Several pieces previewing tonight's game from the other side:
Preview, Prediction: Nebraska at Iowa '24
by Rob Howe, HawkeyeNation.com
IOWA CITY - Everybody wants the gold until it's time to make sacrifices. For football fans in this part of the country, that's going to be freezing your asses off late in the season.
The 2023 campaign kicked off a seven-year, $7 billion deal the Big Ten signed with its TV partners. As such, the media rights owners decided when you play. Their goal was to fill every possible programming window so they can get paid from their sponsors.
Anyway, if you're attending Friday night's Iowa-Nebraska game at Kinnick, bundle up. Temperatures are forecasted to be in the mid-20s with winds of 10 miles per hour.
THREE AND OUT
Quarterbacks Again? Why Not
The position always warrants discussion among fans, win or lose. For Iowa, this season has felt a little like threading a needle blindfolded.
Truthfully, it's been this way since the 2019 Holiday Bowl. In a thumping of USC, Brian Ferentz was Don Coryell calling plays for Dan Fouts (Nate Stanley), Charlie Joiner (Ihmir Smith-Marsette), Wes Chandler (Brandon Smith), Kellen Winslow (Sam LaPorta) at The Murph.
This season's passing offense ranks 128th out of 133 FBS programs and is the worst among Power 4 schools. That's down one spot from '23, although Iowa's 133.2 passing yards per game is 15 more than a year ago. The Hawkeyes ranked 122nd in '22, 109th in '21 and 97th during the Covid-shortened 2020 campaign.
Cade McNamara was Iowa's starting quarterback for the first eight games of the season. He suffered a concussion in the final start and hasn't played since then.
Brendan Sullivan started the next two games. He sprained an ankle in the second start and has been sidelined since then.
Third-stringer Marco Lainez, underwent surgery on his non-throwing hand last month. He has not played this season.
Jackson Stratton, the fourth-teamer, relieved Sullivan when he was injured and started during last week's win at Maryland. Coach Kirk Ferentz said on Tuesday that the walk-on from Colorado State would start against Nebraska, adding that the other three quarterbacks were practicing this week.
Most of the public information surrounding quarterback injuries this season has been clearly cloudy. The program is vague about it and contradicting media reports.
Ferentz wants to play only one signal caller on Friday. Rotating quarterbacks creates anxiety for him. The plan likely is to let Stratton play the whole game for continuity sake.
A better plan would be working in Sullivan and/or Lainez if healthy. You may have heard that the passing offense has struggled this decade. Let's see what they all have in the regular-season finale.
Give each of them a package that suits his fancy, similar to rotating McNamara and Sullivan earlier this season. Let game reps help evaluation for 2025 and, perhaps, beyond.
The transfer portal opens one week from Monday. The Hawkeyes need to figure out what they'll be fishing for in there.
Ever-Changing Landscape
As laid out in this article's opening, money is changing the landscape of college football. Student-athletes are being compensated for their work and everyone's making business decisions.
I spoke with Iowa cornerback Jermari Harris at length Monday night for a feature story. We talked about his being out for the regular-season's final two games.
It was reported last week that Harris was sitting out the rest of the season to focus on preparing for the NFL Draft. Iowa issued a press release stating the senior from Chicago had a medical issue.
"I'm dealing with something that needed to be addressed in order for me to maximize the eight-week window I got in order to be the best version of myself come February 27th (at the NFL Draft Combine)," Harris told me Monday night.
"It was definitely not something I just came up with overnight. It was definitely a well-calculated decision so it could be best for the team, for my family, and, ultimately, myself."
Harris became excited talking about the performance of fellow Hawkeye cornerbacks Deshaun Lee and TJ Hall against Maryland's talented receivers.
"I think that was their coming out party, and I'm excited for what they're going to do for this program next year," Harris said.
The benefit of Harris being out is that the guys behind him on the two-deep can show what they can do.
"The young guys proved to be ready (against Maryland)," he said.
Harris understands some people will judge him based on his decision. For a person who was forced to grow up at an early age by making tough choices, he feels confident in figuring it out as a 24-year-old man.
"This isn't the first time I've made a decision where I may have lost some friends," he said.
The support of the Hawkeye program helps.
"Every conversation I had about this ended with a hug," he said. "And that's why I say I'm at peace, truly."
The negativity outside his circle can't penetrate his soul.
"Read it all but choose when I want to respond or not. I guess that's the best power you can have is silence, really," he said.
Which takes us back to the general discussion about the changing landscape of the sport. More guys will be doing what Harris is doing moving forward, which, again, is making a business decision. Just wait until the non-CFP bowl opt-outs come rolling in.
