Huskers Host No. 3 Ranked Hawkeyes

GAME 12: NEBRASKA vs. IOWA
NOV. 27, 2015 | MEMORIAL STADIUM
LINCOLN, NEB. | 2:30 p.m. (CT)

BROADCAST INFO
TV - ABC (Adam Amin, Kelly Stouffer, Olivia Harlan)
RADIO - Husker Sports Network
SATELLITE RADIO - Sirius Channel 84, XM 84
INTERNET RADIO - Huskers.com

HUSKERS
Record: 5-6, 3-4 Big Ten
Last Game: Rutgers, W, 31-14
Rankings: NR
Coach: Mike Riley
Career/NU Record: 98-86 (15th Year)/5-6 (1st Year) 
vs. Michigan State: First meeting

HAWKEYES
Record: 11-0, 7-0 Big Ten 
Last Game: Purdue, W, 40-20
Rankings: AP-3; Coaches-3, CFP-4
Coach: Kirk Ferentz
Career/Iowa Record: 138-106 (20th Year)/126-85 (17th Year)
vs. Nebraska: 1-5

The Matchup
Nebraska completes the 2015 regular season with its traditional Black Friday game with Iowa. The border rivals will square off in the HyVee Heroes Game with the contest televised nationally on ABC. Kickoff at Memorial Stadium is set for 2:30 p.m. CT.

Nebraska enters the game with a 5-6 record and a 3-4 mark in Big Ten play, following a 31-14 victory at Rutgers on Nov. 14. NU comes into the matchup following a weekend off after playing 11 straight weeks to open the season. A win over Iowa would even the Huskers' record at 6-6 and secure a bowl bid for Nebraska.

Iowa comes into the game with a perfect 11-0 record, including a 7-0 mark in Big Ten Conference action. The Hawkeyes defeated Purdue, 40-20 on Saturday, to clinch the Big Ten West Division and a spot in the Big Ten Championship Game in Indianapolis on Dec. 5.

The Hawkeyes are also right in the thick of the race for a spot in the College Football Playoff, ranking fifth in the Nov. 17 poll. Iowa checks in at No. 3 in this week's Associated Press Poll and USA Today Coaches polls. The strength of the Hawkeyes has been a strong defense that has limited opponents to just 18.5 points per game and 322.5 yards of total offense.

A victory would give Nebraska two wins over top-10 teams in the month of November, after a 39-38 win over Michigan State on Nov. 7. It would mark the first time since 1999 that Nebraska has defeated a pair of top-10 teams in the same season.

Nebraska Football Top 10
• Nebraska is 879-367-40 all-time, one of only 10 schools with 800 wins.

• The Cornhuskers rank fourth all-time with their 878 victories.

• Nebraska has won five national titles (1970, 1971, 1994, 1995, 1997).

• The Huskers have won 43 conference championships.

• Nebraska’s 51 all-time bowl appearances rank third nationally.

• Three Huskers have won the Heisman Trophy (Rodgers, Rozier, Crouch).

• Nebraska’s 107 football Academic All-Americans lead the nation.

• The Huskers have 110 first-team All-Americans in school history.

• Nebraska football is the only team in any sport in NCAA history to total 100 athletic and academic All-Americans.

• Memorial Stadium has been sold out every game since Nov. 2, 1962, a streak of 347 consecutive sellouts.

18 Husker Seniors Set for Final Game in Lincoln
Nebraska will take the field at Memorial Stadium for the final time in 2015 on Friday. The game will mark the final home game for 18 Nebraska seniors.

• The 2015 seniors hail from eight states, including nine native Nebraskans. The senior class also features three players from Texas and one each from Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Massachusetts, Mississippi and Wisconsin.

• Among the group of 18 seniors, five have already earned their degrees with 10 players scheduled to pick up their college diploma in December.

• Defensive tackle Kevin Williams is in his fifth year in the program, but will not take part in Senior Day activities after being awarded a sixth year of competition earlier this month.

