Four takeaways from Minnesota's 13-10 win over Nebraska
Gophers Nation offers four takeaways from Minnesota's 13-10 win over Big Ten West rival Nebraska on Thursday evening.
1. Tyler Nubin saves the day for the Golden Gophers
Fifth-year safety Tyler Nubin garnered quite a bit of hype across the offseason, including being referred to as a potential first-round pick in next April's NFL Draft. In the 13-10 win, Nubin had two interceptions, putting bookends on Nebraska's four turnovers on the evening. While his interception in the first quarter was impressive, it was his fourth-quarter interception, jumping a telegraphed pass by Cornhuskers' quarterback Jeff Sims to give the Golden Gophers the ball with under a minute to go in the game and eventually leading to the Gophers' game-winning field goal.
2. Rushing attack, offensive line leaves more to be desired
P.J. Fleck will have to hope that the performance of the rushing attack and offensive line on Thursday is not a sign of what either will look like throughout the season. The Golden Gophers totaled just 55 yards on the ground across 25 carries, averaging just 2.2 yards per carry. The longest run of the evening for Minnesota was just 11 yards, coming from Sean Tyler, who ran for 41 yards across 10 carries.
The offensive line, as a whole, was poor, not just in paving the way for the ground game but also in their pass protection. Athan Kaliakmanis was seemingly always under pressure across his 44 passing attempts, rarely allowing him to stay in the pocket. There is a lot to clean up on the offensive line for the Golden Gophers going forward, which shouldn't be shocking considering their losses this offseason.
3. Kaliakmanis shows flashes
Athan Kaliakmanis showed flashes of his potential throughout Thursday evening, but with poor offensive line play and a lackluster rushing attack, the Illinois native was never really able to get settled in too much against Nebraska. Kaliakmanis ended up throwing the ball 44 times on Thursday night, completing 22 of those 44 attempts for 196 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.
While his arm strength was on display, the touch on his passes was off at times throughout the game, including in several crucial situations. There is a lot of potential with Kaliakmanis, but there is also quite a bit of development to go for him as well.
4. An impressive debut for Dragan Kesich
The Golden Gophers could not have asked for more from Dragan Kesich on Thursday night. In his first career appearance for the Golden Gopher, Kesich hit both of his field goal attempts, including a 47-yarder as time expired to give Minnesota a 13-10 win. His lone extra-point attempt narrowly went in, though it is worth noting that he did have a few Cornhuskers quickly barreling down on him. Considering the circumstances, it was an impressive extra point as well.
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