At the crossroads of trajectory and the recent past

Previewing Nebraska-Minnesota with three numbers to watch.

Courtesy Nebraska Athletics

Nebraska’s Friday trip to Minnesota was the game I had circled all offseason as a potential problem for the Huskers. That was before I knew NU would get thrown a State College curveball this week, and before I knew the Gophers weren’t going to be as good as I expected.

Minnesota’s résumé to this point doesn’t offer a lot of highlights. After opening the year with a pair of nonconference wins, the Gophers lost by 13 as a 3-point road favorite at Cal, slipped by Rutgers 31-28, got drubbed by Ohio State 42-3 and needed four takeaways to beat Purdue 27-20 despite being outgained by a yard-and-a-half per play. The calling-card approach of “run the ball and control the clock” has been more of a rain check in 2025 with the Gophers ranking 112th nationally at 3.6 yard per carry and 40th in time of possession, the latter a big step back considering Minnesota hasn’t finished outside the top 25 since P.J. Fleck’s first season (2017).

Despite all that, the Gophers are still 4-2 and this could still be another season where Fleck makes a satisfying meal out of whatever’s hanging out at the back of the fridge. On paper, No. 25 Nebraska (5-1, 2-1) has most of the edges in this matchup.

On the field, the Huskers haven’t beaten Minnesota since 2018 and haven’t won in Minneapolis since 2015. Friday’s road trip is yet another intersection of Nebraska’s current trajectory and its recent past.

Which road will the Huskers follow?