Nebraska quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr. (4) scores the winning touchdown against Minnesota. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik) The crowded Big Ten West picture is beginning to take shape.
Minnesota had a chance to put itself in great position Saturday night at Nebraska, but the Huskers scored a late touchdown to hold off the Gophers 24-17.
The Gophers closed the first half out strong (partly thanks to a minus-two yard Nebraska punt) by scoring 10 points in the final five minutes of the second quarter to take a 17-10 lead into the half.
But Emmit Carpenter’s 42-yard field goal as time expired in the second quarter ended up being the final points of the night for the Gophers.
Nebraska opened up the second half with an 11-play, 79-yard scoring drive that was capped off with an awesome effort from Terrell Newby on a screen pass. Huskers quarterback Tommy Armstrong, back in the starting lineup after a scary injury last week, dropped it off to Newby as the rush was closing and Newby broke a few tackles on his way to a 31-yard score, tying the score 17-17.

A few drives later, Nebraska took the lead on another long drive. This one went 91 yards in 13 plays and took up 5:40 of the fourth-quarter clock. The Huskers could have tried for a field goal, but coach Mike Riley was aggressive and picked up a first on a fourth-and-1 Newby run from the 15. Armstrong notched the winning score — a 13-yard run — on the very next play.
Minnesota had two shots to tie things up. The first resulted in a quick three-and-out. The Gophers’ final possession was more promising. Four Mitch Leidner completions moved Minnesota into the red zone, but the drive came to an anticlimactic conclusion when Leidner was intercepted by Kieron Williams.

The win allows No. 19 Nebraska (8-2, 5-2 Big Ten) to keep pace record-wise with No. 7 Wisconsin, but the Badgers still have the edge in the division thanks to their win over the Huskers in Madison last month. The Huskers have Maryland and Iowa left on the schedule and would need Wisconsin to slip up in one of its final two games — at Purdue and vs. Minnesota at home — to clinch a spot in Indianapolis for the Big Ten title game.
Minnesota falls a game behind the Huskers and Badgers at 7-3 (4-3 Big Ten). A win in Lincoln would have created a simple formula for the Gophers: win out and you’re headed to Indianapolis. Now, the Gophers will need some help.

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Sam Cooper is a writer for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
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