Nebraska Cornhuskers 48
Minnesota Gophers 25
One week after a huge offensive show against Purdue, the Minnesota Gophers had trouble running the ball against Nebraska and lost to the Cornhuskers 48-25 Saturday afternoon at TCF Bank Stadium.
The Gophers kept fighting and closed to within 13 points late in the second half, but two interceptions by Mitch Leidner in the last two possessions doomed Minnesota’s chances of a comeback.
1) Leidner with a very good day – until the very end
Leidner finished the day 26-for-40 with 301 passing yards, which is a new career high for him. He also scored a touchdown on a 1-yard run.
But with about 2 minutes left in the fourth quarter he threw an interception that Nebraska returned 40 yards for a touchdown to make the score 48-25. On the Gophers’ next possession, Leidner threw another pick and the Cornhuskers ran out the clock.
Kill on Leidner: He played a heck of a ball game today except for the two picks at the end…He played well enough for us to win the game.
— GopherHole.com (@GopherHole) October 17, 2015
2) Trouble with the running game
Leidner’s good passing helped the Gophers compete because Nebraska’s defense only allowed 64 rushing yards all day. Shannon Brooks was Minnesota’s leading rusher with 25 yards. KJ Maye was the receiving leader, gaining 94 yards on 11 passes. He also scored a TD on a 7-yard run.
The Gophers had 366 total yards on offense.
3) Defensive troubles
Minnesota’s defense, which had been the best part of its game in recent weeks, had trouble stopping Nebraska. The Gophers had given up an average of 306 yards per game so far this season, according to the Star Tribune, but allowed Nebraska to pile up 464 yards.
Nebraska had 203 total rushing yards, led by Terrell Newby who ran for 116 yards and two touchdowns. Cornhusker quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr. passed for 261 yards and three touchdowns.
The Gophers’ leading tackler Cody Poock sat out the game with an injury, and defensive end Alex Keith broke his hand during warmups, coach Jerry Kill said after the game.
#Gophers coach Jerry Kill talks about being outplayed and outcoached in 48-25 loss to Nebraska http://t.co/EU7pH9xrbb
— Marcus R. Fuller (@Marcus_R_Fuller) October 17, 2015
Tweet of the game
This fourth quarter shows how mediocre Nebraska really is and is a complete indictment of Gophers and their awful play in the third quarter.
— Judd Zulgad (@jzulgad) October 17, 2015
Up next: Minnesota (4-3, 1-2 Big Ten) has a bye next week, and will host Michigan in a Halloween night game at TCF Bank Stadium.
