Gophers Face Crucial Rushing Defense Test Against nebraska
Minnesota (3-5, 1-4 Big Ten) travels to Lincoln to face Nebraska (5-3, 3-2 Big Ten) this weekend with a key focus on improving its run defense. The Gophers currently rank 115th nationally, allowing 112.3 rushing yards per game, and are giving up 174.7 rushing yards per game in conference play (89th nationally). Matching Nebraska’s physicality on both lines will be critical for a Gophers victory.
The Huskers’ rushing attack is lead by junior running back Emmett Johnson, a former Holy Angels star from Minneapolis, who is second in the Big Ten with 108.3 rushing yards per game. Johnson is coming off a strong performance against Maryland, carrying the ball 21 times for 177 yards.Minnesota will look to linebacker Maverick Baranowski,who boasts an 82.9 rating by Pro Football Focus (13th nationally among linebackers), to spearhead the effort to contain Johnson.
On the other side of the ball, Gophers safeties Kerry Brown and koi Perich will be tasked with defending against Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola.
Adding a layer of intrigue to the Nebraska sideline is the speculation surrounding head coach matt Rhule.Rhule, a State College, Pa., native and former penn State player, has reportedly been considered by Penn State to replace recently fired James Franklin. Rhule stated on Monday he enjoys living in Lincoln and is committed to building the Huskers program, but did not address the reports directly.
