Tag: Nebraska Iowa Football

Expert score prediction: Nebraska vs. Iowa

Who will win on Friday?

The college football regular season ends this week, and for the first time since 2016, Nebraska will be going bowling. The Huskers are coming off a 44-25 victory over the Wisconsin Badgers last weekend, and now they have a chance to end the regular season on a high note when they travel to Iowa City to face their rival, the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Iowa’s offense lives and dies by the run this season, averaging nearly 214 rushing yards and only around 134 passing yards per game. The Huskers can stop the run, allowing just 111 rushing yards a game. But Iowa is bound to break through here and there, which could get the Hawkeyes’ offense moving. 

The question lies between Iowa’s passing offense and Nebraska’s passing defense. Though the Hawkeyes barely throw the ball, it can exploit the Huskers’ secondary if the run game stalls. 

But Iowa is on its third-string quarterback, Jackson Stratton, who’s thrown 37 total passes across five games in his collegiate career. The Blackshirts could finally rebound by getting to Stratton early and often.

The Huskers’ offense picked up a lot of momentum in a short amount of time with Holgerson as offensive coordinator. The team brings a balanced offense, succeeding through the air and the ground this season. 

Iowa’s defense continues to pose a threat to every team it faces, allowing under 18 points per game. However, the Michigan State Spartans, the UCLA Bruins, and the Ohio State Buckeyes each put up over 200 passing and rushing yards on the Hawkeyes.

The Iowa State Cyclones and the Troy Trojans exploited the Hawkeyes with the deep pass early on in the season, with both teams bringing in a receiver that racked up over 130 yards and at least one touchdown off just five catches. 

Iowa’s last home loss was to Iowa State in September. But with Nebraska’s offense looking to continue its run and the Blackshirts’ ability to stop it, the Huskers stand in a strong position to get another win.

Score Prediction: Nebraska 27, Iowa 20

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Rhule sees progress for the Huskers moving forward

Nebraska head football coach Matt Rhule met with the press following the Cornhuskers 13-10 loss to Iowa.

Nebraska head football coach Matt Rhule met with the press following the Cornhuskers 13-10 loss to Iowa. The Husker head coach told the media that he believes that all the mistakes and errors on Friday can be corrected moving forward.

“Oh it’ll all be fixed. It’ll all be improved. Maybe this is about where we are right now. Sometimes people see it from the outside and they think, ‘wow they really messed that up’ or ‘another short loss.’ I see it as, ‘Man these guys, how many guys go down and continue to put guys in, and we just battle right?’”

The head coach made a point of telling the press how proud he was of his team.

“There will be a day where we have seven wide receivers traveling with us and active. Those things will happen. We’re just not quite there yet and that’s why I’m so proud of these guys. They battle, they fight and we don’t make excuses. We just come back. I think that’s the key. Moving forward I think they ran the ball on us a couple times. I think we had to continue to develop our run defense and our ability to run the football. We couldn’t run the ball in the game to the level that we wanted and that’s what they did really well. He (Coach Ferentz) has been there a long time. They have a formula, we came down there, we battled and we couldn’t quite get it done.”

With the loss, Nebraska ended the 2023 season with a record of 5-7. The Cornhuskers will open the 2024 campaign on August 31st against UTEP. Find a photo gallery of Nebraska’s loss to Iowa below.

Huskers lose 13-10 heartbreaker to No. 17 Iowa

It all came down to this for Nebraska football.

It all came down to this for Nebraska football. A Black Friday game at home on Senior Day against No. 17 Iowa. Both teams found ways all season to either win or lose. That didn’t change today as the Huskers and the Hawkeyes found a way. For Nebraska, it was a way to lose, and for Iowa, it was a way to win.

For the third time this season, the Huskers watched as their opponent kicked the go-ahead field goal to take a 13-10 win. Yet somehow, this one was the most remarkable. Tied 10-10 with less than a minute to go, Tommi Hill picked off Iowa’s Deacon Hill to give Nebraska an opportunity to get into field goal range. But then a few plays later, Chubba Purdy threw an interception, putting the Hawkeyes in field goal range.

Purdy’s lone interception, along with his second-quarter fumble, resulted in both of Iowa’s field goals on the afternoon. He finished the game with 189 yards passing and a touchdown pass.

Freshman Jaylen Lloyd once again was on the receiving end of Purdy’s touchdown pass, this time hauling in a 66-yard bomb and turning on the jets to take it for the score. Freshman Tristan Alvano went 1-of-2 in field goal kicking, nailing a 44-yarder with the wind to his back and missing a 44-yarder into the wind.

Nebraska’s defense put together another big showing, despite once again coming up short. The Blackshirts held Deacon Hill to 94 yards passing, along with picking him off once. Though it surrendered 163 yards rushing, Nebraska’s defense made up for it in field goal blocking. The Huskers blocked two field goals in the loss, keeping them in the game. However, Iowa found a way to sneak off with the win.

The Huskers finish the regular season at 5-7, their best season since 2019, but will not be bowl-eligible. If Nebraska isn’t selected, it will be the seventh straight year without a bowl game trip.

Nebraska names starting quarterback against Iowa

Nebraska has named a starting quarterback for their regular season finale against Iowa.

Nebraska has named a starting quarterback for their regular season finale against Iowa. Chubba Purdy will have his second start of the season on Friday afternoon. Head football coach Matt Rhule made the announcement on Wednesday afternoon.

Chubba will be the starter. I’m excited to see him put two games in a row back to back. I’m excited for our team.

Purdy was under center last week for Nebraska’s 24-17 overtime loss against losses. The quarterback was 15/24 passing for 169 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He also added 105 rushing yards on 14 carries.

Nebraska will take the field on Friday afternoon against Iowa. Kickoff time is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. on CBS. With a win, the Huskers will become bowl-eligible for the first time in seven seasons.

Find a photo gallery of Chubba Purdy below.

Previewing the Iowa Hawkeyes ahead of Nebraska’s Week 13 matchup

A closer look at Nebraska’s Week 13 opponent, the Iowa Hawkeyes.

The Nebraska Cornhuskers will look to achieve bowl eligibility in their regular season finale on Friday afternoon against the Iowa Hawkeyes.

The series all-time between the two programs has seen the Huskers have a large majority of the success with a 30-20-3 advantage. That being said, the Hawkeyes have dominated the series since Nebraska joined the Big Ten in 2011, winning eight of 12 matchups including seven straight from 2015 through 2021.

Now that the table has been set, here’s what to know about the Hawkeyes ahead of Friday’s matchup.

Nebraska ready to continue rivalry with Iowa

Nebraska will conclude the 2023 regular season this Friday when the Huskers host the Iowa Hawkeyes at Memorial Stadium.

Nebraska will conclude the 2023 regular season this Friday when the Huskers host the Iowa Hawkeyes at Memorial Stadium. This will be the 54th meeting between these two teams and the 13th time they’ll play for the Heroes Trophy.

Nebraska leads the all-time series with a record of 30-20-3. While Iowa leads the Heroes Trophy record with a mark of 8-4. While meeting with the media on Monday, head coach Matt Rhule told the press that he understands the importance of this rivalry to fans.

“I don’t get outside the building very much but that’s definitely something I’ve felt since I’ve gotten here. I know how much it means to our players. Obviously last year I took the job here before the game or the morning of the game. I can’t remember how exactly it played. Probably the night before. Then watched the game and saw that. I think it has a tremendous impact on the community and the team and all those things. For me the game is about these seniors. The game is about our team. I love them. I care deeply about them. Grateful for them. I want to see them win.”

He even talked about the role last year’s victory over the Hawkeyes played in having him accept the job as head coach.

“The job had been open for awhile and kind of like all the jobs that were open, you were kind of watching them each week when they were on TV, some teams weren’t always on TV but Nebraska’s always on TV so we watched it every week. I just remember that game just how free and loose they looked, how explosive they looked. You look at this defense, Trey Palmer hitting a deep ball, they don’t give those up very often so obviously he’s a great player but I just remember seeing the guys play and I remember watching the video afterwards, seeing Garrett Nelson crying as he exited the field and how much that meant to those guys personally.”

The Heroes Game between Nebraska and Iowa will take place this Friday at 11:00 a.m. and can be seen on CBS. You can find a photo gallery of Nebraska’s victory over Iowa last year below.

Rhule says Huskers are ready to battle Iowa

The Nebraska Cornhuskers are entering the final game of the 2023 season with a chance to become bowl-eligible.

The Nebraska Cornhuskers are entering the final game of the 2023 season with a chance to become bowl-eligible. The Huskers are 5-6 and will host the Big Ten West Champion Iowa Hawkeyes.

Nebraska enters the game on a three-game losing streak. Following the loss at Wisconsin on Saturday, head coach Matt Rhule said that his team is ready to battle on senior day and extend the season.

“These guys are pretty crushed right now. They’re pretty crushed emotionally. But that’s OK. It shows that they care and it shows that they put a lot into it. Sometimes in life we give up on our dreams but our dream never gives up on us is one thing I’ve always believed. I’d love nothing more to go out with them on Senior Day and go battle a great Iowa team, a ranked team, and play them at home and try to go get a sixth win and go to a bowl game and extend this with these guys. But even if it doesn’t work out, I’m honored to take the field with those seniors, and I’m honored to be out there with them.”

Nebraska will kick off their regular-season finale against Iowa this Friday at Memorial Stadium. The start time is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. on CBS. A photo gallery of Nebraska’s loss to Wisconsin can be found below.

Social Media reacts to Nebraska’s victory over Iowa

The Huskers end the 2022 season with a victory!

The Nebraska Cornhuskers had a chance to end the 2022 season as a spoiler and did just that as they defeated Iowa 24-17 on Black Friday. A win for Iowa would have clinched the Big Ten West and a trip to Indianapolis for the Hawkeyes. Instead, the Purdue Boilermakers can clinch the west division with a win against Indiana on Saturday.
Trey Palmer had a record-setting day as the receiver passed Stanley Morgan Jr. to become the school’s single-season receiving yards leader. Palmer had nine catches for 165 yards and two touchdowns for the game. Quarterback Casey Thompson was 20-30 for 278 yards and three touchdowns.

The Nebraska defense had one of their best games of the year, holding Iowa to 272 yards of total offense on top of forcing multiple fumbles. The Hawkeyes were also an anemic 6-15 on 3rd down and had seven penalties for 65 yards.

The Cornhuskers finished the 2022 campaign with a 4-8 record. Interim Head Coach Mickey Joseph ends the year with a record of 3-6 since taking over for Scott Frost on September 11th. Joseph was seen as a candidate for the permanent head coach job, but recent reports state that Matt Rhule may be the front-runner.

The victory also ends Nebraska’s seven-game losing streak to the Hawkeyes. Scroll below for social media reactions to Nebraska’s victory over Iowa.