Will the Huskers accept a bowl bid if they are extended one?
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If Iowa’s surprise success captures college football’s unpredictability perfectly, so too does Nebraska’s 5-7 finish – albeit from the other side of the same coin. “He told me he’s not going to have another opportunity to come to Nebraska and see us beat Nebraska at Nebraska, so he made the trip”. “We’re 12-0. You can’t do better than that”. So we don’t vary. “They grasped the system, they did everything we asked them to do, and these last three games have been fun, a lot of fun”.
Sounds about how you’d expect someone inside a program’s walls to look at things.
Iowa is much improved this season but their defense will have a tall order as they give up an average of 215 yards passing per game, 55th in the nation.
It’s Iowa on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Iowa and Nebraska will get together for the 46th time Friday in a series that dates back to 1891.
Nebraska couldn’t overcome four interceptions by junior quarterback Tommy Armstrong, including one that Iowa returned for a touchdown, the Hawkeyes’ fourth such score this season.
“Cost us the game”, Armstrong said. He got his wish, though it did not come until a year later.
No. 3 Iowa looks to continue its march toward the playoffs on Friday when the Hawkeyes end the regular season with a road trip to Nebraska.
Before Friday in Lincoln, the last Big Ten team to win a game without converting a third down was Michigan State in 2013 against Minnesota.
How rare is it?
The Hawkeyes ran only 44 plays from scrimmage to Nebraska’s 83.
Nebraska entered Memorial Stadium looking for its second win over a top-10 opponent in the past four weeks. Nebraska amassed 40 yards worth of penalties in the first quarter, giving Iowa ideal position to start the second quarter.
The Cornhuskers knocked off previously unbeaten Michigan State Nov. 7. A loss, even with a chance at a conference title next week, keeps them out.
Better to just practice your tail off and as Riley put it this week, “have some inherent pride in being a competitor”, than worry about labels. “When you get teams like that, that’s when you have a change to do something”.
Instant replay was used two times today.
Husker fans may also get a little bit of hope from analyzing how this week’s foe has built itself into a playoff contender just a year after laboring to a 7-6 season against a soft schedule.
“If you watch our team and you like football and you like camaraderie and teammate, that’s what I like watching”, Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said.
The Hawkeyes were far from dominating, generating only 250 total yards and going 0 for 9 on third downs. The team played well.
“They don’t mess up, so there’s not a lot of room for error”, Williams said. The Hawkeyes have yet to lose this season, but find itself just 2-point favorites it the game which will air at 2:30 on ABC.
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The Hawkeyes have avoided a stumble that so many thought was inevitable – they were only one-point favorite against the Huskers (5-7).
