Nebraska Football: Why Beating Iowa This Season Means More Than Just a Win
The Huskers are looking for a positive finish to a trying season and can also impact the Big Ten Championship Game in the process if they beat Iowa on Saturday.
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The Nebraska Cornhuskers find themselves in an intriguing position following their 15-14 defeat by Wisconsin. Everyone covering or debating who the Big Red’s new head coach will turn out to be has long been ready for an announcement.
With fans eager to see a new chapter in school history penned, Mickey Joseph’s crew has one more challenge to face in 2022: the dreaded Iowa Hawkeyes. Kirk Ferentz has his team at 7-4 and hasn't been on the losing end of these venomous tilts since 2014. History says Iowa's already penciled in to meet the winner of Michigan-Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship Game in Indianapolis on Dec. 3.
But for Nebraska, if you're already going to get booed on the road, you may as well earn the loudest ones.
A loss knocks the Hawkeyes into an Indiana watch party. They'd need a Hoosier victory over the Boilermakers on Saturday to win the Big Ten West. Yes, the Hawkeyes will go bowling once again, but there’s a considerable difference between a potential New Year’s Six berth and the Pinstripe Bowl.
The Huskers won’t see a postseason themselves, but Black Friday suddenly becomes their Super Bowl. Sure, The Heroes Trophy is no Lombardi, but it’s been a hot minute since Nebraska held any hardware high after a game.
Mark Whipple’s play-calling against Wisconsin was perplexingly conservative at times. With the return of Casey Thompson, it’s time for the 65-year-old offensive coordinator to have some fun.
Call all the gadget plays. Flea flickers, receiver passes, have an offensive lineman be eligible for a catch, or fill in as a goal-line back. Go full Sickos Mode.
For all the lumps he’s taken in pursuit of a potential leading role, Joseph deserves the win here. And it’s safe to say that if nothing else, the Huskers want to send the guy out on top to cap off 2022.
Gutting out a victory in Iowa City wouldn’t put all-too-familiar errors like those seen against the Badgers to bed, but every little bit helps. A portion of the roster will return next year and an ingrained expectation of losing beats you before kickoff.
It’s hard to think a majority won’t pick Ferentz to chalk up his eighth straight series victory. But college football’s weird like that. In a world where Vanderbilt has an SEC winning streak, there’s room for Nebraska covering Kinnick Stadium in salt.
— Written by Brandon Cavanaugh, part of the Athlon Contributor Network. Be sure to follow him on Twitter (@Bcav402). To contact him, click here.
