Nebraska
How to Watch Nebraska Football vs. Iowa: Breakdown, Preview, TV Channel
Breathe, Husker Nation.
The Nebraska football team is bowl eligible. For the first time since 2016 – when Mike Riley was still the head coach and Tommy Armstrong was the NU signal caller – the Huskers are headed to the postseason. All it took was a 44-25 beatdown of rival Wisconsin as Nebraska broke a 10-game losing streak to the Badgers.
The offense flourished in the second game under new offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen as freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola woke up from his slumber with a 28-for-38 showing with 293 yards and one touchdown. Sophomore Emmett Johnson added nearly 200 yards from scrimmage with 113 of those coming from the ground (on 16 carries) along with tying a team-high 85 receiving yards on six catches. The game ended with Nebraska gaining 473 yards in total offense with the most points scored in the Matt Rhule era.
Now, with the monkey off their back and a bowl secured, the Huskers turn around to face their rival Iowa as NU plays on Black Friday for the 35th consecutive season.
Here’s all you need to know for Friday’s primetime showdown.
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Iowa Scout
Head Coach: Kirk Ferentz | 26th season | 203-123 (.623) Iowa Record; 215-144 (.599) Career HC Record | AP College Football Coach OTY (2002), Walter Camp Coach of the Year (2002), 4x B1G Coach OTY (2002, 2004, 2009, 2015) | 2x Big Ten Championship (2002, 2004), 3x Big Ten West Division titles (2015, 2021, 2023).
2023 Record: 10-4 (7-2 B1G, 1st B1G West) | 4x All-Americans | B1G Defensive Back OTY, B1G Punter OTY, 3x All-Big Ten First Team, 1x All-Big Ten Second Team, 5x All-Big Ten Third Team, 9x All-Big Ten Honorable Mentions | L, 35-0 to Tennessee in Cheez-It Citrus Bowl.
All-Time Series: Nebraska leads 30-21-3 (Nov. 24, 2023 last meeting, 13-10, Iowa).
Fun Fact: The past six meetings between Nebraska and Iowa have been decided by seven or fewer points, including three games by three points. The total margin in the past six games is 29 points.
Key Returners: Kaleb Johnson, RB, Jr. | Cade McNamara, QB, Gr. | Jazuin Patterson, RB, Soph. | Addison Ostrenga, TE, Jr. | Seth Anderson, WR, Jr. | Luke Lachey, TE, Sr. | Jay Higgins, LB, Gr. | Nick Jackson, LB, Gr. | Sebastian Castro, DB, Gr. | Quinn Schulte, DB, Gr. | Deontae Craig, DL, Sr. | Ethan Hurkett, DL, Sr. | Yahya Black, DL, Sr. | Aaron Graves, DL, Jr. | Max Llewellyn, DL, Jr. | Drew Stevens, K, Jr. | Mason Richman, OL, Sr. | Beau Stephens, OL, Jr. | Connor Colby, OL, Sr. | Logan Jones, OL, Sr. | Dunker, OL, Jr.
Key Additions: Brendan Sullivan, QB, Jr. (Northwestern) | Jacob Gill, WR, Jr. (Northwestern).
Key Departures: Cooper DeJean, DB (Philadelphia Eagles, 2nd Rd.) | Erick All, TE (Cincinnati Bengals, 4th Rd.) | Tory Taylor, P (Chicago Bears, 4th Rd) | Logan Lee, DL, (Pittsburgh Steelers, 6th Rd.) | Deacon Hill, QB, Jr. (Utah Tech) | Leshon Williams, RB, Sr. (Redshirt & Transfer) | Nico Ragaini, WR (Eligibility) | Kaleb Brown, WR, Jr. (Redshirt & Transfer) | Diante Vines, WR, Sr. (Old Dominion) | Joe Evans, LB (Eligibility).
Outlook: Aside from the shortened 2020 season, Iowa locked up its 11th season in a row with at least seven wins under long-time head coach Kirk Ferentz. It’s also the seventh consecutive campaign where the Hawkeyes will finish above .500 in conference play. Coming off a 29-13 win over Maryland last week, there’s not much to play for entering Friday for both teams aside from rivalry bragging rights and a better bowl position.
