Nebraska vs. Minnesota: Amid Matt Rhule, Penn State chatter, Huskers take step back – The Athletic
MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota stomped No. 25 Nebraska 24-6 Friday night with a resounding second half ignited by a 98-yard drive to earn its sixth consecutive victory in this Big Ten series.
The Gophers (5-2, 3-1 Big Ten) sacked Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola nine times in a mere 52 offensive plays over nine drives.
Coach Matt Rhule’s team looked distracted after the Huskers heard all week ahead of this trip that Rhule was considered by many as the leading candidate at his alma mater to replace the fired James Franklin.
A flat performance Friday did nothing to enhance his potential candidacy at Penn State — or to inspire confidence in a Nebraska resurgence.
“There’s nothing that led me to think this was going to be like this,” Rhule said.
Here are our initial takeaways on Nebraska.
A major step back
This defeat represented a major step back for Rhule’s team, which dropped to 5-2 overall and 2-2 Big Ten. It walked into Friday night at Huntington Bank Stadium with a national ranking for the first time this season — and with a head of steam after consecutive come-from-behind wins in Big Ten play.
The past week was filled with anxiety for Nebraska fans, concerned by speculation that Rhule would bolt for Penn State. But for the first time in a long time, a feeling returned to Nebraska that it mattered on the college football map.
National pundits debated the merits of the Nebraska coach. It’s all part of winning, Rhule said.
“We were focused, man,” running back Emmett Johnson said. “We didn’t perform to our standard. And that’s all we were focused on. We’re tuning out the noise. We’re just focused on us.”
Minnesota bullied the Huskers and their thousands of traveling fans back into feeling like not much had changed since they started losing to the Gophers eight years ago. The Huskers got frustrated and committed penalties uncharacteristic of this team.
“At no point did we make the plays we needed to win the game,” Rhule said.
Left tackle Elijah Pritchett, the Alabama transfer, was ejected for targeting. Cornerback Donovan Jones was flagged amid backbreaking touchdown drives for holding and pass interference — both on Minnesota misses that would have otherwise given possession back to Nebraska.
Right guard Rocco Spindler, a Notre Dame transfer brought with Pritchett to Nebraska to reshape the offensive line, suffered a broken finger early in the game. He was hospitalized.
“They were the more physical team,” Rhule said. “We never put them under any duress.”
Nebraska’s vision of an unbeaten October is gone. It lost an opportunity to enter next month with the look of a resurgent program as USC arrives Nov. 1 at Memorial Stadium. Instead, Northwestern, primed Saturday to earn a fifth win, poses a threat to send Nebraska into a tailspin on par with the four-game slide to start the second half of the season a year ago.
No one at Nebraska — not its third-year coach or the AD who’s looking to support his vision — can afford that.
Routine plays missing for Raiola
Nebraska wants Raiola to win by making the routine plays. But on the road in the Big Ten for the Huskers, it takes more than routine.
A week ago at Maryland, Raiola threw three interceptions. On the flip side, he completed a pass for a gain of 33 yards during the Huskers’ game-winning drive while falling on his back. Raiola connected with his tight ends for a pair of spectacular completions in tight windows on the sideline.
He threw four touchdown passes.
Raiola delivered another spectacular moment Friday in flipping a pass to Nyziah Hunter for a first down while falling forward. He hit Luke Lindenmeyer with a left-handed throw to gain a first down while under pressure.
Something was missing, though. Yes, the routine plays. Raiola finished 17-for-25 for 177 yards. He held the ball too long. The sophomore quarterback failed to take aim at open receivers. When he picked the right time to aim for a deep throw, Hunter dropped a ball that hit his chest in the fourth quarter. The offensive line could not do its part to keep Raiola clean.
There was nothing routine about their performance. It was quite the opposite.
“Six points is pretty brutal,” Raiola said. “I’ll take that one. I’ll take all the the blame. I’ll take all the hate.”
PJ Fleck knows how to beat Huskers
The Minnesota coach has mastered the formula that works for Minnesota to beat Nebraska. He jumped right back into it Friday night.
Early, the Gophers happily traded punts for a field-position edge. They forced Nebraska to start three times inside its 20 in the first half. The result? A 7-6 deficit after 30 minutes, snapping a streak of 10 consecutive games that the Huskers led or entered halftime in a tie.
Then the dam broke. The second half devolved into an embarrassment for Nebraska, which rushed for a net 36 yards on 29 attempts.
Fleck was methodical in his management. The Gophers broke Nebraska with their pass rush and a defense that tightened in the red zone. Minnesota gave the Huskers nothing in special teams.
Playing Minnesota is torturous for Nebraska. It’s like facing another version of Iowa, disciplined and unrelenting.
Nebraska has made moves as a program to clear hurdles, but Fleck still has the Huskers measured as well as in Rhule’s first game with Nebraska two years and two months ago here in Minneapolis.
