The Minnesota Gophers offense spent much of their opening game against Nebraska waiting for someone to make a big play. Quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis looked out of synch all night, and the Cornhuskers held Minnesota rushers to 55 yards. It took some big plays on defense and some fancy footwork to earn the Gophers a hard-fought 13-10 victory at TCF Bank Stadium.

Gophers First Half Highlights

Minnesota was a seven-point favorite over the Cornhuskers, but they hardly looked like the favored home team all night. Both teams had listless offenses in the first half as the respective defenses dominated play. First-half highlights for the Gophers included Tyler Nubin’s first interception of the night and some nice coordination between Kaliakmanis and transfer receiver Corey Crooms.

Other first-half highlights included big plays by cornerback Justin Walley who made one tackle after another to help stymie the Nebraska offense. And Elon transfer Tre’Von Jones came up with a huge interception in the Cornhuskers’ end zone to kill a drive by coach Matt Rhule’s team. The only scoring by either team in the first half was courtesy of a Dragan Kesich 34-yard field goal to put the Gophers in the lead 3-0 with just over seven minutes left in the first half.

Nebraska Strikes First in the Second Half

Nebraska opened the first half with some chicanery that caught the Gophers flat-footed. After a 63-yard kickoff return by the Huskers’ Rahmir Johnson that brought the ball to the Minnesota 35-yard line, coach Ruehl dug deep into his playbook in an attempt to fool the Gophers.

Two plays later, Nebraska running back Anthony Grant ran a sweep right, stopped, then threw a backward pass to quarterback Jeff Sims. Sims fumbled the ball, picked it up, and found a wide-open Alex Bullock in the end zone for a 35-yard touchdown.

Gophers Fall Further Behind

Then after several possession changes, the Cornhuskers would add to their total about halfway through the fourth quarter. After an 80-yard, 13-play possession, Nebraska kicker Alvano Tristan would convert on a 27-yard field goal to stretch the Cornhuskers lead to 10-3. With the Gophers offense in disarray, hopes for a Minnesota victory started to dim.

But then, as so often happens, defensive coordinator Joe Rossi’s defense came to the rescue. With less than five minutes to go in the game, the Huskers’ Grant would barrel up the middle for a nine-yard gain. But at the end of the play, Walley would punch the ball out of Grant’s hands, and an alert Adrian Gousby would scoop up the ball for a Gophers fumble recovery.

Action Jackson

With the ball at the Minnesota 47, Kaliakmanis would attempt to lead his team on a drive to tie up the game. But after a face mask penalty on Nebraska and a 15-yard reception by tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford, the Gophers were still faced with a fourth and 10 at the Nebraska 13-yard line. Kaliakmanis operating out of the shotgun would then throw a pass to wide receiver Daniel Jackson for a Minnesota touchdown and a tie game.

Jackson’s catch was truly a thing of beauty as he was just able to drag his left foot in the end zone before going out of bounds. This would be the highlight of an exceptional performance by Jackson. He ended up with nine receptions, for 68 yards and the lone touchdown.

Gophers

Minnesota S Tyler Nubin (27) – Matt Krohn/USA TODAY Sports

Nebraska took possession with 2.32 left in the contest. After a few Cornhuskers running plays, the Gophers’ opportunistic defense would come up big again. Nubin would intercept an errant pass by Sims and return it 14 yards to the Minnesota 49-yard line.

Kesich Kicks the Gophers to Victory

The Gophers marched down the field via three short completions and an 11-yard run by running back Sean Tyler. With three seconds left on the clock and the ball sitting on the Nebraska 29-yard line, Kesich was brought in to kick the winning field goal. On the fourth down and two yards to go play, Kesich calmly nailed the winning 47-yard field goal with no time remaining.

Coach P.J. Fleck and the Gophers fans erupted in pure joy. They had persevered to earn not only their first win of the season but also their all-important first Big Ten victory. They would now have a long week to rest up and prepare to play the Eastern Michigan Eagles at home on September 9.