Nebraska and Minnesota get Big Ten play going right away in Rhule’s debut with Huskers

Nebraska at Minnesota, Thursday, 8 p.m. EDT (Fox).

Line: Minnesota by 7, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

Series record: Minnesota leads 36-25-2.

WHAT’S AT STAKE?

Matt Rhule makes his Huskers debut, the sixth head coach of the once-dominant program in the 26 seasons since Tom Osborne retired on top with a third national title in four years. Nebraska’s best record in five seasons under Scott Frost was 5-7. Athan Kaliakmanis is the first new starting QB to open a season for Minnesota since 2018. Kaliakmanis started five games last year for the injured Tanner Morgan.

KEY MATCHUP

Rhule and defensive coordinator Tony White vs. Fleck and Minnesota co-offensive coordinators Greg Harbaugh and Matt Simon. White spent the past three seasons as defensive coordinator at Syracuse. Fleck has not revealed who will call the plays. He said the Gophers were “preparing for ghosts” with all the strategic unknowns that come with the new staff at Nebraska.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Nebraska: QB Jeff Sims came from Georgia Tech as one of 20 incoming transfers this year and will lead offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield’s pro-style spread system. The Huskers need Sims to be a more polished passer than he was in 23 starts over three seasons for the run-heavy Yellow Jackets. The offensive line is a question mark, so don’t be surprised if the 6-foot-4, 220-pound Sims takes off running when the pass rush comes.

Minnesota: RB Sean Tyler rushed for 2,820 yards over four years at Western Michigan and ranked ninth in the FBS last season with an average of 147 all-purpose yards per game. Don’t expect a workload like the program’s all-time leading rusher Mohamed Ibrahim had, though. Freshmen Zach Evans and Darius Taylor are well-regarded prospects, and Bryce Williams is back for his sixth year.

FACTS & FIGURES

Nebraska starts the season with consecutive road games for the first time since 1995, with a visit to Colorado on Sept. 9. Rhule’s home debut is against Northern Illinois on Sept. 16. … Rhule, who was head coach of the NFL’s Carolina Panthers from 2020-22, spent three years at Baylor prior to that. He went 1-11, 7-6 and 10-3. … Minnesota is 7-5 against Nebraska since 2011 when the Huskers joined the Big Ten. Head coach P.J. Fleck is 5-1. … This is the 11th time in the program’s 140 seasons that Minnesota opens against a conference opponent. … Only Michigan (25-3) and Ohio State (22-4) have a better overall record among Big Ten teams than the Gophers (18-8) over the past two years. … Minnesota has allowed 16 points or less in 18 games over the last two seasons, second-most in the FBS behind back-to-back national champion Georgia.

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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll