Nebraska Cornhuskers at Minnesota Golden Gophers

Minnesota beats No. 25 Nebraska 24-6, sacking Dylan Raiola 9 times

The Golden Gophers (5-2, 3-1 Big Ten) have won six straight against the Cornhuskers (5-2, 2-2), who fell short in their bid to win back-to-back road games in consecutive weeks for the first time since 2006. 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 at Huntington Bank Stadium 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.”

O-line attrition Nebraska spent much of the evening without two starting linemen. Guard Rocco Spindler was taken to the hospital with a broken finger, Rhule said, and tackle Elijah Pritchett was ejected for targeting in the second quarter.

“Obviously, you lose two offensive linemen, that’s going to hurt you,” Rhule said. “But we’re not going to make any excuses. (Minnesota) got after us.”

The takeaway Nebraska: Combined with the injuries, inconsistent line play on both sides of the ball caught up with the Huskers, who were outgained 186-36 on the ground and rarely created a clean pocket for Raiola.

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.

Up next Nebraska: Hosts Northwestern on Saturday, Oct. 25.

Minnesota: At Iowa next Saturday.