By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Iowa and Nebraska will face each other in football for the 55th time on Friday at Kinnick Stadium.

The Cornhuskers hold a 30-21-3 advantage in the series, but the Hawkeyes have won eight of the last nine games in the series, including seven straight from 2015 to 2021.

So while Nebraska has the more storied tradition with five national championships as part of its rich history, Iowa has been more successful over the past decade.

Since 2015, Iowa has won at least 10 games in a season four times, including 12 wins in 2015, while Nebraska hasn’t won 10 games in a season since 2012, and had has seven losing seasons during that time.

That helps to explain why Nebraska fans rushed the field in Lincoln after having defeated Wisconsin last Saturday to become bowl eligible  with six wins for the first time since the 2016 season.

The fact that Nebraska finally is bowl eligible again might lift some of the pressure for the Nebraska players in Friday’s game.

The Cornhuskers have found ways it seems to lose this game in recent seasons, and it has often been an Iowa kicker that has delivered the crushing blow.

Perhaps the best thing that could be said about the series, besides the creation of the Heroes Trophy, which honors community heroes from both states, is that last six games have been decided by seven points or less.

Nebraska also prevailed in its last game at Kinnick Stadium, winning 24-17 in 2022.

“A head-down fight, that’s what it’s going to be,” said Iowa senior defensive tackle Yahya Black. “Like old-school Big Ten (football).

“And when it comes down to it, I love that. That’s what the Big Ten is. It’s hard-nose football.”

The weather on Friday could be a factor with the high only expected to be in the mid-to-high 20s.

And with the game not starting until 6:30 p.m., it will likely be colder than that at kickoff.

Both teams would improve their bowl status with a win, and in Iowa’s case, a victory would also give Kirk Ferentz 204 wins as a Big Ten head coach.

He trails only Woody Hayes, who won 205 games as the Ohio State head coach.

Matt Rhule is in his second season as the Nebraska head coach and his 12th season overall as a head coach.

“It’s going to be a big challenge for us,” Kirk Ferentz said. “I know they’re coming in here with confidence. We’ll have to be at our best Friday to be ready to go here.”

Position matchups could have a lot to say about which team prevails on Friday.

Here is a look at which team has the advantage at each of the nine positions:

 

Quarterback: The matchup at quarterback features a true freshman and a former five-star recruit versus a walk-on who was fourth on the Iowa depth chart just a few weeks ago.

Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola versus Iowa quarterback Jackson Stratton.

Raiola has struggled with inconsistency, which is common for a a true freshman. But there is no denying his immense talent, beginning with his arm strength.

He has completed 231-of-348 passes for 2,405 yards and 12 touchdowns this season. He also is completing 66.4 percent of his passes, but has thrown 10 interceptions.

Raiola will sometimes force the issue and make questionable decisions, but he is a gifted passer and he weighs about 230 pounds, so he can take the pounding.

Stratton, on the other hand, is listed at 6-foot-4 and just 193 pounds.

The California native hasn’t played enough to know for sure how mobile he is in the pocket.

But he has the strongest arm of all the Iowa quarterbacks.

And speaking of the other quarterbacks, it’s uncertain  who will be the backup against Nebraska.

Cade McNamara and Brendan Sullivan both returned to practice this week according to Kirk Ferentz, but Ferentz wasn’t sure on Tuesday who would be Stratton’s backup.

Advantage: Nebraska  

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Running back: The Cornhuskers don’t have that star workhorse running back that they’ve had so often in past years.

But Dante Dowdell and Emmett Johnson have been an effective one-two punch as they have rushed for 577 and 458 yards, respectively. Dowdell also has scored 11 touchdown, while Johnson is averaging 5.4 yards per carry.

Iowa will counter with the Big Ten’s leading rusher in 6-0, 225-pound junior Kaleb Johnson, who has gained 1,492 yards and scored a program record 21 rushing touchdowns in 10 1/2 games this season.

