5 things to know about Nebraska football vs. Minnesota

Not since Mike Riley was the head coach of the Nebraska Cornhuskers have they won a road game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

Matt Rhule should have won his first game as Nebraska football head coach at Minnesota if the refs didn’t rob the Huskers of a touchdown.

But let’s not cry about sour grapes. Minnesota has won five in a row in this rivalry. The last victory was 13-10. This year’s version of Minnesota is 4-2. The Gophers are fresh off a 27-20 win over Purdue, and it’s a classic P.J. Fleck squad that seems headed for 7-8 wins and a bowl game.

Nebraska has struggled against Fleck. His teams don’t make a ton of mistakes and are fundamentally sound. Like most weeks, Nebraska will have the talent edge, but winning in Minnesota isn’t easy, especially on a  Friday night. Here are five things to know about this matchup, including the odds and how to watch.

Nebraska vs. Minnesota: Odds and how to watch

25th-ranked Nebraska is a 7.5-point favorite via DraftKings. The over/under is 46.5, and the moneyline for Nebraska is -298. It’s +240 for Minnesota. The game will be broadcast on Fox at 7 PM CST. You can also stream the radio broadcast at Huskers.com.

Typical P.J. Fleck team

Few teams know who they are better than Minnesota. The Golden Gophers usually have a big-armed quarterback, which is true in Drake Lindsay. They are usually an effective running team on both sides of the ball, and they are great at forcing turnovers.

Most of those things are true once again. Minnesota is turning the ball over just 0.8 times per game, compared to a defense that is forcing 1.7. Minnesota passes for 228 yards per game but still has a 50/50 balance, even though the team’s rushing average is 3.6 yards per attempt, the same allowed to opponents.

Fleck teams are solid. They aren’t easy to beat, and this is no different.

A long time coming

If Nebraska football wins on Friday night, it will be the first time since the 2005 season that the Huskers have won consecutive road games.

Anytime you do something you haven’t done in 20 years, it’s a noteworthy achievement. It would be another feather in the cap of Matt Rhule, and would have his team bowl eligible for the second year in a row, after just seven games.

Nebraska still has to do it. But if the Huskers win, it will be another sign of progress.

Emmett Johnson will be extremely motivated

Emmett Johnson always runs hard. That’s never an issue. However, after the Golden Gophers didn’t offer a scholarship to the kid from Minnesota, it feels like he’ll have something to prove.

He talked about it in an interview with fellow Nebraska players. They asked if we played Minnesota this season, and Johnson knew the date. You could tell he wanted to make a statement.

Minnesota has a solid run defense, allowing just 3.5 yards per carry. Yet, Maryland allowed 2.6 in the five games before Nebraska. Johnson went off for 176 rushing yards and 196 total on 23 touches.

It’s gotten to the point that regardless of the opponent, you expect Johnson to produce.

The turnover battle is paramount

This is always a deciding factor in who wins. It seems to be more important for Minnesota, though. The Golden Gophers are +6 with zero giveaways in their two Power-4 wins, while they are minus two, with zero takeaways, in their two Power-4 defeats (2-2).

Nebraska football turned it over three times last week. Dylan Raiola can’t do that again. Win the turnover battle, and the Huskers will win the game.

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