LINCOLN, Neb - As the Huskers work towards their August 31st kick off with Minnesota, players took time to discuss the upcoming matchup and what many described as a "tough", but good sort of tough, fall camp under new head coach Matt Rhule. 

The Huskers have dropped four straight to the Gophers, with the last three matchups decided by a touchdown or less.  Linebacker Luke Reimer says winning in week one, especially with it being a conference tilt, could be crucial for Nebraska.

"Starting out 1-0 is the goal, that's the goal every week," Reimer said. "Especially starting out with a conference game, that could be big for the standings later on, so it's super important, but there's no difference between Minnesota and Louisiana Tech."

Matt Rhule noted the importance in third down on both sides of the ball, as the Gophers ranked highly in third down efficiency on offense and defense. Starting quarterback Jeff Sims echoed that message. 

"Third down is everything," Sims said. "You want to be an offense that converts most of you third down's. That's been a big emphasis for us in practice, working on those different third down situations. We want to make sure we have a vision for what we want to do on third down."

Sophomore Gabe Ervin Jr. was recently named the Huskers starting running back, beating out last year's starter Anthony Grant as well as Rahmir Johnson for the role. Ervin says he's looking to help the team as the starter and not taking the RB1 spot for granted. 

"The starting role isn't sitting in my brain too much," Ervin said. "I still have to come up and show out everyday and attack. Just focusing on still working hard and getting ready for that first test because it's going to be a good one."

Several players described the recent fall camp as one of the toughest they've been a part of, but noted it as a camp that prepares the team for anything. That was true for Gabe Ervin as well, even shouting out the living space on UNL's campus. 

"Coach Rhule has tried to make this fall camp as uncomfortable as possible," Ervin said. "We stayed at Selleck dorms... That as a test. But we all go through it, we all got 1% better everyday, but we have to stay together and we came together as one, I feel like nothing else can break us."

Luke Reimer gets ready for his fifth year with the Huskers, looking to finish off his career against Minnesota with a W. He discussed what the Huskers may encounter on August 31.

"They [Minnesota] know what they do... And they do it at an extremely high level," Reimer said. "It's a big challenge for us, but we're excited for it, we're ready for it, we're not makinf excuses, but it's not Minnesota it's just 8/31, the nameless/faceless opponent, but it is Minnesota, they know what they do and they do it at a high level."

The Huskers fell to the Gophers 20-13 at Memorial Stadium last year. Kick off is set for 7:00 p.m. next Thursday.