I realize the simple fact that Nebraska has been away from Memorial Stadium twice this season, only for Husker fans to outnumber our opponents. It greatly reduces the effects of the hostile environment. With that being said, it’s still pretty darn tough to win on the road. There is nothing quite like silencing the home crowd on the way to victory.
The bad news is there is a short week, with Nebraska playing on Friday. The good news is that Nebraska is at Minnesota, a very easy driving distance for
most Husker fans. I figure this game is going to be a lot like the others, where Husker nation outnumbers Gopher fans. In fact, I’m going to go out on a limb and say the only fanbase we don’t outnumber this season on the road is Penn State, and even they might have revolted by then.
Even if you have a more talented team, winning on the road is a special breed. The overall satisfaction to me seems greater winning on the road. Back in my playing days, when dinosaurs were roaming the Earth, I always felt happier when winning on the road. There is just something about leaving a home fanbase disappointed in their team.
Nebraska caused a lot of its own issues on Saturday at Maryland, committing 3 turnovers which led to 17 points with un-turtle like speed. The best thing about this, despite 3 possessions that didn’t exactly end well, the Huskers still managed to score 34 points. For all the offensive issues the last two weeks, that’s a combined 65 points (obviously one can’t count the punt block TD).
This isn’t your Scott Frost era Minnesota. This doesn’t row the boat gently between the seams. The Gophers are a better throwing team than running. This obviously suits the Nebraska defense nicely. The Huskers still possess the best pass defense in the nation. The Gopher defense is better against the run, again playing well for the Huskers matchup wise.
Emmett Johnson was a fantastic player in high school in Minnesota, so he’ll have a little extra motivation. I’m hoping Rico Dowdle against the Cowboys last week motivated. I hope he runs with reckless abandon like he did against Maryland. It was great to be able to free up some of the passing game, while proving that if the passing game struggles, the run game can take over.
We all know that in the last two weeks things haven’t gone swimmingly. Granted, they haven’t gone Penn State bad, but still there are some concerns. You can’t lose the turnover battle and get away with it often, particularly on the road. Nebraska will need to make sure that is paramount, especially given how the Huskers have played recently in Minneapolis.
This is the best time to get Minnesota. By winning, not only to the Huskers become bowl eligible already, but it sets Nebraska up nicely for the stretch run. Northwestern at home to finish October, then a potential top 25 matchup with USC and the Black out jerseys. All of that sounds great, but Nebraska must take joy in silencing Gopher fans. Go Big Red!
