Huskers, Hawkeyes Battle for Heroes Trophy on ABC

GAME 12: NEBRASKA at IOWA
NOV. 25, 2016 | KINNICK STADIUM
IOWA CITY, IOWA. | 2:30 p.m. (CT)

BROADCAST INFO
TV - ABC
RADIO - Husker Sports Network
SATELLITE RADIO - Sirius Channel 81, XM 81
INTERNET RADIO - Huskers.com

HUSKERS
Record: 9-2, 6-2 Big Ten
Last Game: Maryland, W, 28-7
Rankings: AP-17 Coaches-15
Series: Nebraska leads, 29-14-3
Coach: Mike Riley
Career/NU Record: 108-89 (16th Year)/15-9 (2nd Year) 
vs. Iowa: 0-1

HAWKEYES
Record: 7-4, 5-3 Big Ten
Last Game: Illinois, W, 28-0
Rankings: AP-RV Coaches-NR
Coach: Kirk Ferentz
Career/Iowa Record: 146-112 (21st Year)/134-91 (18th Year)
vs. Nebraska: 2-5

The Matchup
Nebraska will complete its 2016 regular season with its traditional Black Friday game at Iowa, as the Huskers and Hawkeyes will battle for the HyVee Heroes Trophy at Kinnick Stadium. Game time for the matchup between the Big Ten West Division rivals is set for 2:30 p.m. CT with the game televised nationally on ABC.

Nebraska enters the game with a 9-2 overall record and a 6-2 mark in Big Ten Conference play following a 28-7 win over Maryland on Saturday in Lincoln. The Husker defense stalled Maryland's strong run game, limiting the Terrapins to just 11 yards on the ground. The win kept Nebraska in the thick of the Big Ten West Division race. The Huskers enter the final weekend needing a victory at Iowa, and a Wisconsin loss to Minnesota in order to advance to the Big Ten title game in Indianapolis.

The Huskers will be looking to keep the road success going in the Nebraska-Iowa series. Each of the last four matchups between the Huskers and Hawkeyes have been won by the visiting team, including hard-fought Nebraska victories in Iowa City in 2012 and 2014.

Iowa comes into the contest with a 7-4 record, including a 5-3 mark in Big Ten Conference play. The Hawkeyes have won their past two games, knocking off then-No. 2 Michigan in Iowa City two weeks ago, before winning 28-0 at Illinois on Saturday.

Iowa is once again winning with a strong defense and a solid running game. The Hawkeyes allow just 18.6 points per game, and 365.2 yards of total offense. On the ground, Iowa averages more than 160 yards per game and has rushed for at least 200 yards three times, including 262 yards at Illinois.

Nebraska Football Top 10
• Nebraska is 889-370-40 all-time, one of only 10 schools with 800 wins.

• The Cornhuskers rank fourth all-time with their 889 victories.

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

• The Huskers have won 46 conference championships.

• Nebraska’s 52 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 354 consecutive sellouts.

Huskers, Hawkeyes to Tangle with Heroes Trophy on Line
Nebraska and Iowa will battle for the Heroes Trophy when they hit the field at Kinnick Stadium on Friday. The HyVee Heroes Game is the annual trophy game between Nebraska and Iowa.

While both teams 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: 46
Standing: Nebraska leads, 29-14-3
At Lincoln: Nebraska leads, 14-4-1
At Memorial Stadium: Nebraska leads, 11-3
At Iowa City: Nebraska leads 10-6
At Neutral Sites: 4-4-2

• The visiting team has won four straight meetings in the series. Nebraska's win in Lincoln in 2011 is the only victory by the home team since the Huskers joined the Big Ten.

• The four-game road team win streak is the longest in a Nebraska conference series, since the visiting team won six straight NU-Missouri games between 1974 and 1979.

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 27th 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 six 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 19-7 record since 1990 in games on the day after Thanksgiving, including a 5-1 record against Okahoma, an 11-4 mark against Colorado and 3-2 against Iowa.

• Nebraska is 8-3 on the road in Black Friday games since 1990, including 2-0 at Iowa City.

• Nebraska's post-Thanksgiving game has been nationally televised by ABC each year since 1991 (26 games).

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

Huskers Make Historic Win Improvement in 2016
Nebraska improved to 9-2 on the season with a victory over Maryland on Saturday in Lincoln. The win not only ensured the 50th season in school history with nine or more wins, but it also continued a strong turnaround season in 2016.

• After posting a 5-7 regular-season record and 6-7 overall record in 2015, the Huskers have made a four-win jump in the regular season. The 2016 season is just the sixth time in school history Nebraska has improved by four or more victories in the regular season.

• This year's win improvement is Nebraska's best in the regular season since 1962.

• A Nebraska win over Iowa on Friday would mark just the third time in school history, the Huskers have made a five-win improvement in the regular season.

