By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa –  Other than being a few inches short, Sean Welsh is the perfect Iowa football player.

Actually, being short probably makes him more perfect if there is such a thing because those are the kinds of players that have thrived under Kirk Ferentz, players who maybe lack a physical strength or two, but compensate with toughness, technique and an understanding of what Iowa football is all about under Ferentz.

Welsh knows Iowa football inside and out. The junior offensive lineman knows how to rank his priorities and how to handle each moment that comes during the course of the season. He doesn't get too high or too low. He just keeps grinding.

The mood, obviously, was upbeat on Friday as the Iowa players met with the media after pounding Nebraska 40-10 in the regular-season finale at Kinnick Stadium.

Iowa had slipped out of character and suddenly became a big-play, quick-strike offense against Nebraska, with three plays in the first half producing 208 yards and two touchdowns. The media wanted an explanation for why an offense that at times has struggled to complete a forward pass turned into basketball on grass for one glorious late afternoon.

“We never really think about big plays and big moments,” said Welsh, a junior from Springboro, Ohio. “It’s kind of been this way around here for a while. We keep hitting them with the run and those three yards gain turns into thirteen yards gains in the third quarter.

“And our vision doesn’t really get any more global than that. It’s one play at a time and our approach is to wear them down over time. So big plays like that are certainly great. But they’re not built in or it’s not something we really plan for.”

That style is called boring, predictable and conservative when Iowa struggles, as was the case barely three weeks ago.

But during times of success like the current, Iowa’s style under Ferentz is revered for being pure and true to a game whose roots are tied to the run.

Iowa didn’t do anything different against Nebraska that would suggest big plays were more likely to happen. It was more a case of Iowa doing what it always does, but at an extremely high level.

The defense has been suffocating since the Penn State beat down on Nov. 5, while the offense has steadily been getting better behind the most productive one-two punch at running back in the history of the program.

Senior LeShun Daniels and junior Akrum Wadley have combined for 1,979 rushing yards this season, led by Daniels with 1,013 yards. The Warren, Ohio native seized the moment on senior day, rushing for 158 yards and scoring two touchdowns against Nebraska.

Daniels is the first Hawkeye to rush for 1,000 yards in a season since Marcus Coker in 2011.

Daniels also embodies everything that is Iowa football under Ferentz. He was a step slow for Ohio State to offer him a scholarship, but fast enough to thrive at Iowa when healthy.

Daniels bought into the team-first mentality under Ferentz and hasn’t wavered. That was obvious when Daniels addressed the media after Friday’s game and was asked what it meant to rush for 1,000 yards.

“I think it’s just big for the team,” Daniels said. “I can’t thank the offensive linemen, my fullbacks and tight ends, everybody that’s out there, enough for going out there and giving their all just for to block for me so I can get yards even though they may not get all the glory. I can’t thank them enough. They’ve been doing an excellent job all year, and it’s been allowing me to get the yards that I have.”

Little things often tell the big story.

Little things like a key block on a punt return or showing frustration on the field.

Iowa senior Desmond King is used to making long punt returns, but his role changed on Friday to a blocker. His level of performance didn’t change, though, as the 2015 Jim Thorpe Award winner made a key block that helped Riley McCarron break free for a 29-yard punt return late in the game.

“Our core guys did a great job, and maybe as representative as anything was the block that Desmond King threw on Riley McCarron’s last punt return,” said Ferentz. “I think it was a great effort and I think it represents the unselfishness this team has, the care that they have for each other.

“Here’s a guy that won an award a year ago, and he’s out there laying it out there for his teammate when the game was already out of hand.”

As for showing frustration, that was the case of Nebraska quarterback Tommy Armstrong throughout Friday’s game.  He and a receiver appeared to have a heated exchange after failing to connect on a pass in the first quarter.

That made an early impression because it suggested that maybe the Nebraska players weren’t as unified or as focused as their opponent was on Friday.

So did Drake Kulick's emotion as he was carted off the field with what appeared to be a serious ankle injury that occurred on the first play from scrimmage. Iowa's junior fullback had a message for his teammates, telling them that he didn't suffer his injury for nothing. Kulick pleaded with his teammates to get the job done.

And that's exactly what they did.