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University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
3-4 , 0-4
Nebraska
1-6 , 1-4
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota | 0 | 8 | 14 | 6 | 28 |
| Nebraska | 14 | 14 | 8 | 17 | 53 |
Gophers Rout Nebraska
11/11/2017 12:13:00 PM | Football
Kobe McCrary had 93 yards rushing and three touchdowns for Minnesota, which finished with season highs of 408 yards rushing and 515 yards of total offense. Croft's big day included an untouched, 73-yard touchdown run up the middle for a 20-7 lead at the start of the second quarter as he set a school record for rushing yards in a game by a quarterback.
The Gophers (5-5, 2-5 Big Ten) held Nebraska to 69 yards rushing on 33 attempts.
Sophomore quarterback Tanner Lee was 13-of-18 passing for 174 yards and a touchdown for the Cornhuskers (4-6, 3-4), but Lee was held out the second half while dealing with an illness. Redshirt freshman Patrick O'Brien replaced him and was 12 of 18 for 137 yards passing.
Minnesota native and the son of Vikings general manager Rick Spielman, JD Spielman caught nine passes for 141 yards for Nebraska.
Smith set the tone for the day by taking the opening kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown, the first time the Gophers returned an opening kickoff for a score since 1998 when Tyrone Carter had an 86-yard touchdown return.
THE TAKEAWAY
Nebraska: The Huskers have two games left -- at No. 16 Penn State and at home against No. 25 Iowa -- and need wins in both to become bowl eligible. Nebraska hasn't missed a bowl since Bill Callahan's final season as coach in 2007, when it went 5-7. The Huskers need a win to avoid their first four-win season since 1960. The ineptitude has made coach Mike Riley the target after Bill Moos replaced Shawn Eichorst as the athletic director in October.
Minnesota: Bowl eligibility is looking more likely in coach P.J. Fleck's first season. The Gophers' performance against Nebraska is the type that can give them hope going to Northwestern next week before finishing at home against No. 6 Wisconsin. There's an outside chance of Minnesota still earning a bowl bid with its five wins due to the NCAA's Academic Progress Rate in which the Gophers are tied for fourth. The APR standings are used if there aren't enough six-win teams to fill the bowl requirements
Team Stats
MINN 0, NEB 7
NEB - Devine Ozigbo 40 yd run (B. Pickering kick), 7 plays, 75 yards, TOP 1:56
MINN 0, NEB 14
NEB - Devine Ozigbo 59 yd run (B. Pickering kick), 4 plays, 90 yards, TOP 1:10
MINN 0, NEB 21
NEB - Adrian Martinez 3 yd run (B. Pickering kick), 9 plays, 85 yards, TOP 3:08
MINN 0, NEB 28
NEB - JD Spielman 9 yd pass from Adrian Martinez (B. Pickering kick) 5 plays, 72 yards, TOP 2:25
MINN 8, NEB 28
MINN - Douglas, D 13 yd pass from Annexstad, Zack (Morse, Matt rush) 8 plays, 68 yards, TOP 0:59
MINN 15, NEB 28
MINN - Ibrahim, M 1 yd run (Carpenter,Emmit kick), 4 plays, 75 yards, TOP 1:11
MINN 22, NEB 28
MINN - Green, Seth 4 yd run (Carpenter,Emmit kick), 8 plays, 79 yards, TOP 3:48
MINN 22, NEB 36
NEB - Stanley Morgan 35 yd pass from Adrian Martinez (Stanley Morgan pass) 4 plays, 74 yards, TOP 1:12
MINN 22, NEB 39
NEB - B. Pickering 32 yd field goal 14 plays, 82 yards, TOP 7:03
MINN 22, NEB 46
NEB - Stanley Morgan 67 yd pass from Adrian Martinez (B. Pickering kick) 3 plays, 80 yards, TOP 1:33
MINN 28, NEB 46
MINN - Morgan, Tanner 9 yd run (Morgan, Tanner rushfailed), 3 plays, 44 yards, TOP 1:01
MINN 28, NEB 53
NEB - M. Washington 3 yd run (B. Pickering kick), 5 plays, 32 yards, TOP 2:16