REGULAR-SEASON WIN IMPROVEMENT
1899 1-7-1 1900 6-1-1 +5
1961 3-6-1 1962 8-2 +5
2015 5-7 2016 9-2 +4
1909 3-3-2 1910 7-1 +4
1930 4-3-2 1931 8-2 +4
1938 3-5-1 1939 7-1-1 +4
Note: Nebraska won a bowl game in 1962 to finish 9-2 and have an overall +6 win improvement

• Nebraska would post its 28th 10-win season in school history with a win over the Hawkeyes. The last time Nebraska won 10 games in the regular season was in 2012.

Nebraska Enjoying Strong Second Year Under Riley
The four-win improvement is the biggest historical milestone for Nebraska. However, NU has posted several other notable accomplishments on its way to a 9-2 season.

• Nebraska started 7-0 before losing in overtime at Wisconsin. The 7-0 record was NU's best start since opening 11-0 in 2001.

• Nebraska saw an eight-game winning streak end at Wisconsin. That streak was NU's longest win streak since its 13-game win streak spanning the 2000 and 2001 seasons. Nebraska had four six-game winning streaks between 2008 and 2014.

• The Huskers opened Big Ten play with four straight wins, marking Nebraska's best conference start since 2001 when NU opened Big 12 action by winning its first seven games.

• The 7-0 start for Nebraska is the best for Mike Riley in his 16 seasons as a college head coach. The Huskers' eight-game win streak was also the longest of Riley's career.

Huskers Remain in National Rankings
Nebraska checks in at No. 17 in the Associated Press poll and No. 15 in the coaches poll this week. The Huskers were ranked No. 18 in last week's College Football Playoff rankings.

Nebraska began the season unranked before entering the national polls after starting 3-0. The Huskers have been ranked in each of the past 10 polls.

• The No. 7 ranking in the Oct. 23 AP poll was the Huskers' highest since being ranked No. 5 in the country in October of 2010.

• Nebraska moved into the top 10 on Oct. 10 prior to its game at Indiana. The Huskers' top-10 ranking was its first since November of 2011.

• The No. 10 ranking in the College Football Playoff poll on Nov. 1 was Nebraska's highest in the three years of the poll. NU was 13th in the Nov. 4, 2014 poll.

Huskers Hammering Foes in Fourth Quarter
Nebraska has proven to be a dominant fourth-quarter team in 2016. Nebraska owns a nation-best 88-point advantage in fourth-quarter scoring, and has been very strong in Big Ten play.

• Nebraska scored the decisive touchdown in the final quarter against Minnesota and out-scored the Gophers, 14-0, after half.

• Despite falling in overtime, Nebraska forced the extra session at Wisconsin by having a 10-0 fourth-quarter edge. Nebraska held the ball for 9:41 in the final quarter.

• The Huskers closed out their win over Purdue with a 10-0 fourth-quarter edge. NU out-yarded Purdue, 114-52, in the final quarter.

• In Nebraska's win at Indiana, the Huskers scored 10 fourth-quarter points to secure a victory. NU outgained Indiana 150-80 in the final quarter and held the ball for 11:16.

• Against Illinois, Nebraska had a 149-18 advantage in yards in the final quarter. The Huskers also had a 6-0 advantage in first downs and held the ball for 10:59.

• Nebraska averages an impressive 9:19 in time of possession in the final quarter.

• Nebraska has held the edge on the ground in the fourth quarter, averaging 68 rushing yards in the fourth quarter to 28.3 for the opposition.

• Eight of 11 NU's foes have rushed for 10 or fewer yards in the fourth quarter.

Big Red Balancing Act
The Nebraska offense has shown good balance in its second season under Head Coach Mike Riley and offensive coordinator Danny Langsdorf. The 2016 success comes a year after Nebraska ranked second in the Big Ten in total offense and passing offense, while finishing third in scoring offense.

Nebraska made a powerful running game and a balanced offense primary goals for 2016, and have produced solid results.

• Nebraska is averaging 186.2 rushing yards per game to rank seventh in the Big Ten. NU had a season-high 310 rushing yards at Northwestern and has rushed for at least 200 yards four times in 2016.

• Nebraska is among the nation's most balanced offensive attacks. The Huskers average 215.3 passing yards per game and 401.5 total yards per game, which ranks sixth in the Big Ten.

• Nebraska's 14.1 yards per completion ranks 21st in the nation. The Huskers had five passing plays of at least 25 yards against Wyoming and had five of 20 or more vs. Purdue.

• Nebraska's 310 rushing yards at Northwestern marked the Huskers' fifth-highest rushing total in a Big Ten Conference game.

• The 556 yards of total offense at Northwestern marked the second-highest total in a Big Ten game in NU's six seasons in the league, trailing only a 624-yard effort against Illinois in 2014.

