Minnesota’s victory over Nebraska was big.

It was big because P.J. Fleck’s squad looked the part of serious Big Ten West contender in its thorough 34-7 win over Scott Frost’s Cornhuskers at blustery TCF Bank Stadium on Saturday night.

The Gophers are now 6-0, sitting at No. 20 in the AP Top 25 poll, and have a legitimate shot to be 8-0 by the time Penn State arrives in town.

This is not the Nebraska team of its glory days, of course. The Huskers will eventually be an annual contender for the West division crown under Frost. But they were overvalued as a division contender coming into this season. Of course, life was a little easier for the Gophers because the Huskers were without starting quarterback Adrian Martinez (knee).

Still, this was a spot for the Gophers where they could have crumbled. Instead, they delivered an emphatic performance that showed the rest of the Big Ten that they have arrived.

“I wouldn’t say it was the most complete we can play,” Fleck said when asked if the performance was the best of the season. “I think we still have a lot of meat on the bone. There are certain areas we can put things away on offense, on defense, and we have to be more aware on special teams to recover those muffed punts.

“But that was the most complete effort we’ve had this season. Nebraska is one heck of a football team, so to do what we did was really special tonight.”

It really was.

Minnesota played hungry and beat a team it should have beat. That’s what aspiring division winners do when given the chance.

Offensively, the Gophers showcased their powerful run game from start to finish, featuring the healthy trio of Rodney Smith, Shannon Brooks and Mohamed Ibrahim. They combined for 322 yards and four touchdowns, and quarterback Tanner Morgan only had to attempt 13 passes. Why pass when you have three backs who could each be a No. 1, all running behind a beefy offensive line that collectively opened lanes all night?

“Going into this game, we felt like they were really good up front,” Frost said. “But if we could get them moving sideways, we thought we could have success with the outside zone. We mixed up some things with our looks from what we did last week, but at the same time we kept things simple for us while making it difficult for somebody else.

“We felt like we could get to the perimeter if we blocked well and our o-line, tight ends, and wide outs did a terrific job with that all night.”

The scary thought is that wide receivers Tyler Johnson, Rashod Bateman and company weren’t very much needed on Saturday night. That’ll change, of course. But it was a joy to watch a punishing run game do so much damage.

On defense, Fleck’s crew made crucial stops and didn’t allow Nebraska to get into the end zone until the fourth quarter. It was another gem of a performance a week after not allowing Illinois to score a touchdown.

This is a brand of physical football that will allow Minnesota to compete with superior teams in the Big Ten, including West favorite Wisconsin.

But, first, the Gophers have to continue to take care of business with Rutgers and Maryland on deck before a potentially dynamite matchup with Penn State in November.

Midway through Fleck’s third season, Minnesota’s football program is healthy and vibrant. It was tough to get a read on the 2019 Gophers up until Saturday, when they showed that they can be a dangerous threat in the West division.