Matt Rhule and the Nebraska Cornhuskers travel to Minneapolis for the Minnesota Gophers season opener at Huntington Bank Stadium on Thursday night. Rhule has built programs at Temple and Baylor but faces a more daunting challenge to re-establish Nebraska as a national football powerhouse. The Scott Frost experiment ended abruptly last season after a dismal 1-2 start, but the cupboard isn’t entirely bare for Rhule. He inherits a decent roster while adding key positions via the transfer portal. Still, he knows that building a program is a marathon, not a sprint, and he doesn’t want to take shortcuts.
It may take time for Rhule’s players to learn his style and system, so the early-season timing of this game is fortuitous for P.J. Fleck and the Gophers. Minnesota kicks off the 2023 season with an established identity, culture, and play style that has resulted in three consecutive nine-win seasons. Nebraska should improve throughout the season but won’t leave Minneapolis with a win. Look for the Gophers to win their fifth straight game against Nebraska and to take home the $5 Bits of Broken Chair Trophy.
Game Information
- Date: Thursday, August 31
- Game: 7:00 PM CST
- Location: Huntington Bank Stadium, Minneapolis
- TV: FOX
- Radio: KFAN
- 2022 Record: Minnesota (9-4), Nebraska (4-8)
Betting Line
- Spread: Gophers, -7.5
- Over/Under: 43.5
- Money Line: Minnesota -310, Nebraska +250
Gophers Offense vs. Nebraska Defense
Minnesota will start Athan Kaliakmanis at quarterback and officially kick off a new era of Gopher football. Kaliakmanis has the tools to be elite and has a deep stable of pass-catchers to throw to this season. The Gophers have added transfers Corey Crooms and Elijah Spencer to a receiving corp that includes rising stars Daniel Jackson, Chris Autman-Bell, and Lemeke Brockington. The biggest potential playmaker is tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford, one of the country’s top tight ends.
The Gophers have named Greg Harbaugh Jr. as the co-offensive coordinator with Matt Simon, who will lead the offense. They are committed to running a balanced offensive and focus on getting their playmakers the ball. Kaliakmanis will spread the ball around while relying on former Western Michigan running back Sean Tyler as the primary ball carrier. Tyler isn’t a bell-cow back like Mohamed Ibrahim, so expect running backs Darius Taylor, Zach Evans, and Bryce Williams to share the load.
Nebraska brings a new look 3-3-5 defensive scheme to create chaos and confusion for the opposing offenses and create turnovers, sacks, and tackles for losses. Nebraska defensive coordinator Tony White, who came from Syracuse, will throw everything he can at Kaliakmanis to confuse the young quarterback and inexperienced offensive line. Look for the Gophers to carefully manage the offensive game plan for Kalakmanis to mitigate risks and limit mistakes.
Nebraska Offense vs. Gophers Defense
Nebraska will start former Georgia Tech quarterback Jeff Sims, who started 23 games over the past three seasons. The six-foot-four-inch, 220-pound Sims accounted for over 5,500 yards in the total offense for the Yellow Jackets. Despite a talented quarterback under center, new offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield has his work cut out for him.
Four of the team’s top five receiving leaders have moved on, with Marcus Washington the returning leader in receptions and yards. Washington only accounted for one touchdown a season ago, on a career-high 31 receptions. The Cornhuskers were expecting contributions from wide receiver Zavier Betts, who unexpectedly left the team in early August. Satterfield also inherits an offensive line that struggled recently, much to the ire of Cornhusker fans. The Cornhuskers bring back three of their top four running backs from last year, including Anthony Grant, who led the team in attempts, yards, and rushing touchdowns with six.
Defensively, the Gophers will use Joe Rossi’s bend-but-don’t-break philosophy to prevent explosive plays and keep Nebraska out of the endzone. Last year, the Gophers held opponents to 13.8 points per game, ranked third in FBS. The Gophers ranked ninth in FBS in allowing plays of over 10 yards and eighth in allowing plays of over 20 yards. Satterfield’s offense isn’t expected to be explosive, but the Gophers will focus on preventing chunk plays.
The Gophers’ defense is led by Tyler Nubin, who is on the preseason watch list for the top defensive player in the country. Minnesota needs to improve its pass rush, which was ranked last in the Big Ten in 2022. The Gophers should improve their pass rush but don’t expect any eye-popping stats from the season opener. Look for the Huskers to rely on Sims to make quick throws while establishing the run game.
Background Information & Stats
- The Gophers own a 36-25-2 edge all-time against Nebraska and are 7-5 against the Cornhuskers since they joined the Big Ten in 2011.
- Thursday night’s game at Huntington Bank Stadium is the first sellout since the 2021 season opener against Ohio State.
- The $5 Bits of Broken Chair trophy is a fan-created rivalry to raise money for childhood cancer organizations.
- Minnesota’s four-game win streak against Nebraska is tied for its longest current streak against a Big Ten team.
- Minnesota has no Nebraskans on its roster, while Nebraska has three Minnesotans: Omar Brown (Minneapolis North), Emmett Johnson (Holy Angels), and Bryce Benhart (Lakeville North)
- Gopher running back Williams is 26 rushing yards away from becoming the 48th Gopher to reach 1,000 career yards.
- Huntington Bank Stadium’s capacity is 50,805, slightly less than the University of Minnesota’s enrollment of 52,017.
Prediction
The Huskers’s defense will cause problems for Minnesota, but the Gophers’ depth, experience, and home-field advantage will prove too much. The game might not be pretty, but the Gophers will come out on top.
Gophers win 27-13
Photo courtesy: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
