Minnesota roars to life in second half to defeat Nebraska

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — Nebraska got off to a hot start against Minnesota on Saturday but cooled down in the second half, losing 20-13.

The Huskers marched down the field in nine plays to score on the opening drive.

Six of those plays were carries by running back Anthony Grant. Quarterback Chubba Purdy, starting in place of an injured Casey Thompson, ran it in from 2 yards out for the touchdown.

The Blackshirts then forced a three-and-out for the Gophers when Caleb Tannor sacked Tanner Morgan for a loss of 13 yards.

That gave the Huskers good field position for the next drive, which ended with a 24-yard field goal by Timmy Bleekrode.

The Nebraska defense held firm throughout the first half, holding Minnesota to just 31 yards and making three sacks.

But the Gophers broke through in the second half, getting on the board with a 47-yard field goal by Matthew Trickett.

And they added a rushing touchdown by Mohamed Ibrahim late in the third quarter.

Meanwhile, the Nebraska offense stalled, with five straight three-and-outs.

Logan Smothers replaced Purdy at quarterback midway through the third quarter, but the results were the same.

Early in the fourth quarter, Minnesota took the lead on another long field goal by Trickett.

Then a pass from Purdy, back in at QB, was intercepted at Nebraska’s 33-yard line, setting up the Gophers for an easy touchdown seven plays later.

NU showed signs of life late in the game, with another Bleekrode field goal cutting Minnesota’s lead to seven with just under five minutes to play.

And the Blackshirts got a stop to give Nebraska the ball back with 2:25 left.

But Nebraska ran out of chances to win on a fourth-and-5 play when Trey Palmer had a pass knocked out of his hands.

The Huskers were facing long odds, with Minnesota a 14.5-point favorite, according to ESPN.

The Golden Gophers (6-3, 3-3 Big Ten) have one of the best defenses in the conference, allowing only 14.4 points per game. NU has allowed 30.6 points a game.

And Ibrahim had racked up 955 yards and 13 touchdowns coming into the game.

On Saturday, Ibrahim had 32 carries for 128 yards. Grant led Nebraska with 21 carries for 115 yards.

In the air, Minnesota’s Athan Kaliakmanis, who replaced Morgan in the second half, was 6 of 12 for 137 yards. Smothers led the Nebraska QBs with 80 passing yards.

The game was a must-win for Nebraska (3-6, 2-4) to have a realistic shot at a bowl game.

The Huskers need three more wins, and only three games remain on the schedule. One of those is No. 5 Michigan next week.