Iowa Football Opponent Preview: Nebraska Cornhuskers

We’ve reached the final week of the regular season, which means it’s officially Nebraska week. One of the most highly anticipated games of the season, some Iowa fans say that this is the Hawkeyes biggest rivalry matchup. Although neither side is in College Football Playoff contention, the winner in this matchup still has a chance to finish with a 9-4 record, while the loser could still go 7-6 with a loss in the bowl game.

Head coach Matt Rhule and the Cornhuskers enter this week with a 7-4 overall record and a 4-4 mark in Big Ten play. The Huskers will be headed to their second consecutive bowl game but have lost three of their last five since they broke into the AP Top 25 (#25) with a 5-1 start. Their best win of the season came in the opener, defeating Cincinnati in Kansas City, while they’re 0-2 against currently ranked opponents (Michigan, USC). Last time out, the Huskers were throttled by Penn State 37-10 in Happy Valley.

Last Game: Penn State 37 Nebraska 10

This will be the 56th all-time meeting between the Hawkeyes and Huskers. Although Nebraska leads the series 30-22-3, it’s Iowa is 10-4 since the Cornhuskers joined the Big Ten, including winning nine of the last ten meetings. Iowa opened as a 4.5-point favorite (per BetMGM), but it has already moved to 5.5 as of Monday morning. Over the past five seasons, the Hawkeyes are 20-14-2 against the spread and 29-7 straight up as a favorite in Big Ten play, including a 20-17 win over Michigan State this past weekend. As for Nebraska, they are 5-7-1 against the spread and 2-11 straight up as an underdog in Big Ten play under Matt Rhule, including a 37-10 loss to Penn State (+7.5) in their last game.

CORNHUSKERS OFFENSE

2025 Numbers: 30.5 PPG, 136.8 RUSH, 242.6 PASS, 379.5 TOTAL

Quarterback

Not the player the Hawkeyes expected to see under center, it will be true freshman quarterback TJ Lateef taking the snaps against the Hawkeyes. Sophomore Dylan Raiola went down with a season-ending leg injury in their game against USC, so Lateef will be making third start, guiding the Huskers to a win over UCLA in his first career start.

A native of Compton, California, Lateef, a four-star recruit picked Nebraska over offers from Georgia, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Penn State, Miami FL and Indiana. Over five games, including two starts, Lateef has completed 50-of-71 (70.4%) passes for 653 yards and four touchdowns to zero interceptions. In the Huskers win over UCLA, he completed 13-of-15 passes, including three for scores, but was just 21-of-37 (56.8%) against Penn State.

There is not a ton of data out there on Lateer, but he is 44-of-59 (74.6%) when kept clean, throwing for 576 yards and four touchdowns. When pressured, he has completed 6-of-12 passes (50.0%) for 77 yards.

Running Back

The Huskers are the first team the Hawkeyes have faced this season that has almost relied solely on a single back to get all of the carries. Over the last three games, running backs not named Emmett Johnson have combined for just six carries.

A redshirt junior for the Huskers, Emmett Johnson has had a breakout campaign this season. Splitting carries in each of the last two seasons, Johnson combined for 1,009 rushing yards, but he has eclipsed that total this season. He has rushed for an NCAA-leading 1,234 yards and 11 touchdowns on 222 carries (5.6 ypc). Johnson has recorded seven 100-yard rushing games and is currently riding a streak of seven consecutive games with at least 100 totals yards. He rushed for a season-high 176 yards against Maryland and totaled a season-best 232 total yards against UCLA.

He’s not just a threat when he gets a handoff in the backfield. Johnson ranks third in the country in passing targets by a running back (51), tallying a team-high 44 catches for 348 yards (7.9 ypr) and three touchdowns. He has caught 5+ passes in five games, including 11 catches for 151 yards over his last two games.

It’s almost not worth mentioning because it will only be for a couple of carries, if any, but four-star freshman Isaiah Mozee and redshirt freshman Mekhi Nelson are the other two backs. They’ve combined for 46 touches (15 rec) going for 294 yards (6.4 ypt). Nelson has the lone touchdown between the two, a rushing score against Akron.

