
The Matt Rhule era in Nebraska begins on Thursday night against a solid Minnesota Golden Gophers team that has been tough since the arrival of P.J. Fleck. Can Rhule return the Huskers to glory? Can Minnesota be a consistent force in the west? The answer to both is probably a yes but it will take patience in Nebraska because it win’t be a quick fix.
With the exception of COVID-19’s abbreviated season, Minnesota has won at least nine games each of the last three seasons. Their competition includes Iowa and Wisconsin; nevertheless, they believe they possess what it takes to claim victory for the Big Ten West this year. Minnesota averaged 28.2 points per game last season. They threw for 182.2 yards per game while rushing for 207.5 yards per contest.
They lost both their starting quarterback and leading rusher from last season but have replaced them with Athan Kaliakmanis, who completed 54.1 percent of his passes for 946 yards, three touchdowns, and four interceptions in limited action last season and Western Michigan transfer Sean Tyler, who rushed for 1,027 yards and seven touchdowns last season.
Minnesota was one of the top defensive teams in the country last season, giving up only 13.3 points per game on average. Although they lost some key players from their secondary, they remain confident in their replacements and should be just as effective defensively this time around.
The Cornhuskers had high hopes that hiring former quarterback Scott Frost would restore them to their former glory. Unfortunately, after four consecutive losing seasons, they parted ways with Frost. They hired former Carolina Panthers head coach Matt Rhule, who has experience rebuilding programs like Temple and Baylor as their new head coach. Nebraska hopes Rhule can replicate his success at Lincoln, though they will likely face some growing pains this season.
Nebraska averaged 22.6 points per game last season, throwing for 220.8 yards and rushing for 123.3 per game.
Jeff Sims will serve as Nebraska’s starting quarterback this season, having completed 58% of his passes for 1,115 yards with five touchdowns and three interceptions last season. Anthony Grant ran for 915 yards and six touchdowns, while Marcus Washington led Nebraska in receiving yards at 471 receiving yards.
Nebraska struggled defensively last season, allowing 27.6 points per game and having trouble stopping the run game. To improve and win more than four games this year.
Nebraska will be good enough to stay in this game, but Minnesota is the better team. Look for the Gophers to pull away late. Minnesota 24 Nebraska 13.
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