Much like its been over the course of this 14-year stretch of games, whoever wins in the trenches will come out on top. The running attack of Iowa versus the rushing defense of the Blackshirts will more than likely be the decider. The Hawkeyes are first in the Big Ten and 13th nationally with 213.5 rushing yards per game with first-year offensive coordinator Tim Lester calling the plays. Kaleb Johnson has come on as one of the premier running backs in the country with 1,492 yards on the season (135.6 YPG) with 21 touchdowns. Kamari Moulton (381 yards, 2 TDs) and Jaziun Patterson (235 yards, 2 TDs) will get some carries, but Johnson is the star.
All other offensive categories fall short, however, as the passing offense (133.2 YPG) ranks 128th in the country, total offense sits at 101st and the scoring offense ranks 55th nationwide. Part of that has to be the rotating carousel of quarterback, which has been severely affected by injuries. Cade McNamara – who’s in his second season in Iowa City after transferring from Michigan – will make his first start since Oct. 26 against Northwestern. McNamara had to make a statement last week before the Maryland game due to rumors swirling he had quit on the team, but rather he was still dealing with concussion symptoms and wouldn’t be ready until Nebraska.
He’ll certainly have more upside than walk-on Jackson Stratton who started against the Terrapins, but the amount of impact he can have is questionable. That’s where the defense will have to come in for support. Phil Parker’s group is once again one of the best in the country, despite being down in comparison to past years. The Hawkeyes are top 40 in most categories including rushing defense (26th, 115.1), pass defense (39th, 196.6), total defense (17th, 311.7) and scoring defense (12th, 17.7). Iowa also dominates in turnover margin, ranking first in the Big Ten and eighth in the country with a +11 margin.
Linebackers Jay Higgins and Nick Jackson form the foundation of this defense. The two have combined for 186 total tackles as Higgins (106 tackles) also has a sack and 1.5 TFL while Jackson (80 tackles) has added 2.5 sacks and five TFLs.
The defensive line is pretty stout as well with Aaron Graves leading the way with a team-high five sacks on the season with Max Llewellyn (4.5) and Ethan Hurkett (4.5) both not far behind. Higgins has a team-leading four interceptions with fellow defensive backs Jermari Harris and Quinn Schulte adding three interceptions each.
The Hawkeyes had to say goodbye to punter Tory Taylor after he was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the fourth round of the NFL, and now have freshman Rhys Dakin on punt duty with a 44.9 yard average. Plus, All-Big Ten placekicker is back and is 17-for-20 for the season.
The impact of McNamara is the wildcard in this one, and the Hawkeyes hopes of moving the ball against a tough Nebraska run defense will prove to be difficult if they can’t get anything going through the air. Continuing the trend of past games, this one looks destined for a low-scoring, intense, cold season finale.
With Holgorsen, Raiola and the Husker offense in some sort of groove, I like the chances of Nebraska pulling off its second-straight win in Iowa City.
MORE: How to Watch Nebraska Volleyball at No. 4 Penn State & Maryland: Previews, Breakdowns, TV Channel
MORE: McMaster’s Big Ten Football Power Rankings After Week 13
MORE: Keys to Victory: Nebraska at Iowa
MORE: Nick Handley Show: Iowa Football Preview with the Des Moines Register’s Chad Leistikow
MORE: Nebraska Football Commit Christian Jones Makes Final Visit Before Signing
Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI, subscribing to HuskerMax on YouTube, and visiting HuskerMax.com daily.
Nebraska
Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen appoints Antonio Gomez to Racing and Gaming Commission
LINCOLN, Neb — Gov. Jim Pillen has appointed Antonio Gomez of Jackson to the Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission, adding a longtime Siouxland business leader and public servant to the panel.
Commission members serve four-year terms and are subject to approval by the Nebraska Legislature.
Gomez launched Gomez Pallets in South Sioux City in 1983. He has since retired from daily operations, but last year the Siouxland Chamber of Commerce recognized him with the W. Edwards Deming Business Leadership and Entrepreneurial Excellence Award.
Gomez previously served on the Nebraska Commission on Latino Americans from 1981 to 2002. He also served as a Dakota County commissioner for 12 years and was on the Foundation Board for Northeast Community College.
Gomez’s appointment is effective April 1.
Nebraska
CBS Sports predicts Nebraska-Iowa basketball in the Sweet 16
The Nebraska Cornhuskers will face the Iowa Hawkeyes on Thursday in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. This is the Huskers’ first Sweet 16 in program history, while Iowa is playing in its first Sweet 16 since 1999.
Nebraska defeated Vanderbilt 74-72 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Iowa advanced after beating the defending national champion, the Florida Gators, 73-72.
