No. 25 Nebraska football falls to Minnesota; Raiola sacked nine times in loss

Mark Fischer,
Press Conference Thumbnail Minnesota 1

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — The No. 25-ranked Nebraska football team took its second loss of the season Friday night, losing 24-6 to Minnesota at Huntington Bank Stadium.

It was a slow night for Nebraska’s offense, only totaling 213 yards compared to Minnesota’s 339.

Nebraska also failed to score any points in the second half, getting outscored 17-0 in the two quarters.

Dylan Raiola went 17-for-25 for 177 yards and no touchdowns. Raiola was also sacked nine times on the night.

Luke Lindenmeyer led the Nebraska receiving core with 52 yards, including a career-long 26-yard catch in the first quarter.

Nyziah Hunter and Emmett Johnson led Nebraska with five catches each. Hunter totaled 40 yards, while Johnson racked up 37 yards.

In Nebraska’s backfield, Johnson ran for 63 yards on 14 carries, averaging 4.5 yards per rush.

Javin Wright led the Blackshirts with 12 total tackles and one tackle for loss.

Marques Watson-Trent followed right behind with 11 total tackles.

Minnesota quarterback Drake Lindsey went 16-for-20 for 153 yards and a touchdown.

Darius Taylor was the workhorse for the Gophers, rushing for 148 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries.

Freshman wide receiver Jalen Smith led Minnesota’s receiving core with 59 receiving yards.

Nebraska will head back home for a matchup with Northwestern next Saturday.

Kickoff from Memorial Stadium is yet to be determined.

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FOURTH QUARTER

The Gophers finish off a four-play, 40-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown rush from Darius Taylor, giving Minnesota a 21-6 lead.

Minnesota extends its lead with a 30-yard field goal from Denaburg. Gophers lead 24-6.

THIRD QUARTER

The second half is underway. Nebraska starts with the ball.

Minnesota caps off a 14-play, 98-yard drive with a 20-yard touchdown pass from Drake Lindsey to Le’meke Brockington, making the score 14-6 Gophers.

Raiola takes his seventh sack of the game. Minnesota takes over from their own 38-yard line.

SECOND QUARTER

At the end of the first half, Nebraska trails Minnesota 7-6.

Dylan Raiola has completed eight of his 12 passes for 113 yards.

Quinn Clark leads the Huskers’ receiving core with 43 yards on one catch. Nyziah Hunter has three catches for 25 yards.

Emmett Johnson leads Nebraska’s backfield with 35 yards on nine carries.

A 71-yard rush from Darius Taylor set up a 1-yard touchdown rush from quarterback Drake Lindsey, giving the Gophers a 7-3 lead with 13:20 left in the first half.

Nebraska responded with a three-and-out. Giving the ball back to Minnesota at its 38 yard line.

Dylan Raiola vs. Minnesota

Raiola throws the ball almost parallel with the ground to Hunter for a first down.

The Huskers finish off a nine-play, 69-yard drive with a 30-yard field goal from Kyle Cunanan, making the score 7-6 Gophers.

FIRST QUARTER

Nebraska won the toss and elected to defer to the second half.

Both teams went three-and-out to start the game.

The Huskers’ defense forced another punt and take over from their own 15 yard line.


Nebraska ends the first quarter with a 33-yard field goal from Kyle Cunanan, making the score 3-0 Huskers.

PREGAME

Nebraska arrives at Huntington Bank Stadium.


The Huskers announced pink accessories on their helmets for tonight’s game.

Pink cleats will also be worn by the players for tonight’s Breast Cancer Awareness game.

The Huskers released a hype video to get you ready for tonight’s contest.

GAME NOTES

The No. 25-ranked Nebraska football team is set to play its second road game in as many weeks.

The Huskers (5-1, 2-1) will take on Minnesota (4-2, 2-1) at Huntington Bank Stadium, with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m. on FOX.

Nebraska returns to play following a dramatic 34-31 back-and-fourth victory over Maryland on Saturday.

SEE ALSO: Nebraska football fights back in road victory over Maryland

The victory pushed the Huskers into the AP Top 25 for the first time this season.

This week against the Gophers, Nebraska will look for back-to-back road victories in consecutive weeks since 2006.

Friday’s game in Minneapolis is the first meeting between the two schools since Matt Rhule’s first game as the Huskers’ head coach in 2023.

Minnesota owns a five-game winning streak in the series, dating back to 2019.

Each of the past four Gopher victories have been by seven points or less.

You can watch head coach Matt Rhule’s press conference on Monday below:

SCOUTING MINNESOTA

Minnesota enters this game after putting together a fourth quarter comeback of their own on Saturday.

The Gophers out-scored Purdue 14-0 in the fourth quarter to bring home a 27-20 win over the Boilermakers.

Minnesota relies on a strong defense that allows just over 300 total yards per game.

The Gopher defense has also recorded 10 takeaways and three defensive touchdowns.

Devon Williams leads the Gophers with 50 tackles, while Anthony Smith boasts a team-high 6.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks.

John Nestor has snagged three interceptions through six games this season.

On offense, Minnesota averages 340.8 yards per game, racking up 228.5 yards through the air.

Starting quarterback Drake Lindsey has completed 113 of his 188 passes for 1,284 yards, nine touchdowns and three interceptions.

Le’meke Brockington leads the Gopher receiving core with 23 catches for 253 yards and two touchdowns. Javon Tracy follows with 16 grabs for 253 yards and two scores.

On the ground, Minnesota rushes for 112.3 yards per game.

The workhorse in the backfield is Fame Ijeboi, racking up 225 yards and a touchdown on 48 carries.

THIS WEEK’S NUMBERS

3 – Nebraska has a trio of receivers with at least three touchdown catches this season: Nyziah Hunter (4), Dane Key (4) and Jacory Barney Jr. (3). This is the first time Nebraska has had three wideouts catch three or more touchdowns in a season since 2015.

4 – Nebraska is one of four schools in the country to have a player ranked in the top 20 nationally in rushing yards per game (Emmett Johnson) and passing yards per game (Dylan Raiola). The other three schools are Baylor, Rutgers and USC.

10 – Nebraska led Maryland 24-17 at halftime, making the 10th straight game Nebraska has led or been tied at the half dating back to last season. The previous time Nebraska had a streak of 10 consecutive games of not trailing at the half was a 12-game streak spanning the 2000 and 2001 seasons.

SCORE PREDICTIONS

Nate Johnson: Nebraska wins 31-20

Jake Homan: Nebraska wins 27-17

Mark Fischer: Nebraska wins 34-17

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