I understand the old-guard saying Harris quit on his team because I grew up believing it. Now, I know better.
With a perspective of taking photos of Iowa football from the sideline, there's an awareness of what the bodies of these big, strong athletes endure. They should make the best choice for their bodies, whether it be for a future in the NFL or being able to carry their children someday.
Husker Shucking
Look for more of a nuts-and-bolts breakdown of Nebraska football in our upcoming opponent intel piece that should run on Thanksgiving.
Here's an overview of the Huskers:
- For the first time since 2016, they're bowl eligible. My podcast co-host Scott Dochterman, believes the winner of Friday's Heroes Game will be bowling in Tampa.
- While the Hawkeyes proper running the ball, the Huskers succeed throwing it. They rank 64th in passing offense and 100th in rushing.
- Nebraska ranks 35th in total defense, which is boosted by a rushing defense that ranks 21st (110.9 yards per game). The Hawkeyes are 13th in rushing offense (213.5).
- The Huskers are 30th in time of possession (31:34), while Iowa is 66th (30:08).
IMPORTANT STUFF
Time, Day, TV: 6:30 PM (CT), Friday-November 29, NBC
Online/App: NBCSports/com / Peacock
Announcers: Paul Burmeister (Play by Play), Colt McCoy (Analyst), Zora Stephenson (Sideline)
Point Spread / Total: Iowa favored by 5.5 points / 39.5
Opponent Fun Fact: The University of Nebraska's State Museum offers an exhibit called Poop and Paws. It focuses on using poop, trakcs and other clues to determine which animals live in different habitats.
Nebraska Alumni: Katrhyn Howe, Aaron Douglas, Gerry Thomas
Bottom Line: Bowl positioning and a trophy are on the line for these rivals. It should be a spirited effort by both teams even if a conference title has been out of the picture since October.
It will be interesting to see how many Hawkeye fans use their tickets. If they put them on the open market because they don't want to freeze, expect Nebraska fans to scoop them up.
Even with the possibility of more red in the stands, the Iowa faithful loves its team. Kinnick Stadium will provide a significant home-field advantage. That's usually good for costly pre-snap penalties on the opponent.
Prediction
Iowa 23, Nebraska 16
Preview, Prediction: Nebraska at Iowa '24
by Rob Howe, HawkeyeNation.com
IOWA CITY - Everybody wants the gold until it's time to make sacrifices. For football fans in this part of the country, that's going to be freezing your asses off late in the season.
The 2023 campaign kicked off a seven-year, $7 billion deal the Big Ten signed with its TV partners. As such, the media rights owners decided when you play. Their goal was to fill every possible programming window so they can get paid from their sponsors.
Anyway, if you're attending Friday night's Iowa-Nebraska game at Kinnick, bundle up. Temperatures are forecasted to be in the mid-20s with winds of 10 miles per hour.
THREE AND OUT
Quarterbacks Again? Why Not
The position always warrants discussion among fans, win or lose. For Iowa, this season has felt a little like threading a needle blindfolded.
Truthfully, it's been this way since the 2019 Holiday Bowl. In a thumping of USC, Brian Ferentz was Don Coryell calling plays for Dan Fouts (Nate Stanley), Charlie Joiner (Ihmir Smith-Marsette), Wes Chandler (Brandon Smith), Kellen Winslow (Sam LaPorta) at The Murph.
This season's passing offense ranks 128th out of 133 FBS programs and is the worst among Power 4 schools. That's down one spot from '23, although Iowa's 133.2 passing yards per game is 15 more than a year ago. The Hawkeyes ranked 122nd in '22, 109th in '21 and 97th during the Covid-shortened 2020 campaign.
Cade McNamara was Iowa's starting quarterback for the first eight games of the season. He suffered a concussion in the final start and hasn't played since then.
Brendan Sullivan started the next two games. He sprained an ankle in the second start and has been sidelined since then.
Third-stringer Marco Lainez, underwent surgery on his non-throwing hand last month. He has not played this season.
Jackson Stratton, the fourth-teamer, relieved Sullivan when he was injured and started during last week's win at Maryland. Coach Kirk Ferentz said on Tuesday that the walk-on from Colorado State would start against Nebraska, adding that the other three quarterbacks were practicing this week.
Most of the public information surrounding quarterback injuries this season has been clearly cloudy. The program is vague about it and contradicting media reports.
