What's At Stake: Minnesota @ Nebraska
Minnesota (7-3, 4-2) is at Nebraska Saturday looking for its second straight win over the Cornhuskers. A victory would send them to face Wisconsin for the Big 10 West title and a trip to the conference title game.
WHAT'S AT STAKE
Minnesota controls its destiny in the Big Ten West race, needing wins at Nebraska and at Wisconsin next week to reach the conference championship game. Nebraska must beat the Gophers and win at Iowa, plus get help from others, to play in Indianapolis on Dec. 6.
KEY MATCHUP
Minnesota run game against Nebraska defense. With almost a 3-to-1 run-pass ratio, the Gophers are just as committed to the ground game as Wisconsin, and you saw what the Badgers' Melvin Gordon did to Nebraska last week. Nebraska's defense is in redemption mode after allowing 581 yards rushing to the Badgers, including an FBS-record 408 to Gordon.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Minnesota: RB David Cobb is averaging 135 yards a game and needs 115 to pass Laurence Maroney's single-season school rushing record of 1,464. The Gophers are 9-3 when Cobb goes over 100 yards. He went for 138 on 31 carries in the Gophers' 34-23 win in Minneapolis last year.
Nebraska: QB Tommy Armstrong Jr., like the Huskers' defense, is looking to bounce back from a horrendous performance. In his last two games Armstrong is a combined 14 for 39 (35.9 percent) for 180 yards, with three interceptions and two touchdowns.
FACTS & FIGURES
Nebraska will bid farewell to 13 players on Senior Day. ... The Gophers are 8-4 in their last 12 Big Ten games, their best conference stretch since going 9-3 from 1972-74. ... Minnesota, with a win, would clinch its first winning Big Ten record since 2003. ... Nebraska, with a win, would have at least nine for a seventh straight season. ... The Gophers had lost 16 straight to Nebraska before winning last year. They've lost seven straight in Lincoln since winning there in 1960.
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