LINCOLN, Neb. _ Starved for its first victory in nearly a year, Nebraska took out all its frustrations on Minnesota on Saturday afternoon.
The Cornhuskers, whose last victory came last Oct. 28 at Purdue, rolled to touchdowns on three of their first four possessions, amassed 398 first-half yards and beat the Gophers, 53-28, in front of a frolicking crowd of 89,272 at Memorial Stadium. That ended a 10-game losing streak for Nebraska (1-6, 1-4) and gave coach Scott Frost his first victory at his alma mater.
Nebraska didn't get that win until fending off a Gophers rally from a 28-0 deficit. Behind backup quarterback Tanner Morgan, in for Zack Annexstad, who was either injured or ill, according to KFXN-FM, Minnesota cut the lead to 28-22 in the third quarter, only to see Nebraska respond with a touchdown and a fourth-down stop of the Gophers from their 3-yard-line early in the fourth quarter. The Huskers, certainly remembering their 54-21 loss in Minneapolis last year, poured on 17 more points to pull away.
The Gophers fell to 3-4 and 0-4 in the Big Ten, their conference losing streak stretching to six games. They were done in by a barrage of big plays, with Nebraska shredding Minnesota's defense for touchdown runs of 40 and 59 yards by Devine Ozigbo in the first quarter. Nebraska outgained Minnesota 659-474.
True freshman quarterback Adrian Martinez completed 25 of 29 passes for 276 yards and three TDs and rushed 15 times for 125 yards and a TD. Ozigbo finished with 152 yards on 11 carries. And Stanley Morgan Jr. caught 10 passes for 163 yards and two TDs, while fellow wideout JD Spielman caught eight passes for 77 yards and a score
The Gophers had their chances early to stay in the game, though. They had four first-half possessions reach Nebraska territory but come up fruitless, including one in which a touchdown pass was wiped out by an offensive holding penalty.
Tanner Morgan passed for 214 yards while leading the Gophers on three TD drives. Annexstad went 9-for-20 for 135 yards and a score in the first half.
Nebraska won the coin toss and elected to receive, a move that paid dividends right away. Ozigbo ripped off a 40-yard TD run 1:56 into the game to cap a seven-play, 75-yard drive for a 7-0 lead.
The Gophers responded by driving the Nebraska 37, with Annexstad hitting Johnson out of the backfield for an 11-yard gain on third-and-9. On the next play, Annexstad found a wide-open Rashod Bateman for a 37-yard touchdown pass, but the play was nullified because of a holding penalty on center Jared Weyler. A third-down sack of Annexstad forced the Gophers to punt.
After the Gophers defense forced a three-and-out, Minnesota's offense got going. Annexstad hit a leaping Johnson for a 17-yard gain to the Nebraska 40. The possession stalled at the 36, and Emmit Carpenter came on to try a 54-yard field goal with the wind at his back. Carpenter's kick was short, but Gophers took delay of game penalty and Minnesota punted.
The Huskers quickly made it 14-0 on Ozigbo's 59-yard TD run with 1:25 left in the first quarter.
Nebraska kept its offense rolling on its next possession and took a 21-0 lead on Martinez's 3-yard TD run. Key on the drive were two Martinez-to-Spielman connections for 25 yards, Martinez's 22-yard scramble and Maurice Washington's 20-yard run to the Gophers 3.
Midway through the second quarter, the Gophers took over at the Nebraska 44 after a short punt. But they gained only 2 yards and punted, marking the third time they reached Huskers territory and got no points.
The Gophers got a takeaway when Martinez fumbled and defensive tackle Sam Renner recovered at the Nebraska 37. But Minnesota couldn't cash it in. On third-and-2 from the 29, Wildcat QB Seth Green was stopped for no gain after getting his feet tangled with Jonathan Femi-Cole. On fourth down, Green came up a yard short.
Nebraska made it 28-0 on Martinez's 9-yard TD pass to Spielman with 1:58 left in the half. Key was Martinez's 53-yard gain on third-and-1 from the Huskers 37. By that point in the game, Nebraska had outgained the Gophers 353-99.
The Gophers cut the lead to 28-8 with 52 seconds left in the half on Annexstad's 13-yard TD pass to Demetrius Douglas and Matt Morse's two-point conversion run. Johnson made a spectacular play to get a foot inbounds for a 28-yard gain on a pass to the 13.
Minnesota got the ball to start the third quarter and quickly cut the lead to 28-15. Tanner Morgan connected with Chris Autman-Bell on a screen, and the wideout took it 69 yards to the Nebraska 4. Two plays later, Mohamed Ibrahim plowed in from the 1.
After the Gophers forced Nebraska to punt, the Gophers cut the lead to 28-22 with 7:22 left in the third quarter. Morgan's 31-yard connection to Green on a reverse flea-flicker moved the ball to the Huskers 6, and Green scored from the 4 two plays later.
Nebraska stretched its lead to 36-22 on 35-yard TD pass from Martinez to Stanley Morgan Jr. and two-point conversion pass to Morgan with 6:04 left in the third quarter.
The Gophers reached the Nebraska 3 and faced fourth down, but Morgan's pass in the end zone for Autman-Bell was incomplete. They had second-and-goal from the 5, but an offensive pass interference penalty on tight end Colton Beebe backed them up to the 20.
Nebraska boosted its lead to 39-22 on 32-yard field goal by Barret Pickering with 7:53 left in fourth quarter.
Douglas' 87-yard kickoff return put the Gophers on the Nebraska 13, but Tanner Morgan's second-down pass was tipped and intercepted with 6:52 left.
Nebraska got a 67-yard TD pass from Martinez to Morgan Jr. with 5:19 left for a 46-22 lead. Tanner Morgan's 9-yard run cut it to 46-28 with 4:14 left. Washington's 3-yard TD run with 1:57 left set the final score.
