Nebraska @ Minnesota preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 17, 2012 ) Minnesota 14, Nebraska 38

Two open dates over the last four weeks allowed No. 21 Nebraska to get its feet wet in Big Ten Conference play. The inactivity may also have bought the Cornhuskers enough time to get quarterback Taylor Martinez back from injury as they head to Minnesota on Saturday to face the Golden Gophers. Martinez, who has been dealing with turf toe since Nebraska lost to UCLA on Sept. 14, has sat out the last three games as Tommy Armstrong Jr. and Ron Kellogg III have directed the team to three straight victories.

Ameer Abdullah – the nation’s ninth-leading rusher with 816 yards – has emerged as the offensive centerpiece in Martinez’s absence, accounting for 558 yards from scrimmage over that span. Minnesota snapped a four-game conference losing streak dating back to last season’s loss at Nebraska with last week's 20-17 victory at Northwestern. Defensive coordinator Tracy Claeys continues to lead the Gophers as coach Jerry Kill remains on an indefinite leave of absence due to a series of epileptic seizures.

TV: 12 p.m. ET, ESPN. LINE: Nebraska -10.5

ABOUT NEBRASKA (5-1, 2-0 Big Ten): The defense has picked up its play considerably in conference play. The Cornhuskers allowed three of their four non-conference foes to rush for at least 210 yards and accumulate more than 465 yards of total offense, but have yielded an average of 113.5 rushing yards and 294 total yards in victories over Illinois and Purdue. Nebraska’s 37-point margin of victory over the Boilermakers (44-7) was Nebraska’s largest since it joined the Big Ten three years ago as well as in a conference road game since a 51-7 win at Kansas in 2001.

ABOUT MINNESOTA (5-2, 1-2): While the Cornhuskers boast the country’s 10th-ranked rushing attack (284.8 yards per game), the Golden Gophers are 28th in rushing offense (210.1) with four players (David Cobb, Mitch Leidner, Philip Nelson and Rodrick Williams) tallying at least one 100-yard game this year – the first time Minnesota has achieved that feat since 1967. However, Claeys revealed that Leidner – the team’s starting quarterback the past two games – is battling an illness. As a result, it is unclear if Leidner or Nelson, who came on in relief last week, will draw the start against Nebraska.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Nebraska has won 16 straight in this series, including nine in a row in Minnesota.

2. Minnesota ranks fourth in the country in red-zone offense (95.7 percent success rate), scoring 16 touchdowns and six field goals on its 23 trips inside the 20.

3. The Cornhuskers have accumulated 13 of their Big Ten-leading 17 sacks over the last three games.

PREDICTION: Nebraska 34, Minnesota 17