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ICYMI - The annual fundraiser for the broken chair is underway. Husker fans’ donations go to the Team Jack Foundation. If you can, make a donation and cheer on the Huskers to win back the best trophy NU plays for in the Big Ten!
The matchup with Minnesota wraps up a stretch of eight games in eight consecutive weeks for the Huskers, and marks Nebraska’s second-to-last road game of the 2021 season. Nebraska is off next week, before returning to Lincoln for a two-game homestand against Purdue (Oct. 30) and Ohio State (Nov. 6).
The Huskers stand at 3-4 overall and 1-3 in Big Ten play after a third heartbreaking loss in the past four weeks against a ranked opponent. Nebraska put together an impressive second-half performance against No. 9 Michigan on Saturday night, before the Wolverines kicked a field goal with 1:24 remaining to escape with a 32-29 victory.
Minnesota enters the game with a 3-2 record and a 1-1 mark in Big Ten play. The Gophers were off last week, and posted a 20-13 victory at Purdue in their most recent game on Oct. 2. Minnesota lost its season opener to then-No. 4 Ohio State, but has won three of four games since that contest.
Coach P.J. Fleck’s team boasts one of the Big Ten’s best defenses, ranking second in the conference and fifth nationally in rushing defense at 77.0 yards per game. The Gophers are also strong in scoring defense (19.6 ppg) and total defense (307.8 ypg). Offensively, Minnesota features a strong run game and is among the nation’s best in ball control, averaging nearly 34 minutes per game in time of possession.
Date/Time: October 16, 2021 at 11:00 a.m. CDT
Location: Huntington Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, MN
Surface: Field Turf
Opposition Blog: Check out The Daily Gopher for everything Minnesota
Series Record: Minnesota leads the all-time series 34-25-2. The Gophers have won the last two games.
TV: The game will be televised on ESPN2 with play-by-play by Brian Custer, analyst Kelly Stouffer and Lauren Sisler on the sidelines.
Radio: Huskers sports radio network. The audio can also be streamed live for free at huskers.com The crew will be: Greg Sharpe, Matt Davison, and Jeremiah Sirles.
More streaming options: The official Huskers app (audio) is available on iTunes and Google Play. The audio of Husker games is no longer available on TuneIn. If you don’t already have a TV streaming service (or want to try a new one) you can get a one-week free trial of FuboTV.
Weather: At kickoff, it will be in the upper 40s and sunny. The wind should not be much of a factor coming from the WNW at 8 mph. In other words - perfect football weather!
Odds: Nebraska is favored by 4.5 points on DraftKings
Trivia
The Nebraska offense is one of the nation’s best in producing long plays. The Huskers rank in the top 5 nationally in plays of 20+, 30+, 40+, 50+, 60+, 70+ and 80+ yards including leading the nation in both 60-yard and 70-yard plays.
Quarterback Adrian Martinez is the first Husker quarterback to rush for 10 touchdowns in a season since Taylor Martinez had 10 in 2012. Adrian Martinez is one of only three players in the nation with 10 rushing touchdowns in 2021.
Nebraska’s four losses have come by a combined 21 points. Three of those four losses have come against teams currently ranked in the top 10 in the Associated Press Poll, including three-point setbacks against Michigan State and Michigan.