Johnson was suspended for the first half of the season opener against Illinois State, but he still rushed for 119 yards and scored two touchdowns in that game.

His average of 135.6 rushing yards per game ranks second nationally.

Johnson has 20 rushes of 20-plus yards, six 40-plus yard runs and nine touchdown runs of 25-plus yards this season.

He also has two talented backups in redshirt freshman Kamari Moulton and sophomore Jaziun Patterson, who have rushed for 381 and 235 yards, respectively, this season.

Moulton rushed for 114 yards and scored on a 68-yard touchdown run in last Saturday’s 29-13 win at Maryland.

Advantage: Iowa  

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Wide receiver: Nebraska has three wide receivers – Jacory Barney, Jahmal Banks and Isaiah Neyor – that have at least 400 receiving yards and at least 32 catches this season, while Iowa has none.

Banks leads the Cornhuskers with 467 receiving yards, while Neyor leads the team with five touchdown catches.

Northwestern transfer Jacob Gill leads Iowa with 365 receiving yards and with 31 catches. He also excels as a blocker and has arguably been Iowa’s second best offensive player behind Kaleb Johnson.

True freshman Reece Vander Zee has been Iowa’s second most productive wide receiver as he has 14 catches for 176 yards and a team-high three touchdowns receptions.

However, Vander Zee has missed the last three games due to an injury and he isn’t expected to play on Friday.

Iowa has no other wide receiver with more than six catches this season.

Advantage: Nebraska

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Tight end: Iowa received a significant boost against Maryland with the return of No. 2 tight end Addison Ostrenga from an injury that had caused him to miss five games.

Ostrenga and fifth-year senior Luke Lachey give Iowa a formidable tandem at tight end.

Lachey has started 22 games and played in 40 games overall as a Hawkeye. He has 24 catches for 218 yards this season. The Ohio native also has 63 career receptions for 826 yards and four touchdowns.

Nebraska also has a talented and productive tight end in Council Bluffs native Thomas Fidone, who has 30 receptions for 298 yards this season.

Fidone has battled with injuries since becoming a Cornhusker, but he has played in all 11 games this season.

Iowa tried to recruit Fidone out of high school but he grew up as a Nebraska fan and that ultimately made the difference.

Advantage: Iowa

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Offensive line: Iowa leads the Big Ten in rushing with an average of 213.5 yards per game, while Nebraska is averaging just 129.4 rushing yards per game.

Those numbers say a lot about the performances of both offensive lines.

Nebraska has seven different offensive linemen that have started this season, including Ben Benhart, who has started all 11 games at right tackle, Ben Scott, who has started every game at center, and Justin Evans, who has started every game at left guard.

The unit as a whole has struggled at times with both run and pass blocking as Nebraska has allowed 23 sacks.

Iowa has one of the most experienced offensive lines in the Big Ten as its five listed starters for this week have combined to make 179 career starts, led by Mason Richman’s 50 straight starts at left tackle.

Iow will be without starting right tackle Gennings Dunker for the second straight game due to an injury.

But his replacement, graduate Nick DeJong, has started 25 games for Iowa and is coming off what Kirk Ferentz said was DeJong’s best game as a Hawkeye against Maryland last Saturday.

Iowa’s offensive line has paved the way for Kaleb Johnson’s record-breaking season and is a semifinalist for the Joe Moore Award, which goes to the best collegiate offensive line in the country.

Advantage: Iowa.

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Defensive line: Iowa’s four starters on the defensive line have combined to make 72 starts, led by senior defensive end Deontae Craig and senior defensive tackle Yahya Black with 25 starts apiece.

First-year starting defensive end Ethan Hurkett leads the Iowa defensive linemen with 46 tackles and with 8.5 tackles for loss, while first-year starting defensive tackle Aaron Graves leads Iowa with five sacks.

Backup defensive ends Max Llewellyn and Brian Allen have seven and 4.5 tackles for loss, respectively, this season. Llewellyn also is tied for second on the team with with 4.5 sacks and he has a team-leading six quarterback hurries.

