Huskers & Hawkeyes Battle for Heroes Trophy at 3 p.m.

GAME 12: NEBRASKA vs. IOWA
NOV. 24, 2017 | MEMORIAL STADIUM
LINCOLN, NEB. | 3 P.M. (CT)

BROADCAST INFO
TV - FS1
RADIO - Husker Sports Network
SATELLITE RADIO - Sirius Channel 84, XM 84
INTERNET RADIO - Huskers.com

HUSKERS
Record: 4-7, 3-5 Big Ten
Last Game: lost to Penn St., 56-44
Rankings: NR
Coach: Mike Riley
Career/NU Record: 112-98 (17th Year)/19-18 (3rd Year) 
vs. Iowa: 0-2

HAWKEYES
Record: 6-5, 3-5 Big Ten
Last Game: lost to Purdue, 24-15
Rankings: NR
Coach: Kirk Ferentz
Career/Iowa Record: 153-118 (22nd Year)/141-97 (19th Year)
vs. Nebraska: 3-5

The Matchup
Nebraska completes its 2017 season on Friday afternoon at Memorial Stadium when the Huskers play host to Big Ten West rival Iowa. Game time in front of the 361st consecutive sellout in Lincoln is set for 3 p.m. CT, with national television coverage on FS1. The game can also be heard on the IMG Husker Sports Network.

Nebraska comes into the contest with a 4-7 record and a 3-5 mark in Big Ten play, following a 56-44 setback at No. 13 Penn State last Saturday. The Huskers will be looking for their first win over Iowa since an overtime win in Iowa City in 2014.

Iowa heads to Lincoln with a 6-5 overall record, including a 3-5 record in Big Ten Conference action. The Hawkeyes lost to Purdue, 24-15, on Saturday in Iowa City. Iowa has been solid throughout the season with four of its five losses against teams currently in the national rankings. The Hawkeyes feature one of the most opportunistic defenses in the country, forcing a total of 20 turnovers, including four defensive touchdowns.

Nebraska and Iowa will battle for the HyVee Heroes Trophy for the seventh consecutive season. Since Nebraska joined the Big Ten, the schools have each won three games in the series, with the visiting team having won four of the first six meetings as conference opponents.

Nebraska Football Top 10
• Nebraska is 893-379-40 all-time, one of only 10 schools with 800 wins.

• The Cornhuskers are fifth all-time with their 893 victories.

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

• The Huskers have won 46 conference championships.

• Nebraska’s 53 all-time bowl appearances rank second in NCAA history.

• 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 360 consecutive sellouts.

Nebraska-Iowa Series
• The visiting team has won four of six meetings in the series since 2011 when Nebraska joined the Big Ten.

• Nebraska and Iowa met 41 times as non-conference opponents prior to NU joining the Big Ten. Nebraska won the final three games as non-conference foes (1982, 1999, 2000).

Heroes Trophy at Stake in Friday's NU-Iowa Clash
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 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 Continues Long "Red" Friday Tradition
Nebraska will continue its long-standing tradition of playing on the day after Thanksgiving. This Friday’s game with Iowa will mark the 28th consecutive season the Huskers have played on Thanksgiving Friday.

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 also scheduled to conclude the season against each other on the day after Thanksgiving in 2018 and 2019. 

• Nebraska owns a 19-8 record since 1990 in games on the day after Thanksgiving, including a 5-1 record against Okahoma, an 11-4 mark against Colorado and 3-3 against Iowa.

• Nebraska is 11-4 at home in Thanksgiving Friday games since 1990, including 1-2 against the Hawkeyes.

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

Nebraska to Celebrate Senior Day on Friday
Prior to Friday's game, Nebraska will recognize 22 players who will be putting on a Husker uniform for the final time. Prior to Friday's game, Nebraska will recognize 22 players who will be putting on a Husker uniform for the final time.

That group includes the following:

• Drew Brown, PK, Southlake, Texas
• Brett Classen, WR, Medina, Minn.
• Thomas Connely, LB, Kearney, Neb.
• Erik Evans, DL, Waverly, Neb.
• Tyler Hoppes, TE, Lincoln, Neb.
• Chris Jones, CB, Jacksonville, Fla.
• Harrison Jordan, FB, Omaha, Neb.
• Boaz Joseph, DB, Weston, Fla.
• Joshua Kalu, DB, Houston, Texas
• Connor Ketter, TE, Norfolk, Neb.
• David Knevel, OL, Brantford, Ontario, Canada
• Joel Lopez, DL, Saint Charles, Ill.
• Luke McNitt, FB, Kearney, Neb.
• A.J. Natter, DL, Milton, Wis.
• Marcus Newby, LB, Gaithersburg, Md.
• De’Mornay Pierson-El, WR, Alexandria, Va.
• Gabe Rahn, WR, Le Mars, Iowa
• Kramer Rath, PK, Lincoln, Neb.
• Adam Taylor, IB, Katy, Texas
• Matt Watts, OL, Stockton, Calif.
• Chris Weber, LB, Omaha, Neb.
• Kieron Williams, Shreveport, La. 

Together, those players have combined for more than 500 games played, including more than 200 starts. In the classroom, the 22 student-athletes have combined for 68 appearances on the Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll and 13 appointments to the Academic All-Big Ten team. The group has also combined for 48 appearances on the Tom Osborne Citizenship Team for their community outreach efforts.

Three players have left their mark on Nebraska’s all-time record book.

• Drew Brown ranks second in Husker history with 59 career field goals and is fourth with 353 career points. His 50 career starts are fourth in Nebraska history.

• Joshua Kalu has recorded 207 tackles in his career, a total which ranks sixth among all defensive backs in Husker history. 

