It was easily their best performance of the season - so far. Minnesota sacked quarterback Dylan Raiola a school-record nine times in a 24-6 victory over No. 25 Nebraska on Friday night at Huntington Bank Stadium, a dominant performance for a Gopher team that had been a bit erratic in the first six games of the season.
Darius Taylor ran for 148 yards and a touchdown, Drake Lindsey completed 16 of 20 passes for 153 yards and a score for the Gophers (5-2, 3-1 Big Ten) who have won six straight against the Cornhuskers (5-2, 2-2). Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck improved to 7-1 against Nebraska, which hasn’t won in Minneapolis since 2015.
“Nine sacks; I love that,” said Fleck, whose team was without two of its top three cornerbacks due to injury. “We’re really proud of a program record. ... We’re talking about the whole complete defense doing what you’re supposed to do when you’re supposed to do it.”
Raiola completed 17 of 25 passes for 177 yards for the Huskers, who spent part of a short week addressing rumors of coach Matt Rhule’s candidacy for the vacant Penn State job.
Anthony Smith and Karter Menz each had 2 1/2 sacks for Minnesota. The Gophers held Nebraska to a season-low 36 yards rushing.
Minnesota’s student section stormed the field afterward.
“We were just kind of out of whack the whole day,” said Rhule, who was a walk-on linebacker at Penn State under Joe Paterno in the 1990s, met his wife at the school and is close friends with athletic director Pat Kraft. “At no point did we make the play we needed to make to win the game.”
The Huskers were held without a touchdown in a loss for the first time since a 62-3 loss to Ohio State in 2016.
“Six points is pretty brutal,” Raiola said.
Lindsey found Le’Meke Brockington in the front corner of the end zone on a 20-yard touchdown pass to make it 14-6 with 2:36 left in the third quarter. A fourth-down defensive holding call kept the 98-yard, 14-play drive intact.
“That’s Gopher football right there,” Fleck said. “Nothing makes me more proud than that drive.”
A pass-interference penalty negated a Nebraska interception on Minnesota’s next possession, capped by Taylor’s 1-yard touchdown run.
Minnesota led 7-6 at halftime thanks to a 1-yard, tush-push score by Lindsey 1:40 into the second quarter. Taylor’s 71-yard run down the right sideline set up the touchdown and eclipsed the running back’s 44 yards in the previous two games, his first since missing two contests with an injury.
“It was perfectly blocked,” said Taylor, who reached 2,000 yards in just 23 games career games, tied for the third fewest for a Gopher since 1955 behind only Darrell Thompson (18 games) and Laurence Maroney (21). “The running back room has a long history here, and we do our best to uphold that every week.”
The takeaway
Minnesota: Ranked 114th nationally with 112.3 yards per game before Friday, the Gophers’ rushing attack finally found its legs with the same outside zone runs that have vexed Nebraska in this matchup for the better part of the last decade.
Iowa has been a different story for Fleck's Gophers
If Nebraska has been a story of success for Fleck and Minnesota, Iowa has been just the opposite.
P.J. Fleck's record against Iowa is 1-7, with his only win in 2023 in a controversial game, a 12-10 win in Iowa City where a penalty on a supposed fair catch negated a game-winning touchdown for the Hawkeyes.
Obviously, it's one of those rivalry games but this one has been one-sided for Iowa. Fleck says Iowa City is a particularly difficult environment to play in.
"It’s incredibly loud. It’s hostile. It’s full of tradition," says Fleck. "Their fans really care about Hawkeye football. It’s a unique place. Somebody once asked me what the hardest place to play is — taking your own stadium out of it — and I’ve always said Kinnick."
Other than 2023, the Gophers haven't won at Kinnick since 1999. Even at home, it's been a rough ride for Minnesota. Last season, the Gophers lead Iowa 14-7 at halftime and ended up getting blown out in the second half in a 31-14 loss.
Minnesota (5-2) at Iowa (5-2), Oct. 25 at 2:30 p.m.
BetMGM College Football Odds Opening Line: Iowa by 8.5. Against the spread: Iowa 3-2-1, Minnesota 2-4.
How to watch: CBS
Key stats
Iowa Offense
Overall: 324.1 yards per game (118th in FBS)
Passing: 131.4 yards per game (132nd)
Rushing: 192.7 yards per game (34th)
Scoring: 29.9 points per game (59th)
Iowa Defense
Overall: 249.4 yards per game (8th in FBS)
Passing: 157.0 yards per game (12th)
Rushing: 92.4 yards per game (13th)
Scoring: 14.6 points per game (9th)
Minnesota Offense
Overall: 340.6 yards per game (107th in FBS)
Passing: 217.7 yards per game (82nd)
Rushing: 122.9 yards per game (108th)
Scoring: 26.9 points per game (79th)
Minnesota Defense
Overall: 294.7 yards per game (19th in FBS)
Passing: 197.0 yards per game (41st)
Rushing: 97.7 yards per game (18th)
Scoring: 19.0 points per game (27th)
Minnesota ranks 20th in the FBS with a +5 turnover margin.
Both teams avoid getting penalized. Iowa leads the FBS averaging 21.1 penalty yards per game, and Minnesota ranks 7th with a 33.1-yard average.
Minnesota is 85th in FBS in red zone defense, allowing opponents to score on 86.4% of trips. Iowa's red zone offense ranks 21st, scoring on 93.5% of red zone opportunities.
Team leaders
Iowa
Passing: Mark Gronowski, 811 yards, 3 TDs, 4 INTs, 65.1 completion percentage
Rushing: Kamari Moulton, 360 yards on 67 carries, 2 TDs
Receiving: Sam Phillips, 193 yards on 11 catches, 0 TDs
Minnesota
Passing: Drake Lindsey, 1,437 yards, 10 TDs, 3 INTs, 62.0 completion percentage
Rushing: Darius Taylor, 353 yards on 79 carries, 1 TD
Receiving: Lemeke Brockington, 285 yards on 25 catches, 3 TDs
Last game
Iowa won 25-24 over Penn State on Saturday, Oct. 18. Gronowski led Iowa with 68 yards on 10-of-16 passing (62.5%) for no touchdowns and one interception. He also carried the ball nine times for 130 yards and two rushing touchdowns. Moulton carried the ball 17 times for 99 yards, adding two receptions for 10 yards. Kaden Wetjen put up 21 yards on two catches. He also had three carries for seven yards and one touchdown.
Minnesota won 24-6 over Nebraska on Friday, Oct. 17. Lindsey led Minnesota with 153 yards on 16-of-20 passing (80.0%) for one touchdown and no interceptions. He also carried the ball two times for -1 yards and one rushing touchdown. Taylor carried the ball 24 times for 148 yards and scored one touchdown, adding four receptions for 16 yards. Jalen Smith recorded 59 yards on three catches.
Next game
Minnesota hosts Michigan State on Nov. 1.