Nebraska starts three defensive linemen and the same three  – Ty Robinson Nash Hutmacher and Jimari Butler – have started together in all but one game this season.

Robinson, a senior defensive end from Gilbert, Arizona, leads the Nebraska defensive linemen with 30 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and six sacks.

His ability to pressure the quarterback will test Iowa’s veteran offensive line.

Robinson has made 44 career starts for the Cornhuskers and is playing at an All-Big Ten level this season.

Advantage: Iowa  

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Linebacker: Nebraska has three linebackers – Michael Bullock, M.J. Sherman and Mikai Gbayor – that have started 11, 10 and 10 games, respectively, this season.

Bullock and Gbayor rank third and fourth on the team with 60 tackles and 47 tackles, respectively, while Sherman has made 24 tackles.

Iowa has one of the most experienced and productive linebacker tandems in the country in fifth-year senior Jay Higgins and sixth-year graduate Nick Jackson.

Higgins is the only player in the nation with 100-plus tackles and with four interceptions.

Jackson, who played his first four season for Virginia, ranks second in FBS history with 544 career tackles. The Atlanta, Georgia ranks second

on the team with 80 tackles this season. He also has five tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, six pass pass breakups and three quarterback hurries.

Iowa also has third experienced linebacker in graduate Kyler Fisher, who has started five games in his career and played in 57 games overall. Fisher usually plays when Iowa’s switches to a 4-3 alignment.

Advantage: Iowa 

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Secondary: Iowa will be without graduate cornerback and multi-year starter Jermari Harris for the second straight game as his Hawkeye career appears to be over. The Chicago native leads the Iowa defensive backs with three interceptions this season, so his loss is significant.

Junior T.J. Hall started for Harris against Maryland and had an an interception. Hall has started five games this season.

Iowa has three safeties that have combined to start 91 games, led by sixth-year graduate Quinn Schulte’s 38 consecutive starts at free safety.

Sixth-year graduate Sebastian Castro has started 30 games, while junior and former five-star recruit Xavier Nwankpa has made 23 starts at strong safety.

Castro plays both strong safety and the cash position when Iowa uses five defensive backs.

Sophomore Deshaun Lee is expected to make his 14th career start for Iowa at cornerback in Friday’s game. The Michigan native has 36 tackles, one interception, one tackle for loss and tree pass breakups this season.

Safety Malcolm Hartzog Jr. leads Nebraska with four interceptions and he ranks fourth on the team with 38 tackles.

Rover back Isaac Gifford leads Nebraska with 65 tackles, while safety DeShon Singleton is second on the team with 62 tackles. Singleton also has one interception and two pass breakups this season.

Advantage: Iowa 

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Special teams: Both teams have punters that have performed well throughout the season.

Nebraska senior Brian Buschini, who played his first three seasons for Montana, is averaging 46.5 yards on 37 punts this season, while Iowa true freshman Rhys Dakin is averaging 44.9 yards on 51 punts.

Buschini has 14 punts that have been downed inside the 20 and 14 that have traveled at least 50 yards, while Dakin has 24 punts that have been downed inside the 20 and 15 that have traveled at least 50 yards.

Dakin has more than held his own while facing the daunting task of replacing 2023 Ray Guy Award winner and fellow Melbourne, Australia native Tory Taylor.

Iowa junior kicker Drew Stevens tied the program record by making five field goals in the win over Maryland last Saturday, including two from at least 50 yards.  He has made 17-of-20 field-goal attempts this season, including all six attempts from 40 to 49 yards.

Iowa also has one of the nation’s top return specialists in speedy senior Kaden Wetjen, who leads the nation with 807 combined kick return yards. The walk-on from Williamsburg is averaging 24.8 yards per kick return and 12.0 yards per punt return.

Receiver Jacory Barney also doubles as a return specialist for Nebraska and is averaging 21.1 yards on 11 kick returns.

Advantage: Iowa

Prediction: Iowa 23, Nebraska 20