Wide Receiver / Tight End

The Huskers rank 54th in passing yards per game (242.6) and 85th in the country in pass attempts per game (29.6). They have pretty well spread out their targets, with three receivers and a running back earning 50+ targets, while their starting tight end has earned more than 30 targets.

At wideout, Nebraska’s top receiver has been sophomore California transfer Nyziah Hunter. As a freshman for the Golden Bears, Hunter had nearly 600 yards receiving and has surpassed that total this season. He leads the team in targets (64), catching 42 passes for 611 yards (14.6 ypr) and five touchdowns. Hunter also leads the team in YAC, with 329 of his 611 yards (53.8%) coming after the catch. He’s recorded four games with 70+ yards receiving, including a season-best 125 yards and two touchdowns against Maryland.

At the slot receiver position, sophomore Jacory Barney Jr has followed his productive true freshman season with a more explosive second year, already surpassing last season’s receiving yards on fewer receptions. Barney has caught 42 passes, going for 458 yards (10.9 ypr) and four touchdowns. He’s recorded two 100+ yard games this season, including 132 yards against Akron and 120 yards against Michigan. The other receiver to know is Kentucky transfer Dane Key. A three-year contributor for Wildcats, totaling over 1,800 yards, Key has been the WR3 option this season for the Huskers, but needs just one more touchdown to tie his career-high for a season. He has caught 32 passes for 408 yards (12.8 ypr) and five touchdowns, including a season-high 104 yards against Houston Christian.

At tight end, junior Luke Lindenmeyer is the name to know. He’s having a breakout year, totaling 26 catches for 286 yards (11.0 ypr) and two touchdowns. Lindenmeyer is fifth on the team with 33 targets but doesn’t have a catch or a target over the last two games. He had a team-high seven catches for 60 yards against Michigan.

Offensive Line

Through 11 games, the Huskers front ranks 16th in the country in pass blocking grade (79.1) and 22nd in pass blocking (68.9) per Pro Football Focus. The offensive line has given up 106 pressures on 388 drop backs (27.3%), which ranks 7th in the Big Ten, just behind Michigan (27.2%). Nebraska ranks 87th in the country in rush yards per game, averaging 136.8 rush yards per contest. Center Justin Evans (74.0) is the highest-graded Huskers blocker, ranking as the 18th-best lineman in the Big Ten. Others to note, right guard Rocco Spindler (69.4) ranks 34th in the conference, while left guard Henry Lutovsky (65.4) ranks 47th. Spindler is rated as the 13th-best pass blocker in the Big Ten and has allowed just five pressures on 334 pass blocking snaps.

CORNHUSKERS DEFENSE

2025 Numbers: 21.5 PPG, 167.5 RUSH, 138.8 PASS, 306.3 TOTAL

Defensive Line

The Nebraska defensive front has regressed from last season in the sack department, ranking 89th in sacks per game (1.73), recording just 19.0 sacks in 11 games. Just three defensive linemen have recorded multiple sacks, with no player tallying more than 2.5 sacks. Against the run, they rank 94th in the country giving up 167.5 yards on the ground per game.

Their edge rusher group has been led by a pair of transfers, Williams Nwaneri (Missouri) and Dasan McCollough (Oklahoma). The former five-star Nwaneri (412 snaps) saw very limited action for the Tigers last season, but made an impact for the Huskers, tallying 27 tackles, 5.0 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks, while he leads the team with 27 quarterback pressures. As for McCollough (336 snaps), he had productive stops at Indiana and Oklahoma before making his way to Lincoln. He’s got 20 tackles, 5.0 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks and is second on the team with 17 quarterback pressures.

The other two names to know at defensive end are junior Cameron Lenhardt (293 snaps) and four-star freshman Kade Pietrzak (218 snaps). Lenhardt has played more snaps, tallying 17 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, one sack and 12 quarterback pressures, but the freshman Pietrzak has been more disruptive. The West Fargo, ND native has totaled just 13 tackles on the season, but has 6.0 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks and 12 quarterback pressures.

On the interior of the defensive line, sophomore Keona Davis (334 snaps) has been the most productive. He has tallied 29 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and leads the interior players with 12 stops (tackles that constitute a “failure” for the offense). Former Texas A&M transfer Elijah Jeudy (384 snaps) has started alongside him, leading the defensive tackles with ten quarterback pressures, while he has 16 tackles and ten stops. The other name to know up front is redshirt sophomore Riley Van Poppel (263 snaps). He’s got 13 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.

