Imitation is the sincerest form
Nebraska and Iowa, both 7-4, share a lot of similarities entering Black Friday's rivalry game. Here are three keys to Huskers-Hawkeyes.
A few things to be thankful for from this Nebraska football season entering the final game of the regular season:
1. Special teams didn’t just improve in the first season under Mike Ekeler, it’s one of the best all-around units in the country. Nebraska brought in a transfer kicker and long-snapper and recruited a new punter, all of which helped, but it ranks in the top-20 nationally in kickoff and punt return largely from being aggressive. No matter what else happens in 2025, you can’t change that NU went out to improve its special teams play and it worked, exceeding all reasonable expectations.
2. Nebraska is, for now, still averaging more than 30 points per game. Two nonconference mismatches are doing a lot of heavy lifting there, but that’s the case most everywhere in every year. The Huskers need to score at least 25 points Friday to average 30 for the regular season, which won’t be easy. Iowa’s only allowed 25-plus in two games, but if Nebraska gets there this will be the first NU team to top 30 points per game since 2018. The first full offense under OC Dana Holgorsen has its quirks and curiosities, strengths and weaknesses, but at the end of the day all offenses are defined by points and this one is going to score more than any offense in Lincoln in 6 years.
3. The pass defense has been one of the best in the country all season. That’s good given DC John Butler’s résumé and the experience he had to work with on defense. There’s an offseason, philosophical discussion to be had about the value of being great against the pass in the Big Ten, but any time a team is top-five nationally in something (turnovers and penalties excluded) that’s doing something right.
4. Emmett Johnson.
Gratitude expressed, there’s a lot on the line in this regular-season finale where nothing is technically on the line. Iowa and Nebraska are both 7-4. A bowl game, and nothing bigger, is already secured. Beyond that, both programs are playing for the difference between 7-5 and 8-4. It’s greater than one win would suggest. At 7-5, you’re only one game away from .500, but 8-4 is winning twice as often as you lost. Practically there’s little difference, but optically there’s a big one.
Nebraska is also playing for the chance to beat Iowa for just the second time in the past 11 games, so it has that going for it. Or against it. Everything is murky right now.
Let’s try to find some clarity for Huskers-Hawkeyes.
It will go down in history that Nebraska was not favored in November. Dylan Raiola’s injury had almost everything to do with NU being an underdog at UCLA, but the lines against USC, Penn State and Iowa probably would’ve been what they were no matter who was taking snaps. The Hawkeyes were -6.5 for this game as of Tuesday night, which is at least 2.5 points more than either FEI or SP+ project, but the FEI rankings show Iowa -6.
Can the Huskers outperform that baseline assessment of the difference between the two teams? Here are three keys to making that happen.
