University of Minnesota Athletics
Thursday, August 31
Huntington Bank Stadium
7:00 PM
University of Minnesota
vs
Nebraska
Photo by: Brad Rempel
Game 1: Minnesota vs. Nebraska
8/28/2023 8:40:00 AM | Football
THE ESSENTIALS
Date/Time: Aug. 31, 2023 / 7 p.m. CT
Site: Minneapolis
Stadium: Huntington Bank Stadium
Surface: FieldTurf
Capacity: 50,805
Series Overall: Minnesota Leads 36-25-2
Streak: Minnesota Won 4
Series in Minnesota: Minnesota Leads 24-13-2
Streak: Minnesota Won 3
Last Meeting: Minnesota won 20-13 in Lincoln, Neb. (11/5/22)
Television: FOX // Gus Johnson (PXP), Joel Klatt (Analyst), Jenny Taft (Reporter)
Radio: KFAN | SiriusXM: 135 or 195; SXM App // Mike Grimm (PXP), Darrell Thompson (Analyst), Justin Gaard (Reporter), Tanner Hoops (Host), Dan Rowbotham (Engineer)
FIVE THINGS TO KNOW
1. University of Minnesota football begins its 140th season, and seventh under head coach P.J. Fleck, Thursday night as it hosts Nebraska at Huntington Bank Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. with a national TV audience on FOX.
2. Minnesota is 97-36-6 all-time in season openers, including wins in five of its last seven openers (4-2 under Fleck). The Golden Gophers are 101-31-7 all-time in home openers with an identical stretch of five wins in their past seven home openers (also 4-2 under Fleck). Minnesota, which is opening a season at home for the 11th straight year, is 9-5 in home openers since Huntington Bank Stadium opened in 2009.
3. For the third time in the last four seasons, Minnesota opens the year with a Big Ten opponent after facing Michigan in a 2020 schedule that featured only league action and Ohio State in 2021. Thursday's matchup with the Huskers will be the 11th time in program history that Minnesota faces a conference foe in the season opener. The Gophers are 2-8 in those previous games. Overall, Minnesota is 64-55-8 in Big Ten openers, including a 71-51-5 mark at home. Thursday marks the seventh time that Minnesota opens the season against Nebraska, going 3-3 in the previous games in a span from 1946-64.
4. Minnesota is coming off a 2022 campaign where it finished with a 9-4 record overall, capping it off with a 28-20 win over Syracuse in the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl. Minnesota reached nine wins in a season for the 11th time in school history and the third time in the past four years under head coach P.J. Fleck, something that hadn't happened since 1905. Fleck is just the second Minnesota coach to have at least three seasons with nine or more victories. Henry L. Williams had six such seasons from 1900-21, while all other coaches in program history have a combined two nine-win seasons. Combined with a 9-4 record in 2021, the 18 wins over two seasons are tied for the most in Gopher history since 1904-05 and it's just the eighth time ever the team has won at least 18 games in consecutive years. In addition, Minnesota went 5-4 in league play after a 6-3 Big Ten record in 2021. It's the first time with back-to-back conference seasons over .500 since 1968-69.
5. The 2023 campaign is the seventh for head coach P.J. Fleck at Minnesota, where he holds a record of 44-27. He is already fifth in program history for wins and sixth in Big Ten wins (26) and games coached (71). Fleck's .620 win percentage is third best among the 11 Minnesota coaches with at least 45 games under their helm behind only Henry L. Williams (.786, 1900-21) and Bernie Bierman (.716, 1932-41, '45-50). In his 11th season overall as a college head coach, Fleck is 74-49 (.598).
You can read Minnesota's complete game notes here.
Date/Time: Aug. 31, 2023 / 7 p.m. CT
Site: Minneapolis
Stadium: Huntington Bank Stadium
Surface: FieldTurf
Capacity: 50,805
Series Overall: Minnesota Leads 36-25-2
Streak: Minnesota Won 4
Series in Minnesota: Minnesota Leads 24-13-2
Streak: Minnesota Won 3
Last Meeting: Minnesota won 20-13 in Lincoln, Neb. (11/5/22)
Television: FOX // Gus Johnson (PXP), Joel Klatt (Analyst), Jenny Taft (Reporter)
Radio: KFAN | SiriusXM: 135 or 195; SXM App // Mike Grimm (PXP), Darrell Thompson (Analyst), Justin Gaard (Reporter), Tanner Hoops (Host), Dan Rowbotham (Engineer)
FIVE THINGS TO KNOW
1. University of Minnesota football begins its 140th season, and seventh under head coach P.J. Fleck, Thursday night as it hosts Nebraska at Huntington Bank Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. with a national TV audience on FOX.
2. Minnesota is 97-36-6 all-time in season openers, including wins in five of its last seven openers (4-2 under Fleck). The Golden Gophers are 101-31-7 all-time in home openers with an identical stretch of five wins in their past seven home openers (also 4-2 under Fleck). Minnesota, which is opening a season at home for the 11th straight year, is 9-5 in home openers since Huntington Bank Stadium opened in 2009.
3. For the third time in the last four seasons, Minnesota opens the year with a Big Ten opponent after facing Michigan in a 2020 schedule that featured only league action and Ohio State in 2021. Thursday's matchup with the Huskers will be the 11th time in program history that Minnesota faces a conference foe in the season opener. The Gophers are 2-8 in those previous games. Overall, Minnesota is 64-55-8 in Big Ten openers, including a 71-51-5 mark at home. Thursday marks the seventh time that Minnesota opens the season against Nebraska, going 3-3 in the previous games in a span from 1946-64.
4. Minnesota is coming off a 2022 campaign where it finished with a 9-4 record overall, capping it off with a 28-20 win over Syracuse in the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl. Minnesota reached nine wins in a season for the 11th time in school history and the third time in the past four years under head coach P.J. Fleck, something that hadn't happened since 1905. Fleck is just the second Minnesota coach to have at least three seasons with nine or more victories. Henry L. Williams had six such seasons from 1900-21, while all other coaches in program history have a combined two nine-win seasons. Combined with a 9-4 record in 2021, the 18 wins over two seasons are tied for the most in Gopher history since 1904-05 and it's just the eighth time ever the team has won at least 18 games in consecutive years. In addition, Minnesota went 5-4 in league play after a 6-3 Big Ten record in 2021. It's the first time with back-to-back conference seasons over .500 since 1968-69.
5. The 2023 campaign is the seventh for head coach P.J. Fleck at Minnesota, where he holds a record of 44-27. He is already fifth in program history for wins and sixth in Big Ten wins (26) and games coached (71). Fleck's .620 win percentage is third best among the 11 Minnesota coaches with at least 45 games under their helm behind only Henry L. Williams (.786, 1900-21) and Bernie Bierman (.716, 1932-41, '45-50). In his 11th season overall as a college head coach, Fleck is 74-49 (.598).
You can read Minnesota's complete game notes here.
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