2015 Nebraska Seniors (18)
• Taariq Allen, WR, Weston, Mass.
• Tyson Broekemeier, P, Aurora, Neb.
• Byerson Cockrell, S, Columbus, Miss.
• Imani Cross, IB, Gainesville, Ga.
• Daniel Davie, CB, Beatrice, Neb.
• Jack Gangwish, DE, Wood River, Neb.
• Andy Janovich, FB, Gretna, Neb.
• Joe Keels, DE, Kenosha, Wis.
• Chongo Kondolo, OG, Carrollton, Texas
• Alex Lewis, OT, Tempe, Ariz.
• Chris Long, OG, Blair, Neb.
• Givens Price, DT, Houston, Texas
• Ryne Reeves, C, Crete, Neb.
• Anthony Ridder, DB, West Point, Neb.
• Jonathan Rose, CB, Leeds, Ala.
• Zach Sterup, OL, Hastings, Neb.
• David Sutton, TE, Lincoln, Neb.
• Jamal Turner, WR, Arlington, Texas

Huskers, Hawkeyes Set to Battle for Heroes Trophy
Nebraska and Iowa will battle for the Heroes Trophy when they hit the field at Memorial Stadium on Friday. The HyVee Heroes Game is the annual trophy game between Nebraska and Iowa. While both teams will aim to win the trophy on the field, both Nebraska and Iowa wished to make their annual meeting about more than just winning a football game. With that in mind, the schools partnered together to not only create a trophy, but to use a national stage to honor a citizen hero from each state.

In addition to the trophy that will be claimed by the winner of the game, both an Iowa and Nebraska native will be honored for extraordinary acts. Those winners will be announced early this week.

Nebraska-Iowa Series
Games: 45
Standing: Nebraska leads, 29-13-3
At Lincoln: Nebraska leads, 14-3-1
At Memorial Stadium: Nebraska leads, 11-2
At Iowa City: Nebraska leads 10-6
At Neutral Sites: 4-4-2
Current win streak (start): NU, one game (2014)

Nebraska Continues Long Black Friday Tradition
Nebraska will continue its long-standing tradition of playing on Black Friday. This Friday’s game with Iowa will mark the 26th consecutive season the Huskers have played on the day after Thanksgiving.

NU met Oklahoma in the final six seasons of the Big Eight Conference (1990 to 1995), then played Colorado in all 15 of the Huskers’ Big 12 Conference years (1996 to 2010), before taking on Iowa each of the past five seasons.

Nebraska and Iowa are scheduled to conclude the season against each other on the day after Thanksgiving until at least 2019.

• Nebraska owns a 19-6 record since 1990 in games on the day after Thanksgiving, including a 5-1 record against Okahoma, an 11-4 mark against Colorado and 3-1 against Iowa.

• Nebraska is 11-3 at Memorial Stadium in that stretch, including 1-1 vs. the Hawkeyes.

• This year's game marks the first time since 2008 that Nebraska has had a bye week before its Black Friday contest.

• Nebraska's post-Thanksgiving game has been nationally televised by ABC each year since 1991 (25 games).

• In addition to the past four years, Nebraska and Iowa also closed the regular season against each other nine times from 1892 to 1916.

Huskers Look for Victory Over Second Top-10 Opponent
Nebraska posted a dramatic 39-38 victory over No. 6 Michigan State on Nov. 7 in Lincoln. The win was a milestone victory for Coach Mike Riley and the Huskers.

Iowa represents an opportunity for Nebraska to defeat a second top-10 opponent in just 20 days.

• Iowa enters at No. 3 in the AP Poll. Sixth-ranked Michigan State was the highest ranked team Nebraska had defeated since beating No. 2 Oklahoma in Lincoln in 2001. The victory over MSU marked the ninth time in school history Nebraska has defeated a team ranked sixth or higher in Lincoln. NU is now 9-21 all-time at Memorial Stadium against teams ranked sixth or higher.

• The win over Michigan State was Nebraska's first over a top-10 opponent since a 24-3 victory over No. 9 Michigan State in 2011.

• The win over Michigan State marked just the third time in school history that an unranked Nebraska team defeated a top 10 foe. The previous occurrence was a 31-24 win over No. 4 Alabama in September of 1977 in Lincoln.

• Nebraska has won five of its past seven matchups against ranked teams at Memorial Stadium dating back to 2009.
• The Huskers are 3-1 against ranked Big Ten teams at Memorial Stadium since 2011. Nebraska is 4-6 overall against ranked Big Ten teams since joining the league.

Huskers Look to Complete November to Remember
Nebraska is 2-0 in November, including its win over No. 6 Michigan State in Lincoln. A victory over Iowa would give Nebraska one of the most successful months in the recent history of the program.

A second victory over a top-10 opponent would mark the first time since 1999 Nebraska has defeated two top-10 teams in a season. It would mark the first time since 1995 that NU has knocked off two top-10 teams in the regular season.

• Nebraska has never defeated top-10 opponents in consecutive home games.

• Only once in school history has Nebraska defeated two top-10 teams in the same month. That occurred in October of 1995 when NU knocked off No. 8 Kansas State and No. 7 Colorado.

