By Pat Harty

LINCOLN, Neb.  – Once it became abundantly clear in the third quarter that Nebraska had no answer for the Iowa football team, I thought back to Kirk Ferentz’s first game as the Iowa head coach.

The date was Sept. 4, 1999, the setting was Kinnick Stadium and the opponent was Nebraska.

That game was just like Friday’s game at Memorial Stadium in that one team was vastly superior to the other.

Nebraska was just two years removed from winning a national title in 1999, while Iowa was a struggling program in transition.

Nebraska quarterback Eric Crouch set the tone that day by plowing over an Iowa defensive back on his way to a touchdown.

It was hard not to feel sorry for the Hawkeyes after the 42-7 beat-down because it was almost like men against boys, a complete mismatch that started in the trenches and stretched to every other position.

Iowa could’ve played Nebraska 100 times in 1999 and the outcome would have been the same.

And that’s sort of how it felt on Friday, only with the roles reversed.

The Hawkeyes (7-5) overcame a shaky first half to crush Nebraska 56-14 before an announced attendance of 90,046 at Memorial Stadium.

You name it and the Hawkeyes did it better than Nebraska, especially on the ground where Iowa amassed a season high 313 rushing yards, while the once-mighty Cornhuskers were held to just 67 yards.

The Nebraska fans had more obstacles to avoid as they headed for the exits in third quarter than the Iowa running backs faced on the field. Iowa had four running backs who scored at least one touchdown led by senior Akrum Wadley with three.

Wadley also rushed for 158 yards and became just the fourth Iowa running back to gain 1,000 yards in a season twice.

“We could sense it in the third quarter,” said Iowa junior center James Daniels. “If we’re not able to run the ball effectively, we can’t have a good offense.

“Actually, with any offense, if you establish the run, you can open up the offense a lot easier. Running the ball is always a very big emphasis.”

Daniels refused to say that Iowa broke Nebraska’s spirit in the third quarter, so I’ll say it because it sure seemed that way.

A game that was tied at 14 at halftime was basically over by the end of the third quarter with Iowa leading 42-14. Iowa won the third quarter 28-0 and scored 49 consecutive points against what used to be one of the true giants in college football.

You wondered if the Nebraska players would rally behind embattled head coach Mike Riley, and that seemed to be the case for a while.

But it was only a matter of time before Iowa’s dominance started to show on both sides of the line of scrimmage.

That says a lot about both teams, but probably more about the sorry state of the Nebraska program.

It says a lot about Iowa’s resiliency because both teams entered Friday’s game in a serious funk. Iowa was coming off back-to-back losses to Purdue and Wisconsin in which the offense had performed woefully, while Nebraska had lost three games in a row and was in danger of having its worst record since 1961.

Both teams had reason to be on a mission, but it didn’t matter once Iowa started to assert its dominance.

“We knew coming in here it was going to be a tough challenge coming on the road,” Ferentz said. “We haven’t done great in that regard this year.”

Friday’s victory was just the second for Iowa on the road this season, along with the 44-41 overtime win at Iowa State in week two.

Hawkeye fans will cherish the victory over Iowa State forever, and rightfully so, considering how well the Cyclones have played this season.

But Friday’s victory was extra special because of the troubling circumstances surrounding the game.

There were concerns after the Purdue loss that Iowa’s season was on the verge of unraveling. It was alarming to hear Iowa quarterback Nate Stanley say that Purdue played harder and wanted it more, and to hear Iowa defensive tackle Nathan Bazata say his team came out flat on Senior Day.

It made you wonder if the Iowa players had given up on the season and were simply going through the motions.

The first quarter did little to ease those concerns as Iowa self-destructed on special teams with a fumbled punt and with freshman receiver Ihmir Smith-Marsette stepping out of bounds on his own 1-yard line after fielding a kick.

But the offense responded by marching 99 yards on 15 plays for a touchdown that came when Wadley blasted through a hole and then sprinted 20 yards to the end zone with 2 minutes, 16 seconds left in the opening quarter.

Iowa had eight scoring drives in Friday’s game, but none were bigger than the 99-yard masterpiece that led to Iowa’s first touchdown.

“We haven’t really been moving the ball with great consistency, so to take that thing and go 99 yards was huge,” Ferentz said.

Smith-Marsette sort of mirrored his team in that he also bounced back from adversity on Friday. The New Jersey native could’ve climbed into a shell after his miscue on the kickoff, but instead he responded by returning the opening kick of the third quarter 74 yards.

Smith-Marsette actually scored on the play, but the touchdown was erased by an illegal block.

“That was big,” Wadley said. He’s going to be around for three more years. He’s going to make a lot of plays. He’s really talented. I’m proud of him.”

Iowa’s senior class deserves credit for holding the team together at a time when it could’ve easily splintered. It took character, resolve and an unwavering belief and spirit to pull off what Iowa did on Friday.

The 42-point drubbing also impoved Iowa's record to 10-2 in trophy games over the past three seasons.

The month of November has been a roller coaster for the Hawkeyes. It started with the historic 55-24 victory over Ohio State and ended with Friday's rout. In between those two games were the losses to Wisconsin and Purdue in which Iowa barely fired a shot on offense.   

“There was a lot of motivation behind us getting back up on our feet,” Bazata said. “We took one to the chin last week and it was a matter of are we going to get up and compete or are we just going to roll over.”

The soft-spoken Bazata sent a powerful message by criticizing Iowa’s lack of energy against Purdue. And his teammates responded in convincing fashion.

Bazata grew up in tiny Howells, Neb., but the 6-foot-2, 287-pounder didn't receive a scholarship offer from the Cornhuskers, partly because he was considred too small. So instead, Bazata came to Iowa and will leave as a three-year starter and with a three-game winning streak against Nebraska.

“The way we're built, we need guys up front that are really unselfish, really tough minded,” Ferentz said. “When you have those guys playing for you, they maybe didn’t garner a lot of attention in recruiting, but they play a really strong role.

“Nate’s been that way ever since he showed up.”

Sophomore tight end Noah Fant also made his home-state school pay on Friday by catching three passes for a career-high 116 yards and two touchdowns.

Fant had a scholarship offer from Nebraska, but he picked a Big Ten border rival instead, much to the delight of Iowa fans. The Omaha native is a big-play waiting to happen, considering his 28 catches have resulted in 10 touchdowns and 15 first downs.

Iowa now heads into its bowl preparation with some positive momentum and with four possible bowl destinations, although, the Holiday Bowl in San Diego is probably a longshot. The other possibilities are the Music City Bowl in Nashville, Tenn., the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium in New York City and the Foster Farms Bowl in Santa Clara, Calif.

"You didn't want to lose this game and start the bowl prep in a negative way," said Iowa senior linebacker Josey Jewell. "So I think it was great by the rest of the team to be able to stay positive and be able to go through last week hungry with a shorter week and be able to get it done like this."

As for the rivalry itself, it’s hard to call it that with Iowa having won four of the last five games against Nebraska, including the last two games by a combined score of 96-24.

It wasn't a rivalry in 1999 and nothing has changed nearly two decades later.