MINNEAPOLIS – Dragan Kesich hit a 47-yard field goal for Minnesota as time expired after Daniel Jackson’s touchdown catch from Athan Kaliakmanis tied the game with 2:32 left and the Gophers beat Nebraska 13-10, to ruin Huskers coach Matt Rhules’ debut on Thursday night.
Tyler Nubin had two of Minnesota’s three interceptions against Nebraska freshman Jeff Sims, including a jump shot and a 14-yard return in the final minute that gave the Gophers the ball on their 49th. Kaliakmanis completed three short passes. Then Sean Tyler had a first down run to put them within range.
“From then on, everything was black,” said Kesich, who made a 34-yard field goal and missed a 54-yarder in the first half. “This is the moment that footballers dream of.”
Kaliakmanis went 24 for 44 for 196 yards and an interception, as well as the tying score for Jackson.
“That’s why we’re calling him,” Kaliakmanis said.
The Gophers also set up the game-winning touchdown with a turnover when Justin Walley knocked the ball out of Anthony Grant’s arm and gave them the ball on their 47th. Bryce Williams converted a fourth-down run and a facemask penalty pushed the ball to the Huskers 28.
After three straight incompletions from the 13, Kaliakmanis and the Gophers still had a chance. The sophomore slid left and lost his balance toward the charging Jackson, who managed to complete one of the most difficult and dramatic catches in program history.
He caught the pass brilliantly on the edge of the end zone and somehow managed to tap the tip of his right foot on the turf and move his left heel up enough to keep his front foot from going out of bounds first.
“This is a ‘fall of the wall’,” said coach PJ Fleck. “This is a picture that hangs on the wall and will stay in our home forever.”
Sims, who transferred from Georgia Tech, ran 19 times for 91 yards. He completed 11 of 19 passes for 114 yards and a touchdown on the broken play that gave the Huskers the lead early in the third quarter.
“We just can’t beat each other,” Johnson said. “Protecting the ball is the most important thing.”
Rhule, who spent three seasons in the NFL with the Carolina Panthers, has built successful programs before. However, the first few years were tough. He went 2-10 at Temple in 2013 and 1-11 at Baylor in 2017. The Huskers had a 23-45 record over the last six seasons.
“He gets them where they need to go,” Fleck said. “You can see a huge difference in how hard they play.”
Packed house
The Gophers, in front of their first sellout at Huntington Bank Stadium in two years, a red-colored crowd cheered hard by traveling Huskers fans, extended their winning streak over the Huskers to five games in a row. The Gophers have announced sellouts of three additional games since Fleck took over in 2017: against Penn State and Wisconsin in 2019 and the season opener against Ohio State in 2021.
MISSED OPPORTUNITY
The Huskers came within inches of ending the first half with a touchdown, but after a strange sequence of events in the red zone, they left the game with nothing but a turnover. Sims backtracked from the 6 and threw himself into the crowd to be easily intercepted by Tre’Von Jones, who transferred from Elon to Minnesota.
Rahmir Johnson gave the Huskers a huge spark early in the second half with a 65-yard kickoff return. Then came the big breakthrough, created by Sims’ extraordinary consciousness.
Ervin took a second-down pitch to the right sideline, stopped and threw the ball back to the quarterback. The throw was high and far and slipped through Sims’ fingers, but he plucked it off the turf to avoid losing a fumble and quickly reset when he realized he could still attempt a forward pass. Alex Bullock was wide open in the end zone for the 34-yard score.
WAIT WHAT?
Huskers left guard Ethan Piper was called for a false start that negated a touchdown by Sims on a sneak. The dead-ball penalty actually made the previous play reviewable, a 3-yard run by Ervin on first-and-goal from the 4. The second look confirmed the original statement that Ervin’s elbow hit before the ball crossed the line . Then Sims was voted out on the following play.
THE TAKING AWAY
Nebraska: With four turnovers and seven penalties, the Huskers often got in their own way. With a new coaching staff and a new quarterback, such unevenness in the first game would be entirely to be expected.
“We’re at the beginning of something we’re building,” Rhule said. “I don’t even think about anything that happened before I got here.”
Minnesota: The absence of the all-time leading rusher Mohamed Ibrahim, not to mention All-American center John Michael Schmitz and the two starting guards, was clearly felt. The inside zone runs that Ibrahim excelled at simply didn’t develop for Tyler, the transfer from Western Michigan, who had 10 carries for 41 yards.
NEXT
Nebraska: Plays at Colorado on September 9th. The two former Big 12 rivals have played twice since the Huskers joined the Big Ten, with the Buffaloes winning in both 2018 and 2019.
Minnesota: Host Eastern Michigan on September 9th. The two schools have never met in football.
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AP College Football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll