Tortoise vs. Hare
Just like in the story, the Tortoise has had the upperhand in this series. But could this be the year the Husker Hare runs away with a victory?
READ MORE »
Just like in the story, the Tortoise has had the upperhand in this series. But could this be the year the Husker Hare runs away with a victory?
READ MORE »
Nebraska rush offense vs. Iowa rush defense
The Huskers have found their stride over the last four games, averaging 231.5 yards per game and 5.17 yards per carry. The return of Adrian Martinez — and the run presence of Luke McCaffrey — has undoubtedly helped, as have a couple bye weeks, improvement from Dedrick Mills and the seasoning of NU’s offensive line. What makes NU’s run game tricky is its ability to attack the edges of a defense, and while Iowa’s defense has adjusted to a more flexible schematic package in the last two years, the Huskers had reasonable success in Iowa City last year (140 yards) and should again this season. A good goal is 150 yards, and Nebraska has the horses to go north of that. Can McCaffrey’s wheels hit the road a few times?
Nebraska pass offense vs. Iowa pass defense
The Hawkeyes’ pass defense, as coordinated by Phil Parker, is a sturdy, bend-don’t-break bunch that has four interceptions in the last three games. A terrific pass rush — anchored by defensive end AJ Epenesa — sure helps, too, but Iowa just tends to be good at its assignments. NU’s pass offense, whether it’s Martinez or anyone else, has a hold-your-breath-and-wait quality to it. The Huskers try to stay aggressive, and that can lead to interceptions. While Nebraska will have the services of JD Spielman in this year’s Black Friday game — he didn’t play last year due to injury — the Huskers won’t have many weapons around him unless Wan’Dale Robinson comes back. Tough sledding here for Big Red, especially if the weather kicks up ugly as expected.
Iowa rush offense vs. Nebraska rush defense
The Hawkeyes have run the heck out of it against Nebraska in recent years, so looking at their modest season averages (132 yards per game and 3.74 yards per carry) doesn't help much. Iowa uses three running backs — Mekhi Sargent, Toren Young and Tyler Goodson — in its usual zone running scheme. Goodson is a budding star. Nebraska’s run defense hasn’t been good for awhile. Even in a 54-7 win over Maryland it wasn’t terrific aside from forcing three fumbles. So if Iowa rushes for fewer than 200 yards, call it good. Call it progress, too, since Iowa hasn’t been under 200 against NU since 2015.
Iowa pass offense vs. Nebraska pass defense
When you watch Friday’s game, you’ll see, yet again, another team with a better receiving corps than Nebraska. The Hawkeyes have a nice quartet — led by Tyrone Tracy and Ihmir Smith-Marsette — for quarterback Nate Stanley, who lost two first-round NFL picks in tight ends Noah Fant and TJ Hockenson. Stanley has the kind of cannon arm to throw into any kind of weather, but Stanley can, at times, hold on to the ball too long. Iowa’s scheme prefers the downfield throw to the short crossing routes that tend to bedevil Big Red, so NU’s secondary could bow up OK, especially if the weather complies.
Special teams
The Hawkeyes have had iffy special teams in the past — the 2014 game, anyone? — but that’s not the case in 2019. Iowa has one of the Big Ten’s best punters (27-year-old Arizona State transfer Michael Sleep-Dalton) and arguably its best kicker in Keith Duncan, who has made a nation-leading 27 field goals this season, including 12 from 40 yards or longer. Nebraska could use any of four different field goal artists Saturday. Iowa has the better punt and kick returners and the better kickoff return defense, too. If Nebraska plays to a draw here, call it good.
Intangibles
Nebraska has had growing pains this season. That’d be the phrase for it. Scott Frost has had to battle some recalcitrance and apathy in the locker room and seems to have won that battle in the last two games, even if NU only grabbed victory in one of the two. The Huskers are playing for more emotionally and logistically — Iowa has already qualified for its usual mid-tier bowl — and Memorial Stadium on a bad weather day tends to be more juiced than it is on sunny, warm days. Still, Iowa has an identity, confidence and the same plan that has worked for four years. The Hawkeyes know they can win. The Huskers, until they do it, have hope.
Key matchup: Nebraska’s offense vs. the elements, Iowa and itself
Frost wants to build his church on the rock of scoring points and moving the ball — creating pressure on the opposing offense — and the rout over Maryland shows an example of how he can do it. NU has been very good recently in first quarters, and it’ll need that to continue against Iowa. If the weather’s awful — and it could be — NU’s run game has to be smart in its reads and exchanges. Nebraska ultimately has to get out of its own way, though. The Huskers have eight turnovers in the last four Iowa games. Iowa has one.
Our take
Nebraska’s quest for a minor bowl and a win over Iowa may not amount to a hill of beans nationally, but this is NU’s hill, and NU’s beans. A win over pretty-good-not-great Iowa would represent the best victory in four years and a real sense of accomplishment in a messy year two for Frost. It’s hard to see Nebraska winning the scrappy Iowa way — the Hawkeyes have perfected the 17-16 style of victory — but the weather may necessitate it. This is a straight-up toughness game, and guess what — Nebraska’s offense is tough enough. How about that defense? Time to find out. If the Huskers dig deep, they’ll like what they find. Ready for Christmas in New York? Or Detroit? Or will it be home for the holidays? We think it’s close. Really close.