• Nebraska has beaten two top-10 opponents in the same regular season five times in school history.

Riley Hopes to Continue Success Against Ranked Teams
Iowa will mark the second ranked team Mike Riley has faced as Nebraska's head coach. Riley had a history of defeating ranked teams in 14 seasons as Oregon State's head coach.

• The win over No. 6 Michigan State marked the sixth top-10 opponent a Riley-coached team has defeated in the past 10 seasons. This marks the second straight year Riley has led a team to a win over a team ranked seventh or higher, after his OSU team defeated No. 7 Arizona State last November.

• Riley has now defeated 13 ranked teams over the past 10 seasons, including 11 wins over top-20 opponents.

• The win over No. 6 Michigan State marked the highest ranked opponent a first-year Husker coach has defeated. The previous high had been Nebraska’s 19-3 victory over Texas in the 1974 Cotton Bowl following Tom Osborne’s first season as head coach in 1973.

• Riley led Oregon State to 14 wins over ranked teams in his 14 seasons in Corvallis.

Nebraska Looks for Second November Win Over Unbeaten
Iowa will be just the 14th opponent to bring an undefeated record into a November matchup with Nebraska in Lincoln. Nebraska is 7-5-1 in those matchups.

The Hawkeyes are just the 11th unbeaten November opponent to play at Memorial Stadium. The win over Michigan State improved Nebraska to 6-3-1 all-time in those games.

NEBRASKA VS. AN UNBEATEN OPPONENT IN NOVEMBER AT MEMORIAL STADIUM
• Nov. 10, 1923 vs. Notre Dame (6-0)
(Won, 14-7)
• Nov. 20, 1926 vs. New York Univ. (2-0)
(Won, 15-7)
• Nov. 24, 1927 vs. New York Univ. (7-0-2)
(Won, 15-7)
• Nov. 12, 1932 vs. Pittsburgh (6-0-1)
(Tied, 0-0)
• Nov. 19, 1955 vs. #1 Oklahoma (9-0)
(Lost, 41-0)
• Nov. 23, 1974 vs. #1 Oklahoma (9-0)
(Lost, 28-14)
• Nov. 11, 1978 vs. #1 Oklahoma (9-0)
(Won, 17-14)
• Nov. 21, 1987 vs. #2 Oklahoma (10-0)
(Lost, 17-7)
• Nov. 13, 1999 vs. #5 Kansas State (9-0)
(Won, 41-15)
• Nov. 7, 2015 vs. #6 Michigan State (8-0)
(Won, 39-38)

NU Facing Rare Opponent With Double-Digit Wins
Iowa brings an 11-0 record into the game, marking the first time the Huskers have faced an opponent with 10 wins or more since the 2013 Capital One Bowl vs. Georgia.

• The matchup marks the 28th time in school history Nebraska takes on an opponent with 10 or more victories. However, it is only the the second time the Huskers have faced a 10-win team during the regular season. The only previous time Nebraska has faced a 10-win opponent during the regular season was also in Lincoln on Nov. 21, 1987, when No. 1 NU lost to No. 2 and 10-0 Oklahoma, 17-7.

• Nebraska has not beaten an undefeated opponent in the final game of the regular season since a 27-18 victory over New York University in 1927.

A Husker win would also be a milestone on the conference level. The Huskers have the opportunity to become just the sixth team in Big Ten history to beat two undefeated, top-10 opponents in the same conference season.

2015 Huskers Suffer Series of Close Losses
The Huskers' one-point win over Michigan State reversed the trend of close setbacks Nebraska has suffered through in 2015. Nebraska's six losses have came by a total of 23 points, with the first five by a total of 13 points.

Nebraska's first four losses were especially difficult. Each of the first four setbacks occurred with the opponent scoring the winning points on the game's final play or in overtime.

According to Stats, Inc., NU is only the second FBS team since 2006 to lose four games in which the opponent scored the winning points in the final 10 seconds or overtime. (SMU, 2007).

• Nebraska's 33-28 loss to BYU came when the Cougars completed a Hail Mary on the game's final play as time expired.

• NU rallied from a 23-point fourth-quarter deficit at Miami to force overtime. The Hurricanes escaped with a 36-33 win after kicking a walk-off game-winning field goal.

• The third close loss came as Illinois drove 72 yards in the game's final minute and scored with 10 seconds left for a 14-13 win.

• Wisconsin kicked a 46-yard game-winning field goal with four seconds left for a 23-21 win. The Badgers drove 46 yards in six plays in 59 seconds to get into field goal range.

* Check out the attached Nebraska Games Notes PDF for more notes