It’s the Nebraska Cornhuskers traveling to Minneapolis, Minnesota to battle the Minnesota Golden Gophers this Friday night.
Another sin committed by the Big 10 Network for scheduling a Nebraska football game on a Friday.
Friday is for high school.
But that doesn’t matter a trifle to the network money grubbers.
That aggravation aside, the 25th-ranked Huskers are five-and-a-half point favorites.
The last time NU played at MU was August 31, 2023, in Huntington Bank Stadium. It was a Thursday night and served as Matt Ruhle’s first game as Nebraska’s head coach.
Minnesota won the contest, 13-10, on a 47-yard field goal on the last play of the game.
I viewed the battle on TV at Brewery 719 with dozens of other Cornhusker fans.
My first memory of an NU/Minnesota game dates to October 3, 1970. The contest was played in Minnesota’s old Memorial Stadium.
I listened to Lyell Bremser broadcast the game on KFAB radio in Omaha.
Nebraska prevailed, 35-10.
The highlight of the game occurred late in the first quarter.
Here’s the transcript of Lyell’s call of a 14-yard pass and TD catch from Joe Orduna to Guy Ingles:
“All right, 2nd and 9 for Nebraska. They split men left and right. And Tagge pitches out over there to Orduna, WHO’S GONNA THROW! INTO THE END ZONE TO LITTLE GUY INGLES! TOUCHDOOWWNN!!!” (crowd roars)
(Lyell chuckles)
“OOhhh, pardon me for laughing! But that was just that funny! Ingles was SO alone. He could’ve have sat down and knit one and pearled two! He just was ALL BY HIMSELF. And Orduna threw that ball like a falling leaf into that wind, and all Guy could do was just stand there and wait! It must’ve been an interminable wait. But it finally fell in his hands, but there was NOBODY close!
“Try for the point. It’s up, and it’s good! And it’s 21 to 7, Nebraska leads in this first quarter with a minute and fifty seconds left to play. Dave, wasn’t that somethin’ to see!”
DAVE BLACKWELL: “I’ll tell ya, that’s the worst-thrown pass I’ve ever seen in my life! (Lyell laughs) It kind of reminds me that the pheasant season opens in Nebraska November 7th.” (Lyell laughs)
Two years later, on September 30, 1972, on a sun splashed Saturday in Lincoln, NU shutout the Gophers, 49-0.
The highlight of the game was a 64-yard punt return for a touchdown by Johnny Rodgers. J.R. was so alone by the time he reached the 20-yard-line, he turned around and ran in the last 10-15 yards backwards.
Nine weeks later, Rodgers was awarded the Heisman Trophy.
Another two years later, NU beat Minnesota, 54-0, on a cloudy, rainy afternoon in Lincon.
I viewed the game from section 12, row 96 in the southeast corner of Memorial Stadium.
On September 17, 1983, the Huskers shredded the Gophers, 84-13, at the Humphrey Dome in Minneapolis.
Nebraska scored 21 points in each quarter.
That’s a total of 12 touchdowns.
Nebraska scored on plays of 27, 68, 70, 41, 12, 7, 1, 12, 71, 51, 1 and 44 yards.
Minnesota has beaten Nebraska in five straight games and the Gophers have bested NU in six of the last seven contests.
It’s time for a turnaround.
Let’s plug the Minnesota gopher holes with Nebraska corncobs.