Check out a PDF of the game notes for the Nebraska-Iowa matchup provided by the Husker Athletic Department. Click here »
Find information on every win, loss and tie in Husker history. With historical World-Herald front pages, photos, stories, key stats and more, our ever-growing Husker History Database is your new home for archiving one of the nation's most tradition-rich programs. Click here »
Check out the Big Red Today page on Facebook to discuss the latest news with the top Husker fans, and follow us on Twitter to get instant updates and analysis whenever news breaks. Plus, look back at historical moments in Nebraska football by following @HuskerHistory on Twitter.
IPhone and Android users, get your Husker updates on the go by downloading our free Big Red Today app from the App Store and the Google Play store. Omaha.com/BRTapp and Omaha.com/android
Visit the Big Red Today recruiting page to find the latest updates on potential future Huskers, including player cards for those athletes already committed. Click here »
Sign up for the Big Red Today email newsletter to get the Husker news, analysis, daily headlines and more delivered to your inbox. Click here »
Some fans say Iowa and Nebraska aren't rivals. Others concede they are. But nobody took the game as seriously as the 1891 Omaha World-Herald sports department.
Nebraska and Purdue faced off as conference opponents for the first time in 2013, which ignited what will be at least 13 consecutive seasons with one another on the schedule. But 2013 wasn't the first overall matchup. Nope, that came…
We wrote this story out of Minnesota in 2013 and 2017, too. The names change. The clichés, too, a little bit. And even if it’s supposed to be different under Scott Frost — even if, one day, it is —…
Time and again, opposing coaches see Nebraska step off the bus and wonder if they can run the ball on them. And then they do.
Scott Frost had one hand in his pocket, and the other one was carrying a playsheet. And nothing was fine for the Nebraska football coach.
P.J. Fleck just shoved his oar right down Nebraska’s throat. People like to laugh at Fleck, the Minnesota football coach, saying he’s a huckster and a fake. Well, there was nothing fake about what Fleck’s Gophers did to Nebraska on…
The blank faces said it all. By the time Nebraska defenders trudged off the cold and misty field at TCF Bank Stadium, they had already processed much of the carnage. A 20-point third quarter that blew the doors off a…
A closer look at the defining stats and figures from the Huskers' loss to Minnesota on Saturday.
Minnesota carved up Nebraska’s defense with its run game Saturday night because it spotted soft spots disguised as strengths.
World-Herald staff writer Chris Heady takes a look at Nebraska's effort on both sides of the ball during the Huskers' loss to Minnesota.
Three things we learned and three things we still don’t know about the Huskers coming out of Saturday's loss to Minnesota.
Nebraska quarterback Adrian Martinez is not suited up for the game an hour ahead of kickoff and will not play against Minnesota.
Some regents say it’s a win for Nebraska to bring Hank Bounds back because he is a good fundraiser who knows and cares about the projects involved. Some observers say they are perplexed by the amount he will receive, and…
The Huskers think a strong second half is coming. Their counterparts in Minneapolis have already experienced it.
Noah Vedral knows the offense back and forward. We haven’t seen a lot of his game. He got in one game last year. And then last week. That’s the beauty of it, too. There isn’t a lot of film of…
Fremont senior Keegan Menning added his name to the list of walk-ons in Nebraska’s 2020 class on Thursday night.
“It’s an awesome rule,” said Luke McCaffrey, who’s drawn raves from coaches and teammates while he redshirts and works to push Adrian Martinez for the starting role next season. “I think it’s fantastic.”
Mohamed Barry was named a quarterfinalist for the 2019 Lott Trophy, which recognizes a player who made the biggest impact on his team both on and off the field.
If it’s Christmas weather — 32 degrees — for Nebraska’s Saturday night game at Minnesota, well, Scott Frost can’t think anything much better.
While Nebraska's travel roster is rounding into form, the status of players at multiple key positions remains unclear.
"I just thought that I was on a different planet almost," she told The World-Herald. "It was a special place to be."
“Defensively, they’re a lot more sound than what we saw last year and more athletic," Scott Frost said. "They’ve definitely improved. You can tell it’s year three of his tenure up there. They’re starting to look like the team he…
They've given you lifelong memories, permanent heartache, everlasting glee and eternal suffering.
Weather, smeather. That was more or less the reaction from Nebraska offensive coaches Tuesday when probed about how they might adjust preparations for Saturday night's game at Minnesota that calls for temperatures in the mid-30s and a good chance of…
Encouraging news this morning from Husker football practice. Adrian Martinez (knee) and JD Spielman (undisclosed) were both in pads for practice Wednesday.
Earlier this week, I called Matt Turman to talk about his nephew, Noah Vedral, waiting and getting that big moment. But as we talked, it hit me that there's a bigger story. The story about the small, small world of…
For Nebraska’s program to be full blast again, the A.D. says it will take two more recruiting classes and two more years of developing a walk-on program.
Nebraska has dominated Minnesota since 1963, claiming 19 of 22 games. But the Gophers have the all-time edge.
Inside linebacker Mohamed Barry doesn’t usually concern himself much with wide receivers. This week, he’s at full attention.
Nebraska received a commitment Tuesday from Miami Northwestern defensive back Ronald Delancy. Three takes on the decision of the 6-foot, 165-pounder.