• De’Mornay Pierson-El ranks 11th all-time at Nebraska with 97 receptions and is 14th with 1,270 receiving yards. Pierson-El has also totaled 904 career punt return yards - good for third in school history. 

Bob Elliott to be Remembered at Friday's Game
Both the Nebraska and Iowa football programs will remember Bob Elliott at Friday's game, with members of the Elliott family on hand. Elliott (1953-2017) passed away in July after being hired in February to coach the Husker safeties. He began his coaching career as an Iowa graduate assistant in 1976 and returned to Iowa City as a Hawkeye assistant coach for 11 seasons from 1987 to 1998.

As a player, Elliott was a two-time Academic All-American at Iowa. The Elliott familiy also has other ties to Nebraska and Iowa. Bob’s uncle, Pete, was Nebraska’s head coach in 1956 - becoming NU’s youngest head football coach in modern history at age 29 - while Bob’s uncle Charles “Bump” Elliott served as Iowa’s athletic director from 1970-99.

Senior Linebacker Weber Named NFF Scholar-Athlete
Nebraska linebacker Chris Weber joined an elite group of scholar-athletes on Nov. 1, as the senior was one of 13 finalists by the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame for the 2017 William V. Campbell Trophy, presented by Fidelity Investments®.

As a finalist, Weber will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class, and will travel to New York City in December for the 60th annual NFF Awards Dinner on Dec. 5.

Weber is Nebraska’s first Campbell Trophy finalist since Spencer Long in 2013, and the 23rd Husker football player to receive this prestigious honor for achievement on the playing field and in the classroom. Weber looks to become NU’s third Campbell Trophy winner, joining Kyle Vanden Bosch (2000) and Rob Zatechka (1994).

Weber has started 10 of 11 games and leads the Huskers in tackles (88) and tackles for loss (8). He has four games of at least 10 tackles. In the classroom, Weber carries a 3.96 GPA and has already been accepted to medical school at UNMC. He is a three-time CoSIDA Academic All-District VII selection and a three-time Distinguished Big Ten Scholar.

Weber, Stoltenberg Earn Academic All-District Honors
Weber and junior defensive lineman Mick Stoltenberg were both named to the Academic All-District 7 first team by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) last week. Weber is an academic all-district selection for the third consecutive year, while Stoltenberg made the team for the second straight season.

A nutrition science major, Weber will graduate next month. A native of Gretna, Neb., Stoltenberg is a management major who carries a 3.43 cumulative GPA. A five-time Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll member, Stoltenberg earned academic All-Big Ten honors in his first season of eligibility for the award in 2016. Despite his junior status, Stoltenberg is on track to graduate next month and play his senior season as a graduate student.

With their first-team appointments, Weber and Stoltenberg will both move on to the Academic All-America ballot, with the 2017 CoSIDA Academic All-Americans announced in December. The University of Nebraska leads the nation with 329 Academic All-Americans across all sports, while the Husker football program has produced 107 CoSIDA Academic All-Americans, the most of any sport in NCAA history.

Riley in Third Season at Helm of Husker Program
Head Coach Mike Riley is in his third season as the Nebraska head coach in 2017. Riley has guided the Huskers to a 19-18 record.

• Riley is in his 26th season as a head coach, tying for the second-most experience of any FBS head coach entering the 2017 season.

• Riley is one of eight active FBS head coaches who also has experience as an NFL head coach.

• Riley owns 16 victories over nationally ranked opponents during his college head coaching tenure.

Rushing Battle Often Holds the Key to Success
The 2017 season has continued a tell-tale statistic for Nebraska. NU has outrushed the opponent in three of its four victories, but has struggled recently in the run game.

Nebraska was out-gained on the ground by Penn State, 263-67, in last week's loss.

• Nebraska is 17-3 under Head Coach Mike Riley when out-rushing the opposition, and has won 15 straight games when having an advantage in that category.  

• In three seasons under Coach Riley, Nebraska is 9-0 when rushing for 200 yards or more, including 4-0 records in both 2015 and 2016.

• Nebraska has held four opponents this season to fewer than 100 rushing yards, winning three of those contests. . 

NU Features Triple Threat of Wideouts in Passing Attack
Nebraska entered 2017 with the luxury of two veteran and proven pass catchers to lead the receiving corps. Senior De'Mornay Pierson-El and junior Stanley Morgan Jr. both had extensive playing experience entering 2017.

Both players have had strong 2017 seasons, and continue to climb Nebraska season and career charts. Redshirt freshman JD Spielman has emerged to give Nebraska three dangerous receiving options. 

Morgan is coming off a career-high 185 receiving yards on seven catches at Penn State. He enters the Iowa game with 54 receptions for 912 yards and eight touchdowns. Morgan is in position not only to break the single-season receiving yardage record of 942 yards, but also to become the first 1,000-yard single-season receiver in Husker history. Morgan ranks among the conference leaders in all receiving categories and had a game-winning touchdown at Purdue with 14 seconds left. 

Spielman produced a Nebraska record 200-yard receiving day on 11 catches against Ohio State. He has 55 receptions for 830 yards, and has set Husker freshman receiving records for yards and catches. Morgan and Spielman are the first duo of NU receivers to top 800 receiving yards in the same season. 

Pierson-El has caught 42 passes for 584 yards and five touchdowns.  

• Morgan ranks second in the Big Ten in receiving yards (912), first in receiving yards per game (91.2 ypg), first in receiving touchdowns (8) and he is first in 100-yard receiving games (5). 

• The 912 receiving yards by Morgan rank fourth on the NU season list, 30 yards from the school record of 942 yards by Johnny Rodgers in 1972. Morgan's 54 catches rank eighth on the single-season reception list.

Nebraska's full notes package can be found in the PDF file at the top of this page