• Nebraska has gained at least 400 yards of total offense in nine of its past 13 games.

• Nebraska is averaging 28.3 points per game in 2016 to rank fifth in the Big Ten. The 52 points against Wyoming were the most in two seasons under Mike Riley.

• Nebraska topped the 300-yard passing mark for the seventh time in two seasons under Mike Riley with 412 passing yards against Wyoming. The yardage total was the fifth highest in school history and most since the 2007 season.

• In addition to its 310-yard rushing effort at Northwestern, the Huskers rushed for 292 yards on 51 carries in the win over Fresno State. NU also had 228 rushing yards against Oregon, including 166 after half.

Nebraska Looks to Keep Pounding Ball on Ground
Throughout the 2016 season, Nebraska has shown the ability to control the running game on both sides of the ball.

Nebraska out-gained Northwestern, 310-137, on the ground, marking the third time since the 2015 Foster Farms Bowl that the Huskers have had at least 290 rushing yards. NU churned out 292 rushing yards on 51 carries in its season-opening victory over Fresno State. That rushing effort came on the heels of running for 326 yards in the Foster Farms Bowl win over UCLA to close the 2015 season.

The Blackshirts have been strong against the run for the majority of the year, holding eight opponents to 137 or fewer yards. Nebraska limited Maryland to 11 yards rushing after the Terrapins entered the game averaging 213.7 yards per game on the ground. NU also held Purdue to 24 rushing yards and Fresno State to 31 rushing yards.

• Nebraska is 8-0 under Riley when rushing for 200 yards or more, including 4-0 in 2016. The Huskers are 11-0 under Riley when out-rushing the opposition.

Pound the Rock, Control the Clock
Nebraska has had success this season when it has established an effective running game, allowing the Huskers to control the football.

• Nebraska averages 32:58 of time of possession to rank fourth in the Big Ten and 18th nationally in that category. Nebraska has won the TOP battle in nine of 11 games, and has possessed the ball for at least 35:00 four times in 2016, including a season-high 39:00 against Maryland.

• The Huskers' ability to control the football has resulted in Nebraska running 68 more plays than the opposition through 11 games.

Game-Deciding Drives
Nebraska has had several second-half drives this season that have helped seal conference victories.

NU took the lead for good against Illinois with a memorable drive that spanned parts of the third and fourth quarters. Trailing 16-10, the Huskers embarked on an 18-play, 75-yard drive that consumed 10:42. The Huskers scored on a Terrell Newby 3-yard TD run and went on to a 31-16 win.

• The 18-play drive was NU's longest in terms of plays since a 20-play drive at Colorado in 2005.

• The 10:42 consumed on the drive is the most for a Husker scoring drive since at least 1990.

• Against Indiana, Nebraska had a fourth quarter drive that lasted 15 plays and 7:45 and resulted in a field goal that gave NU a 27-22 lead with less than a minute remaining.

• Nebraska's game-winning drive against Minnesota covered 91 yards in the fourth quarter. The drive took 13 plays and 5:40.

Flipping the Turnover Script
Nebraska has had solid success this season in changing its turnover fortunes. The Huskers are +5 in turnover margin after having a -12 turnover margin in 2015. NU has had a positive turnover margin just once in the past 12 seasons (+5 in 2009).

The Huskers +0.45 turnover margin per game ranks sixth in the Big Ten and 28th nationally.

• Nebraska did not turn the ball over against Minnesota or Maryland. It marks the first time Nebraska has had back-to-back games without a turnover since the final two games of the 2003 season.

• The Nebraska defense has 16 interceptions this season after posting 10 in 2015. The 16 interceptions rank eighth nationally, and are the most by the Huskers since picking off 19 passes in 2010.

• NU has scored 59 points on its 17 takeaways, while opponents have 32 points off 13 NU turnovers.

• Nebraska has won 19 consecutive games when it has a positive turnover margin dating back to a 2011 loss to Northwestern. NU is 7-0 under Mike Riley when it wins the turnover battle.

• Nebraska has three games this season without a turnover–vs. Fresno State, Minnesota and Maryland. Nebraska's turnover-free game against the Gophers marked the second straight year NU did not have a turnover against Minnesota.

• Nebraska has had six games with zero turnovers since 2014. In those games, NU's average margin of victory is 25.5 points.

• The Huskers had six takeaways, including five interceptions, against Wyoming. Those are the best totals in those categories since posting the same numbers against Idaho in 2010.

• The Huskers' plus-5 in turnover margin against Wyoming was their best since a +8 turnover margin against Texas A&M in 2003.

• Nebraska's performance in the first two games marked the first time the Huskers were +2 or better in turnover margin in consecutive games since the final two games of the 2003 season.

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