MN Gophers Football vs Nebraska – Young QB Shootout Style

PJ Fleck and the 4-2 (2-1) Minnesota Gophers football team will do battle tonight at Huntington Bank Stadium against the 5-1 (2-1) Nebraska Cornhuskers, whose comeback victory last weekend in Maryland earned them the nation’s No. 25 overall ranking.

This will be Nebby’s sixth opportunity to win the 2nd rendition of the somewhat controversial “$5 Bits of Broken Chair” Trophy. Originally established in 2014, the unofficial rivalry trophy went missing in Lincoln after Nebraska beat Minnesota back in 2016.

The current version was awarded to the Golden Gophers after their victory in Lincoln one year later, in 2017. Call it the Broken Chair Curse, but Nebraska has not beaten Minnesota on the gridiron in any of their FIVE matchups since.

Nebraska struggles vs PJ Fleck

In fact, the Scott Frost era of Huskers lore turned PJ Fleck into Nebraska Big Ten West boogie man. Since Fleck took over as Gophers football coach in 2017, Minnesota holds a dominant 6-1 record over the now-decade-old conference rival.

However, this is only the second time Matt Rhule’s Cornhuskers have faced the Golden Gophers, after falling 13-10 in Minnesota during his first year waling the Nebraska sideline.

But Friday night, none of that will matter. Because the last time the Minnesota Gophers played against the Nebraska Cornhuskers, on August 31 2023, both Dylan Raiola and Drake Lindsey were still in high school.

And given what we have seen from either team midway through the 2025 college football season, whichever second-year quarterback plays better under the lights tonight in Dinkytown, their team will likely parade the Broken Chair out of Huntington Bank Stadium.

Slowing Dylan Raiola is the key to beating Nebraska

For Minnesota Gopher football fans unfamiliar with Dylan Raiola’s game, get ready for a wild ride. The Buford, GA native stands 6’3″, 230 pounds and came into Lincoln last season as a 99-overall 5-star recruit, and the No. 7 overall high school prospect in the country (No. 2 overall QB).

In 2024, Raiola took his lumps as a true freshman, starting 13 games where he totalled just 13 touchdowns and nearly as many interceptions (11). As a sophomore, however, Nebby’s QB savior has taken a noticeable step in his development.

Through six games, Dylan Raiola has already put up more touchdowns (16) than he did all of last year. Prior to his three-interception performance last week in DC, he had cleaned up his interception issue too. Still, his 16/5 TD/INT ratio looks way better than 2024, as does his 73.4% completion rate.

pic.twitter.com/RqNEQVoD69

— Error 404 not found (@Mysticalfootage) October 13, 2025

DYLAN RAIOLA AND LUKE LINDENMEYER THIS TD WAS INSANE 🔥🔥 @HuskerFootball pic.twitter.com/7pl2FVCTGz

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 11, 2025

Related: Gopher Rival Fires Head Coach; Could PJ Fleck be on Their Radar?

Entering Friday’s matchup against the Golden Gophers, Raiola ranks 2nd in the Big Ten in passing touchdowns, 3rd in completion percentage and 4th in passing yards per game (265.2). And if you are an old school Big Ten football fan, you might want to sit this one out.

Not only does Nebraska rank 16th out of 18 conference teams in rush attempts, with 33.2, but one of only two teams that has run the ball less then them so far this season is the Minnesota Gophers, at 31.3 rush attempts per game.

Drake Lindsey good… not great so far for MN Gophers football

And that brings us to Drake Lindsey, the Golden Gophers redshirt freshman QB who came out of the 2024 freshman class, just like Raiola… except with less recruiting hype over at 247Sports, where he stepped on campus as an 89-overall, 3-star, ranked outside of the national top 150.

Unlike Raiola, Lindsey got a year to sit and learn behind one of the best upperclassmen starters in the country, from a QB mentor standpoint, in now Vikings quarterback, Max Brosmer.

Through six FBS starts as a redshirt freshman, Lindsey has been pretty good for a freshman. He’s thrown 9 touchdowns vs just 3 interceptions and holds a respectable 80.2 PFF grade, much higher than Raiola’s 67.8 grade. Unfortunately, his numbers have not been good enough to stand out in arguably the best football conference in the country.

In retrospect, it’s tough to expect that from a 20-year-old first year starter. Lindsey’s 214 passing yards per game ranks 11th among qualified Big Ten quarterbacks. His 9 touchdowns rank 10th and his 60.1% completion rate ranks 16th.

And while Drake has been one of the better players on an underwhelming 2025 Minnesota Gophers offense, he’ll need to be even better if his team is going to have any chance Friday night against Raiola and Big Red.

Minnesota Gophers football needs even more from Drake Lindsey

Those of us who see great things in Lindsey’s future believe he has it in him, but for the Gophers to meet/exceed expectations this season, he will have to play better than a promising youngster still trying to find himself in the pocket, even if that’s all that should be expected of him.

At least we'll always have Drake Lindsey's first drive vs Ohio State.. pic.twitter.com/PbW6bLVdMN

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) October 5, 2025

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Sure, Drake hasn’t been a world-beater, but he has at least been functional, even showing flashes of greatness at times. Minnesota’s other option is to run the football, which is not a strength of Gophers teams present, no matter what PJ Fleck & Co. did in the past.

Not only does Minnesota rank near the bottom of the conference in rush attempts, but they rank 116th nationally in rushing yards per game (112.3) and average yards per carry (3.6). And because of Fleck’s history, team’s still come in ready to stop the run, even if game film and recent tendencies tell them to do otherwise.

In other words, whoever wins tonight’s game between the Nebraska Cornhuskers and Minnesota Gophers, is going to have to throw their way to victory, especially if it is going to be the home team.