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CBS Sports reporter Isaac Trotter broke down Thursday’s Sweet 16 matchup. Trotter started by looking at the two previous matchups in this series.
These teams have played twice. Iowa won at home in a 57-52 rockfight. Nebraska returned the favor by winning at home, 84-75 in overtime, in another to-the-death brawl.
It’s no secret that Nebraska’s defense caused significant problems for the Iowa offense in the second game, and if the Hawkeyes are going to win the rubber match, Trotter believes that turnovers will be the key.
There are no secrets in the rubber match. Nebraska’s no-middle defense has given Iowa real problems both times. The Hawkeyes turned it over 20% of the time in Game 1 and 26% of the time in Game 2. That can’t happen in the third encounter.
CBS Sports believes that Iowa has the best player on the floor in Bennett Stirtz, but Trotter also believes that Nebraska’s defense is just too much in the end for Iowa.
Iowa has the best player on the floor, Bennett Stirtz, and can hurt Nebraska on the glass, but the Huskers get the nod because of this pick-and-roll defense. You have to be able to guard ball screens effectively to shut down Iowa, and Nebraska has been an elite pick-and-roll defense, rating in the 99th percentile nationally, per Synergy.
In the end, Trotter selected Nebraska as his pick. Should the Huskers advance to the Elite Eight, Nebraska would play the winner of the Illinois-Houston game. Nebraska-Iowa play in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday, March 26 at 6:30 p.m. CT on TBS.
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This article originally appeared on Cornhuskers Wire: CBS Sports predicts Nebraska-Iowa basketball in the Sweet 16
Nebraska
Protect Colorado agriculture — do the homework on Nebraska canal plan (Letters)
We need to do our homework on Nebraska canal plan
Re: “Colorado’s water war with Nebraska comes to a head,” Sept. 21 news story
Farming in northeastern Colorado has never been easy, and it is getting harder. Markets are tough, input costs are up, and young people are leaving. What keeps communities in Northeastern Colorado going is agriculture, the water, the ground, and the community that ties everything together. The proposed Perkins County Canal — to carry South Platte River water into Nebraska — threatens all of it.
When you take water off farmland, the damage does not stop in crop yields. Equipment dealers, elevators, local banks, and businesses all feel it. Schools and roads will suffer. We have seen what happens to towns that lose their agricultural base, and we cannot let that happen again without a real fight.
That fight needs to be a regional one. I am asking communities across northeastern Colorado to come together and hire an independent economic consultant to assess the true local impact of this project (acres affected, jobs at risk, income lost, tax base eroded).
The Corps of Engineers will do its own analysis, but we need our own numbers. If their conclusions do not match what our communities are actually facing, we need the documentation to say so and demand they take another look.
Rural communities have always figured out how to help each other when it counts. This is one of those times. I urge local officials, water boards, farm bureaus, and civic leaders to set aside any differences and work together on this. The permit process will not wait, and neither can we.
Kimberly L. Kinnison, Ovid
Don’t let our children be ‘policy pawns’
Re: “District accused of violating Title IX,” March 14 news story
The Trump administration seems intent on the persecution of transgender children, excluding them from bathrooms, sports and school activities. Refusing to allow transgender children to participate in school in a manner consistent with their gender identity promotes the exclusion of particularly vulnerable children.
Participation in sports, access to bathrooms in which they feel comfortable, and full inclusion are critical components of healthy development for all children.
Some children are taller, faster, or stronger, have been training with private coaches or attending schools with better facilities, but the requirement of biological uniformity applies only to transgender children.
Exclusion harms children. Is this in dispute? Our children are not political pawns.
Jane Cates, Jefferson County
Don’t forget the Denver Chamber Music Festival
Re: “Classical blast,” March 15 feature story
Thanks to Ray Rinaldi for a terrific article about classical music festivals in the mountains this summer. I’d like to add one, and it’s right here in town: the Denver Chamber Music Festival from June 5 to June 13. World-class musicians, including the amazing classical/bluegrass violinist Tessa Lark, our first composer in residence, and local favorites Stephanie Cheng and Margaret Dyer Harris, and the members of the Colorado Cello Quartet.
All performances are at the Newman Center for the Performing Arts; tickets available at denverchambermusicfestival.org. Avoid Interstate 70 and enjoy phenomenal music in Denver!
Alix Corboy, Denver
Editor’s note: Corboy is executive director of the Denver Chamber Music Festival
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