The game has been dubbed “The Heroes game” and there is a trophy for the victor of this contest, for whatsoever that even matters.
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Canzeri was the bright spot of Iowa’s offense against Nebraska, as he finished with 17 carries for 140 yards and two big touchdowns.
“It’s insane”, Taylor Steimel said. We’ll have it here on KCSR as well, starting with the Mike Riley show at 12:40. The experiences of that not happening a year ago – second-half collapses at home against Iowa State and Nebraska are prime examples – left a bitter feeling that was turned into offseason motivation and has led to a greater attention to detail that has carried over into games this fall. He’s the only Iowa QB to win his first 12 starts. I can’t imagine they will be able to get in with one loss but if they can win on Friday and then knock off the B1G East champion next weekend, the Hawkeyes will achieve what many thought was impossible when this journey began. The Hawkeyes were ranked fourth in the most recent College Football Playoff rankings.
“I was nervous right up until the onside kick. That (Nebraska) game is the centerpiece for it”, Ferentz told the Des Moines Register on Tuesday. “I think for our guys, my sense is they want to play and win”.
“I’ve been a Hawkeye fan all my life”, Barb Wooff, fan, said. “… You talk about those kinds of things, but for players to really understand it and act it out, that’s impressive, and they’ve done that”. The win earned the Hawkeyes the Big Ten West title and a spot in the Big Ten Championship Game on December 5.
The Rockets (9-2, 6-2) would have earned a berth in the MAC title game with a win, but the Broncos (7-5, 6-2) created a three-way tie for the division crown. That compensated for Iowa QB C.J. Beathard hitting just 9-of-16 passes for 97 yards with a TD and the Hawkeyes going 0-for-9 on third downs. They’ve given teams fits all year.
Tommy Armstrong Jr. threw four interceptions, one returned for a touchdown, and four of the Huskers’ eight penalties were personal fouls in a 28-20 loss to third-ranked Iowa on Friday. Nebraska won its second game in a row last week as it traveled to New Jersey and knocked off Rutgers, 31-14. If Michigan State beats Penn State on Saturday, the Hawkeyes would face the Spartans in Indianapolis.
Today also marks just the second time (the Michigan State game being the other) that an unranked Nebraska team has hosted an undefeated team in November since top-ranked Oklahoma came to Lincoln in 1955. But that’s Iowa football, for better or worse, and the unbeaten Hawkeyes continued their charge for a ideal regular season and top-four finish.
This “spoiler” role is truly one the program has, even with some of the struggles of the last 15 years, rarely had the chance to play. And without Nebraska having anyone else looming as a savior, Riley’s probably dancing with the one Pelini brought him.
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Like most, Long, an analyst with the Big Ten Network and CEO/Executive Director of the Iowa Sports Foundation, is a bit surprised by the 2015 Hawkeyes’ sustained success. The Huskers aren’t the same team they have been in the past and Reilly is looking to build the program back to its once-proud traditions, this game can make them bowl eligible and it’s no secret that Nebraska would travel well to any post season game.
