For the first time since 2016, the Nebraska Cornhuskers will be facing the Iowa Hawkeyes with six wins on their resume.
Sure, you can say that it’s a small accomplishment, but the Huskers have not had this luxury in a very long time.
Fresh off a 44-25 win over the Wisconsin Badgers, Nebraska looked like a completely different team offensively in just the second game since Dana Holgorsen took over at offensive coordinator.
The Huskers totaled 473 yards of offense behind dominant performances from Dylan Raiola, Emmett Johnson and more.
The Hawkeyes are coming off 29-13 win over the Maryland Terrapins, where they saw running backs Kaleb Johnson and Kamari Moulton rush for over 100 yards and a touchdown a piece.
It’s projecting to be a very cold night in Iowa City, with the lowest temperature projected at 17 degrees, which could set up for a super close game.
What to Expect on Offense:
The Hawkeyes offense runs solely behind running back Kaleb Johnson, and for good reason.
Johnson is one of the best backs in the country, rushing for 1,492 yards and 21 touchdowns through 11 games, but the running game is about the only thing the Hawkeyes bring to the table offensively.
Only five teams in college football have less passing yards than Iowa, and what’s even crazier is that Kaleb Johnson himself has more rushing yards than passing yards combined from all 3 quarterbacks that Iowa has played this season, with just 1,465 passing yards.
The Hawkeyes will be starting sophomore transfer from Colorado State Jackson Stratton at quarterback, who threw for just 76 yards on 10/14 passing last week against Maryland.
The problem is going to be with shutting down the run game. The passing defense should be fine, but it will be a long day if Johnson and the Hawkeyes can get an early push on the line of scrimmage.
Key Players:
RB- Kaleb Johnson: 1,492 yards 21 TD 6.7 YPC
RB- Kamari Moulton: 381 yards 2 TD 5.7 YPC
TE- Luke Lachey: 25 rec 218 yards
What to Expect on Defense:
The Hawkeyes are deep and solidly built at every position defensively, and it shows on paper as the unit ranks 17th in the country.
Since the Hawkeyes 32-20 loss to Michigan State, the Hawkeyes defense proceeded to outings of 14, 10, 17 and 13 points on there way to a four game winning streak.
The player you have to watchout for is senior linebacker Jay Higgins. Higgins leads the team in solo and total tackles as well as interceptions.
It will be tough for the Huskers offense to replicate the performance they had last week, especially against this Hawkeye defense, but if Holgorsen can keep the defense guessing like he did a week ago, it will only benefit the Huskers.
Key Players:
LB- Jay Higgins: 106 TOT 4 INT 1 sack
LB- Nick Jackson: 80 TOT 2.5 sacks 1 INT
DB- Quinn Schulte: 51 TOT 3 INT 3 PD
Prediction:
I’m not completely sure what to expect from Nebraska offensively given the cold temperatures, but to be honest I don’t think it will matter.
This Huskers teams just did something that the last 7 Husker teams couldn’t do, and that could be all it takes to finish off the season on a high note with three straight victories.
Nebraska: 20 Iowa: 14
