Hartman: Gophers rebounded from Nebraska's touchdown off blocked field goal

On Saturday, even the most rabid Gophers booster had to be discouraged by the men of Jerry Kill upsetting Nebraska after the 21st-ranked Cornhuskers, a double-digit favorite, blocked a 30-yard field-goal attempt and Nate Gerry ran 85 yards to give the home team a 21-7 lead in the second quarter.

If the Gophers had converted the kick, the score would have been 14-10. It was a 10-point swing that made it look like it was more of the same for the visitors, who hadn't beaten a ranked team on the road since Glen Mason beat No. 6 Ohio State in Columbus in 2000.

But Mitch Leidner picked Saturday to have his best day as Gophers quarterback. He ran 22 times for 111 yards and two touchdowns and completed eight of 17 passes for 135 yards. Without the injured David Cobb, the Gophers outscored the home team 21-3 in the second half to win 28-24, setting up a chance to advance to win the Big Ten West Division if they can win at Wisconsin next week.

Backup running back Berkley Edwards also was injured after carrying the ball twice for 11 yards, but Donnell Kirkwood helped out by rushing seven times for 32 yards and Rodrick Williams was responsible for three carries for 22 yards, including a 19-yard touchdown.

And now Kill and his staff can brag about beating Nebraska in back-to-back games, the first time the Gophers have done that since the 1950s.

The Gophers trailed by 14 at halftime and by 10 in the third quarter, but Leidner led them on scoring drives of 73 and 80 yards. He was helped out by a sensational catch by KJ Maye to set up one of the touchdowns.

The schedule didn't look in favor of the Gophers with Iowa, Ohio State, Nebraska and Wisconsin to finish up, but now the Gophers have won two of three — and they should have beaten Ohio State as well. As it is, they go to Madison to face a Badgers team that struggled to beat the Hawkeyes on Saturday, two weeks after the Gophers handed Iowa a 51-14 defeat.

"It just happened so fast," Boddy-Calhoun told reporters afterward about the defensive play of the game. "Im sticking a guy and the next thing I know then [the football] is right there in front of me."

Kill and his coaching staff have done a fantastic job of making positive changes at halftime in most every game this season and they did it again on Saturday.

"The guys weren't concerned about it," Leidner told reporters about trailing 21-7 at halftime. "… We were moving the ball, we just weren't finishing. We had a feeling we were going to be able to put the drives together and finish them."

Kill did take too some gambles like going for it on fourth-and-1, when Williams ran 19 yards for his touchdown.

"In Lincoln, you roll the dice a little bit," Kill said. "We had to have two scores. I felt we needed momentum and felt we had a good call. It was a big play in the game. If it hadn't worked, I'd have every one in American saying how stupid I am."

Yes for the first time since 1967, the Gophers have a chance to own the Little Brown Jug, Floyd of Rosedale and the Paul Bunyan Axe in the same year.

The Vikings know how tough the Packers can be, having lost 42-10 at Lambeau Field in Week 5, but if they are going to have any chance Sunday they are going to need to keep it close in the first half.

In 10 games this season the Vikings have scored 83 first-half points. In their past two games, the Packers have scored a combined 72 points in the first half. They have scored 208 total points in the first half this season, while the Vikings have scored just 181 total points this year.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel broke down just how good the Packers are early in the game. They are 5-1 overall when they score on their opening drive and Aaron Rodgers has combined to complete 73 percent of his passes for 1,038 yards, eight touchdowns and no interceptions on his first 10 passing attempts in a game this season.

However the Packers have one big weakness, and that is their run defense. They are ranked 30th in the NFL, giving up 139.2 yards per game, and they are 28th in yards per attempt at 4.5. So maybe the Vikings can keep Rodgers off the field if they can get their running game going.

• Due to NBA regulations, Glen Taylor could not comment on Kevin Garnett's statement that he would like to own the Timberwolves someday when he is done playing. But if you want my opinion, Garnett will own part of the Wolves someday. Incidentally, Taylor, who also owns the Star Tribune, said he has no interest in being part of the potential local soccer franchise in Minnesota. "My interest in soccer is only in helping my friends get a major league soccer franchise here," Taylor said.

• Former Gophers men's basketball coach Dan Monson scored perhaps his biggest victory at Long Beach State when the 49ers beat Kansas State on Friday night.

• There is hope for the Vikings because while the Packers are 4-0 at home, they are just 2-3 on the road with losses at Seattle, Detroit and New Orleans. They did win at Miami and Chicago. … Green Bay has given up 22 sacks in 10 games this season, ranking 16th in the NFL, the team's best ranking since 2007. The Packers are on pace to give up only 35 sacks, the fewest since they gave up 34 in 2008, Aaron Rodgers' first season as a starter.

• Former Vikings defensive lineman Letroy Guion continues to play well with the Packers. Guion is fourth on the team in sacks with 2½ and has 19 tackles. Guion was signed on the cheap for $1 million.