Ferentz wants to play only one signal caller on Friday. Rotating quarterbacks creates anxiety for him. The plan likely is to let Stratton play the whole game for continuity sake.
A better plan would be working in Sullivan and/or Lainez if healthy. You may have heard that the passing offense has struggled this decade. Let's see what they all have in the regular-season finale.
Give each of them a package that suits his fancy, similar to rotating McNamara and Sullivan earlier this season. Let game reps help evaluation for 2025 and, perhaps, beyond.
The transfer portal opens one week from Monday. The Hawkeyes need to figure out what they'll be fishing for in there.
Ever-Changing Landscape
As laid out in this article's opening, money is changing the landscape of college football. Student-athletes are being compensated for their work and everyone's making business decisions.
I spoke with Iowa cornerback Jermari Harris at length Monday night for a feature story. We talked about his being out for the regular-season's final two games.
It was reported last week that Harris was sitting out the rest of the season to focus on preparing for the NFL Draft. Iowa issued a press release stating the senior from Chicago had a medical issue.
"I'm dealing with something that needed to be addressed in order for me to maximize the eight-week window I got in order to be the best version of myself come February 27th (at the NFL Draft Combine)," Harris told me Monday night.
"It was definitely not something I just came up with overnight. It was definitely a well-calculated decision so it could be best for the team, for my family, and, ultimately, myself."
Harris became excited talking about the performance of fellow Hawkeye cornerbacks Deshaun Lee and TJ Hall against Maryland's talented receivers.
"I think that was their coming out party, and I'm excited for what they're going to do for this program next year," Harris said.
The benefit of Harris being out is that the guys behind him on the two-deep can show what they can do.
"The young guys proved to be ready (against Maryland)," he said.
Harris understands some people will judge him based on his decision. For a person who was forced to grow up at an early age by making tough choices, he feels confident in figuring it out as a 24-year-old man.
"This isn't the first time I've made a decision where I may have lost some friends," he said.
The support of the Hawkeye program helps.
"Every conversation I had about this ended with a hug," he said. "And that's why I say I'm at peace, truly."
The negativity outside his circle can't penetrate his soul.
"Read it all but choose when I want to respond or not. I guess that's the best power you can have is silence, really," he said.
Which takes us back to the general discussion about the changing landscape of the sport. More guys will be doing what Harris is doing moving forward, which, again, is making a business decision. Just wait until the non-CFP bowl opt-outs come rolling in.
I understand the old-guard saying Harris quit on his team because I grew up believing it. Now, I know better.
With a perspective of taking photos of Iowa football from the sideline, there's an awareness of what the bodies of these big, strong athletes endure. They should make the best choice for their bodies, whether it be for a future in the NFL or being able to carry their children someday.
Husker Shucking
Look for more of a nuts-and-bolts breakdown of Nebraska football in our upcoming opponent intel piece that should run on Thanksgiving.
Here's an overview of the Huskers:
- For the first time since 2016, they're bowl eligible. My podcast co-host Scott Dochterman, believes the winner of Friday's Heroes Game will be bowling in Tampa.
- While the Hawkeyes proper running the ball, the Huskers succeed throwing it. They rank 64th in passing offense and 100th in rushing.
- Nebraska ranks 35th in total defense, which is boosted by a rushing defense that ranks 21st (110.9 yards per game). The Hawkeyes are 13th in rushing offense (213.5).
- The Huskers are 30th in time of possession (31:34), while Iowa is 66th (30:08).
IMPORTANT STUFF
Time, Day, TV: 6:30 PM (CT), Friday-November 29, NBC
Online/App: NBCSports/com / Peacock
Announcers: Paul Burmeister (Play by Play), Colt McCoy (Analyst), Zora Stephenson (Sideline)
Point Spread / Total: Iowa favored by 5.5 points / 39.5
Opponent Fun Fact: The University of Nebraska's State Museum offers an exhibit called Poop and Paws. It focuses on using poop, trakcs and other clues to determine which animals live in different habitats.
Nebraska Alumni: Katrhyn Howe, Aaron Douglas, Gerry Thomas
Bottom Line: Bowl positioning and a trophy are on the line for these rivals. It should be a spirited effort by both teams even if a conference title has been out of the picture since October.
It will be interesting to see how many Hawkeye fans use their tickets. If they put them on the open market because they don't want to freeze, expect Nebraska fans to scoop them up.
Even with the possibility of more red in the stands, the Iowa faithful loves its team. Kinnick Stadium will provide a significant home-field advantage. That's usually good for costly pre-snap penalties on the opponent.
Prediction
Iowa 23, Nebraska 16
