Vegas Play of the Day: Iowa at Nebraska

The Hawkeyes (8-0 Big Ten, No. 4 CFP) locked arms and ran to the south end zone to pick up the Heroes Trophy that goes to the victor of this game. Iowa played in the Rose after the 1985 season. After getting blown out by the Tennessee Volunteers in last year’s bowl, the team was not predicted to do much this season. The Cornhuskers (5-6, 3-4 Big Ten) are looking to salvage a disappointing 2015 campaign with a win to become bowl eligible and finish.

Husker defensive tackle Kevin Williams said players have just approached this game the same way they did before their 39-38 win against Michigan State. I don’t know how good they are, but they play hard and they play together. “That is important to me”, said Jill Colling, a Hawkeye fan.

“If you get too caught up in that other stuff, you lose focus on what you need to do on the field”. His biggest rush was a 68-yard score in the third quarter that came after Nebraska had cut Iowa’s lead to four. “But as far as an undefeated season, I don’t think anybody in the world thought that was going to happen at this point in time”.

Early in the second quarter, Iowa quarterback C.J. Beathard found George Kittle on a rollout for a 10-yard touchdown.

“He’s created a toughness and chemistry on this football team”, Long said.

“He’s a little bit under the radar, I think, because of that school, but he’s not anymore”, Riley said. “That’s something I’ve got to fix and something I’m going to fix”.

“I was nervous right up until the onside kick. He’s really the catalyst of that team”.

So while some may take the angle that Nebraska has the chance to spoil Iowa’s great season, Husker junior linebacker Michael Rose-Ivey is more interested in winning to build more bricks for his own team.

On offense, the coach hopes the Nebraska run game can generate some of the same consistency it had in the win against Michigan State against an Iowa defense that ranks No. 7 nationally in rushing defense. “The challenge for us is to execute at a high level and try and make them change it up”.

As Iowa wins, its confidence grows.

Jones returned an interception 69 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter and Gardenhire scooped up a fumble and returned it 28 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter after Washington State standout wide receiver Gabe Marks was bent awkwardly and appeared to suffer a right knee injury.

“If you watch our team and you like football and you like camaraderie and teammate, that’s what I like watching”, Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said. “We find ourselves in a good position today”.

Sure, they’ve put up some dud performances this year. It’s not a matchup between two undefeated or even one-loss teams that will decide the fate of the Big Ten, but it’s a critical matchup from the standpoint that everything is on the line for both teams.

The Hawkeyes’ 28-20 win at Nebraska moved Iowa to 12-0 for the first time in program history. If they can somehow remain in the top four in the college football playoff rankings, the Hawkeyes would earn one of the coveted semifinal berths. “It’s a lot of fun to be with them every day”.

BLACK FRIDAY TRADITION: This is the 26th straight season Nebraska will have a Black Friday game.