Nebraska 7 Minnesota 34: Recap

It’s the Battle for the Broken Chair!!!

Chair! Chair! Chair! Chair!

I’ve kept my expectations pretty low for this one. Minnesota is a solid team and playing on their home field. Nebraska is a wounded team still trying to establish some kind of offensive identity outside of turning the ball over a lot. The weather will be crappy.

There is no reason to think the Huskers should even have a chance in this one.

Mood check

The big news (as expected)

Spielman is suited up and looks like he is a “go” or at least will attempt to go.

With all three top kickers now injured (I believe) I also expect very little in terms of field goal attempts. #GoingForIt in the red zone.

Huskers won the toss and elected to receive the ball.

First Quarter

The weather may have something to do with it, but I’m getting chills watching Noah Vedral get his shot to lead his homestate team. Vedral keeper, Jack Stoll, more Vedral, third and eight, Wan’dale Robinson gets helicoptered by Winfield but gets the first down, Jaron Woodyard, more Robinson (tempo is faster than I can type), Stoll, third and six at the Minnesota 33. Maurice Washington doesn’t get the first down. Fourth and two. Dropped by Washington (but he would have been tackled for loss if he kept hold of it). Turnover on downs.

It is already clear this playbook hasn’t been pared down for Vedral. If anything, we’re seeing more aggressiveness.

Minnesota ball. Rashod Bateman for 7 yards. Rodney Smith breaks one wide open to the Husker 30. Husker defenders were slipping all over the place. The equipment guys have to be running for new cleats. Shannon Brooks gets them into the red zone. Minnesota touchdown, Chris Autman-Bell. The middle of the Blackshirts looks wide open right now.

Gophers 7 Huskers 0

The Huskers came out in a two tight end set (Stoll and Austin Allen). Maybe they did that earlier, but I didn’t notice. This possession started in a less than ideal way. Wan’dale muffed the kickoff but recovered in the end zone and then the Huskers were flagged for illegal substitution. Drink.

JD SPIELMAN FOR A WHOLE BUNCH!!!

Vedral sacked. Sigh. And again. Third and a shit ton of yards to go (22 to be exact). Incomplete. Isaac Armstrong came out for punt. Minny ball on the 13.

The Gophers were flagged for false start. Cam Taylor-Britt brought down Tanner Morgan on a keeper. Third and four. Timeout. Tyler Johnson picks up seven. Mohamed Ibrahim gains one (one of the Davis brothers). Third and nine. Incomplete (Lamar Jackson knocked it loose).

Chinander’s crew made some adjustments. Let’s hope the offense has too.

JD had a nice return going but fumbled it backward about 10 yards, but Caleb Tannor recovered. Husker ball at the 33.

NOAH VEDRAL GETS NEBRASKA TO THE 33.

False start Nebraska. Drink.

Second Quarter

WANDALE TO THE FIVE-ISH YARD LINE. EFFING FLAG ON THE PLAY (Kanawai Noa block in the back). Back to the 45 yard line for Nebraska.

Third and 20. Gopher timeout. Vedral gains a couple. Punt.

Nebraska has run 14 plays in Gopher territory while Minnesota has run three in Husker territory. But. Scoreboard.

Jeramiah Stovall nearly downed the punt inside the five but it rolled into the end zone.

Minnesota strikes fast as Brooks gets them near midfield. Gophers are finding success inside and outside on this drive. JoJo Domann had a rare whiff. Gophers at the 25. I can’t count how many times it looks like the Huskers have a play stopped only to have the Gopher runner keep pushing and gain more yards. Touchdown.

Gophers 14 Huskers 0

Wandale brought the kickoff out to the 28. Dedrick Mills sighting. No gain. Vedral. Third and eight. Jack Stoll first down! Go to the big guy in the rain and sleet.

Robinson is hurt after a five yard gain on a sweep. He is clearly in a lot of pain and has to be helped off the field. (repeat gif above). Fourth down at midfield. The punt rolls out of bounds inside the 10. (Robinson was later spotted being carted to the locker room.)

The Blackshirts force a third and nine but the Gophers convert to get out of the shadow of their end zone. Another conversion on third down. Brooks breaks another big one and the safeties Marquel Dismuke and Cam Taylor-Britt have to stop him. Brooks is AVERAGING 18.5 yards/carry. The Blackshirts force the punt with under two minutes in the half.

JD muffed the punt, but it was because of catch interference. Husker ball at the 30. Husker false start. Drink. Third and three. Fourth and three. Punt with 1:13 left in the half.

Flags everywhere on the punt. Minny ball inside the 10. Rodney Smith fumbled but the Gophers recovered. Despite a brief threat by Minnesota, no more damage was done.

Halftime

Receiver JD Spielman caught three passes in the first half to push his career receptions total to 145. He moved past Johnny Rodgers (143) into fifth place on the Nebraska career receptions list. Spielman has caught a pass in 28 straight games.

Sophomore quarterback Noah Vedral and senior receiver Jaron Woodyard both made their first career starts in tonight’s game.

Halftime tweets are reporting that Frost “let the team have it” at halftime. Frost has been pretty even-keeled throughout his time at Nebraska. A little bit of fire might not be a bad thing right now.

Third Quarter

Gophers get the ball first to start the second half. Let’s hope their halftime adjustments assume they need to get away from the running game before Nebraska stops it.

First possession for the Gophers was...awww shit. We can’t stop the pass game either.

A TACKLE FOR LOSS?!?? Mohamed Barry. He’s fired up. Gophers are in the red zone.

We’ve watched this over and over. Even when Huskers meet the Minnesota ball carrier at the line of scrimmage the pile still goes backward 6 or 7 yards. Touchdown Minnesota.

Gophers 21 Huskers 0

Lost in all of this is that Vedral is playing well. He deserves better than what he’s getting from his line and defense right now.

Dedrick Mills has a nice run up the middle. Vedral keeper near midfield. Third and four. Stuffed. Fake punt. Austin Allen short by about a foot. Turnover on downs.

Gutsy call.

Broc Bando has replaced Trent Hixson at left guard. Unsure if it is performance of injury-related but I’m guessing the former.

A Gopher receiver dropped a sure touchdown pass.

A pass hit Lamar Jackson in the helmet to force a fourth down (he had good coverage though). The first three-and-out forced by Nebraska is followed by a Spielman punt muff that he recovered inside the one yard line.

There is no such thing as complimentary football in Husker land right now.

Conservative play calls are conservative. Third and eight. Incomplete. Punt.

Gopher ball in Husker territory.

No. More. Words. Only GIFs.

Minnesota 28 Nebraska 0

Gophers 34 Huskers 0

#GreatestGifOfAllTime

Kade Warner sighting.

Fourth Quarter

Yes, we have 15 more minutes of this.

Minnesota 34 Huskers 7

Andrew Bunch sighting. Approaching red zone. (Vedral appeared to tweak a hamstring and the game is out of hand, so why not?)

Turnover on downs.

Garrett Nelson TFL.

Sightings of Brody Belt. Miles Jones.

Final.

Be nice.