northwestern, this game is Nebraska’s for the taking. If they fall onto old habits, like they did against Northwestern, you can expect a repeat of Minnesota’s 2017 performance against the Huskers.
With half of the season gone, we’ve seen how low this program can go. Starting with Minnesota, it’s going to be interesting to see how far Frost and the Huskers will go to climb out of the hole they created.
Jacob Bova, Assistant Sports Editor: Nebraska 31, Minnesota 17
So far this year I’ve been optimistic about the Huskers, picking them to win every game except Michigan and Wisconsin. But this week is the most confident I have been in predicting a Nebraska win this season.
Nebraska enters the game off of a heartbreaking defeat that, by all accounts, the team has responded positively to. Frost talked all week about how well the team is practicing and how focused they are on the small things.
Minnesota enters the game on a three-game losing streak after a 3-0 start. None of the losses were very close, either, as Maryland, Iowa and Ohio State all blew out Minnesota. Surprisingly, the closest of the bunch was their game last week against Ohio State when they were within one score for most of the game before the Buckeyes pulled away late.
When Nebraska has the ball, they will have a difficult time running against a Gopher run defense that has been impressive recently. After giving up two 100-yard rushers against Maryland, they held both Iowa and Ohio State to under 110 yards rushing. During this span, their pass defense has not done well, giving up 412 yards passing to Ohio State and 314 yards to Iowa.
On the other side of the ball, Nebraska should expect a good amount of runs from a shaky Minnesota offense, since they have a true freshman walk-on starting quarterback in Zack Annexstad. Minnesota’s running game has been inconsistent but is coming off a solid day against Ohio State which they hope to replicate this week.
All this being said, Minnesota does not have the talent across the board to match up with Nebraska. The Huskers should be able to handle one of the worst offenses in the Big Ten. Nebraska’s offense, while they may struggle at times, should put up enough points to give the Huskers their first win.
Luke Mullin, Assistant Sports Editor: Nebraska 35, Minnesota 21
Nebraska sure looks ready for its first win. The Huskers have improved all season and came close to beating Northwestern last week, but managed to snatch defeat from the claws of victory instead.
The fourth quarter collapse stings in hindsight, but it seems to have motivated Nebraska this week. The offense looks good, with Adrian Martinez, Devine Ozigbo and JD Spielman forming a dangerous trio. The defense showed improvement against Northwestern, as well.
Neither Nebraska nor Minnesota has won a Big Ten game yet this season, giving Nebraska its best chance to finally earn that elusive win. The Gophers have a balanced offense and talented running game, but their defense is lacking. With an inaccurate young quarterback, Minnesota might lack the offensive quality to overcome Nebraska on the road.
It’s been said all year and I’ll say it again: this is finally the week Nebraska wins a game.
http://www.dailynebraskan.com/sport...cle_a45ccfc4-d339-11e8-a2f2-ebb330932660.html
Go Gophers!!
Noah Johnson, Senior Sports Editor: Nebraska 28, Minnesota 24
Nebraska’s 34-31 loss to Northwestern last weekend felt like a collective gut punch to the Husker faithful.
For three and a half quarters, Nebraska looked like a completely different unit in all aspects of the game. Yet instead of turning the corner and picking up his first win as Nebraska’s head coach, Scott Frost and the Huskers are staring at an 0-6 record, the worst start in program history.
Minnesota comes to Nebraska off an impressive showing against then-No. 3 Ohio State. Freshman running back Mohamed Ibrahim earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week after he picked up 157 yards and two touchdowns against the Buckeyes. Senior running back Shannon Brooks is back with Minnesota following a weekend arrest, and his status for Saturday’s game is unclear. While Nebraska stuffed Northwestern’s run game on Saturday, I wouldn’t expect that trend to continue against Minnesota’s surging running game.
For Nebraska, it’s going to come down to remaining consistent throughout all four quarters, something that doomed the Huskers last week. There’s no doubt the Huskers will put up yards on Minnesota’s defense, but being able to do so consistently while winning the penalty and turnover battle is something that has yet to be seen from Nebraska’s offense.
You should expect Minnesota to take a run-heavy approach against Nebraska this weekend. If the Husker defense can respond the same way they did against Northwestern, this game is Nebraska’s for the taking. If they fall onto old habits, like they did against Northwestern, you can expect a repeat of Minnesota’s 2017 performance against the Huskers.
With half of the season gone, we’ve seen how low this program can go. Starting with Minnesota, it’s going to be interesting to see how far Frost and the Huskers will go to climb out of the hole they created.
Jacob Bova, Assistant Sports Editor: Nebraska 31, Minnesota 17
So far this year I’ve been optimistic about the Huskers, picking them to win every game except Michigan and Wisconsin. But this week is the most confident I have been in predicting a Nebraska win this season.
Nebraska enters the game off of a heartbreaking defeat that, by all accounts, the team has responded positively to. Frost talked all week about how well the team is practicing and how focused they are on the small things.
Minnesota enters the game on a three-game losing streak after a 3-0 start. None of the losses were very close, either, as Maryland, Iowa and Ohio State all blew out Minnesota. Surprisingly, the closest of the bunch was their game last week against Ohio State when they were within one score for most of the game before the Buckeyes pulled away late.
When Nebraska has the ball, they will have a difficult time running against a Gopher run defense that has been impressive recently. After giving up two 100-yard rushers against Maryland, they held both Iowa and Ohio State to under 110 yards rushing. During this span, their pass defense has not done well, giving up 412 yards passing to Ohio State and 314 yards to Iowa.
On the other side of the ball, Nebraska should expect a good amount of runs from a shaky Minnesota offense, since they have a true freshman walk-on starting quarterback in Zack Annexstad. Minnesota’s running game has been inconsistent but is coming off a solid day against Ohio State which they hope to replicate this week.
All this being said, Minnesota does not have the talent across the board to match up with Nebraska. The Huskers should be able to handle one of the worst offenses in the Big Ten. Nebraska’s offense, while they may struggle at times, should put up enough points to give the Huskers their first win.
Luke Mullin, Assistant Sports Editor: Nebraska 35, Minnesota 21
Nebraska sure looks ready for its first win. The Huskers have improved all season and came close to beating Northwestern last week, but managed to snatch defeat from the claws of victory instead.
The fourth quarter collapse stings in hindsight, but it seems to have motivated Nebraska this week. The offense looks good, with Adrian Martinez, Devine Ozigbo and JD Spielman forming a dangerous trio. The defense showed improvement against Northwestern, as well.
Neither Nebraska nor Minnesota has won a Big Ten game yet this season, giving Nebraska its best chance to finally earn that elusive win. The Gophers have a balanced offense and talented running game, but their defense is lacking. With an inaccurate young quarterback, Minnesota might lack the offensive quality to overcome Nebraska on the road.
It’s been said all year and I’ll say it again: this is finally the week Nebraska wins a game.
http://www.dailynebraskan.com/sport...cle_a45ccfc4-d339-11e8-a2f2-ebb330932660.html
Go Gophers!!
