Is Nebraska Ready to End Its Minnesota Misery? Gopher Podcaster Thinks So

Nebraska will face a 4-2 Minnesota squad on Friday night, as they attempt to win back-to-back road games for the first time since 2006 (that is both shocking and sickening to write). I interviewed Curt Felton, one of the hosts of the Ski U Pod, to get the Minnesota perspective on the upcoming game.

Interview with Curt Felton, Co-Host of the Ski U Pod, a Minnesota Gopher Podcast

Head coach P.J. Fleck is in his 9th year leading the Minnesota program, and consistently produces teams with winning records that go to bowl games. What’s the current view of Coach Fleck among Minnesota fans?

Overall the majority of fans are happy with Fleck. He has shown the ability to run a good program and can have some exciting seasons when the right coordinators are in place. He’s been able to elevate the program through recruiting and the culture he has created here in Minnesota.

Starting quarterback Drake Lindsey is having a strong season. He’s completing 60% of his passes for 1,284 yards and 9 touchdowns with only three interceptions. How would you assess his play so far this year, as well as his leadership of this Gopher team?

Drake Lindsey is the best Gopher quarterback in my lifetime (30 years). As a redshirt freshman, he has total command of the offense and is responsible for making all the checks at the line. Strong arm but has great touch and can really make any kind of throw. Not a mobile QB but has a good feel in the pocket and slides around to open space well. I don’t know where the Gophers would be this year without him.

Minnesota is in the top 30 nationally in both rushing defense and total defense. What would you say is the strength of defensive coordinator Danny Collins' unit?

The strength is the play of the safeties, which was what Collins was in charge of before becoming DC. Koi Perich gets a lot of attention for his playmaking ability but Kerry Brown is very good and gets moved all around the field. Some fans were expecting more stats from these two but the weaker CB room has left a lot of coverage responsibility on the safeties. Anthony Smith is our best defensive lineman and the defense is pretty reliant on him to get a pass rush.

How would you assess the Gophers' season overall so far?

Every Gopher game this season has been pretty up and down and that’s how the season has gone. Defense seems to be either getting a takeaway or a TFL or giving up a back breaking run on third and long or getting lost in zone pass coverage.

Offensively when Drake has time, the passing offense has been pretty solid. WRs need to make more contested catches as none of them are speedsters. Offensive line has struggled to create any running room for our backs but Darius Taylor is still dangerous enough to get some chunk plays here and there. It feels like we have all the talent to put together a successful year, we just have to find our identity a little bit and find a spark to ignite this team.

Nebraska and Minnesota have had some great battles since Nebraska joined the Big Ten, although the Huskers haven't won this matchup since 2018. How is this game viewed in the Gopher Common Fans’ eyes?

Lately this has been a very enjoyable series for Gopher fans. Nebraska has a very passionate fan base that often lets Gopher fans know they are going to lose. With the Gophers consistently winning some close games, this has made a fun little rivalry. While not as important to Gopher fans as the badgers or Iowa game, the $5 bits of broken chair trophy has been a cool rivalry between these two that Gopher fans enjoy.

What have you seen from Nebraska and does it make you feel better or worse about Minnesota's chances on Saturday?

Nebraska’s strong pass defense makes this a tremendous challenge for the Gophers as the Gophers are overly reliant on being able to throw the ball. Nebraska has given up some chunk runs but the Gophers have not shown the ability to consistently run on anybody. Huskers also have the weapons to get chunk plays against this Gopher defense that has been struggling.

Minnesota wins if ______.

Minnesota wins if Nebraska turns the balls over and the defense stops giving up homerun plays.

Nebraska wins if ______.

Nebraska wins if they protect the ball and take what the defense gives them.

Final score prediction?

This is the first matchup in a while that I think Nebraska has a significant advantage. The Gophers offensive and defensive lines are usually what they have relied on to win this game in years past and right now both are struggling. Matt Rhule has done a great job building Nebraska up and this Husker team knows their identity, the Gophers do not.

Pains me to say this, but I think Nebraska wins this one 28-13.

Author’s note: Thanks to Curt Felton, one of the hosts of the Ski U Pod, for sharing his expertise with the Common Fans. Both the Common Fan Podcast (Nebraska) and the Ski U Pod (Minnesota) are members of The College Huddle, the largest fan-led online college sports podcast community, made up of one podcast from each fan base represented.

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