Linebackers

The Huskers defense, under defensive coordinator John Butler, run a 3-3-5 defense, although it’s normal two linebackers and a rush defensive end on the field in that alignment. After ranking 17th in the country in scoring defense, Nebraska has taken a slight step back, but still rank 38th, allowing 21.5 points per game.

Sixth-year senior weakside linebacker Javin Wright (472 snaps) is the top tackler on the Huskers defense, averaging 7.4 tackles per game. Coming into this season, Wright had just 94 career tackles, but has tallied 74 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and one interception this season. He has totaled five games with 10+ tackles and leads the Nebraska defense with 26 stops (tackles that constitute a “failure” for the offense). Alongside him, at middle linebacker, is sophomore Vincent Shavers Jr (433 snaps). He’s fourth on the team in tackles (50), while he also has 7.5 tackles for loss and 21 stops. After a slow tackling start, Shavers Jr is averaging 6.3 tackles per game over his last seven, including a season-best nine tackles against Michigan State.

The other name to know at linebacker is Georgia Southern transfer Marques Watson-Trent (242 snaps). At GSU, Watson-Trent recorded three consecutive 100+ tackle seasons, averaging 118.7 tackles per game. He’s been more of a rotational piece for the Huskers, tallying 30 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks, but did have 11 tackles against Minnesota.

Defensive Backs

The Nebraska secondary, through 11 games, has been really solid in the pass coverage department, allowing opponents to complete 58.1% of passes for 1,527 yards (9.85 ypr) and just six touchdowns. They’ve only intercepted six passes, which ranks 96th in the country, but their 86.6 coverage grade ranks 37th in the country per PFF.

For the first time in a couple of games, the Iowa offense will go up against a true CB1, with Idaho transfer Andrew Marshall (568 snaps) having a really impressive season. He has tallied 37 tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss and has one interception, but has very solid coverage numbers. Marshall has allowed just 19 catches on 42 targets for 211 yards (5.02 ypt) and one touchdown. His 45.2% completion percentage allowed is tied for ninth-best in the country amongst corners that have faced 40+ targets this season.

Veteran, fifth-year senior Ceyair Wright (547 snaps) plays the slot corner position for the Nebraska defense. He’s got just 23 tackles this season, but has been decent in coverage, allowing 20 catches on 37 targets for 231 yards (6.24 ypt) and just one touchdown. Wright grabbed two interceptions last season but has not picked off a pass this year. On the other side, redshirt freshman Donovan Jones (536 snaps) is the other corner. He’s fifth on the team with 42 tackles, while he has allowed 22 catches on 30 targets for 247 yards (8.23 ypt) and two touchdowns, but he does have an interception.

Rounding out the Huskers secondary at the safety position, fifth-year senior DeShon Singleton (592 snaps) leads the team in snaps played. He splits his snaps 60-40, with around 40% of his snaps coming in the box and 60% coming as a deep safety/slot corner. Singleton is second on the team in tackles (66) and has 4.0 tackles for loss. In coverage, he has allowed 16 catches on 28 targets for 135 yards (4.82 ypt) and has two interceptions. The other starting corner, three-star freshman Rex Guthrie (447 snaps), is closer to 55-45, with just over 45% of his snaps coming as a box safety. He’s third on the team in tackles (57) and has allowed 18 catches on 25 targets for 201 yards (8.04 ypt) and one touchdown.

SPARTANS SPECIAL TEAMS

Kicker Kyle Cunanan: 13/16 FG, 42/42 PAT, LNG 52

Punter Archie Wilson: 28 punts, 1,118 yards, 39.9 AVG, 12 In20, LNG 58

Kick Returner Kenneth Williams: 12 returns, 395 yards, 32.9 AVG, LNG 95

Punt Returner Jacory Barney Jr: 20 returns, 242 yards, 12.1 AVG, LNG 57

FINAL THOUGHT

Not much needs to be said about this one. It’s Iowa and Nebraska. It doesn’t matter whether both teams are 11-0 or 0-11, both fanbases are talking prior to this one and want to get a win to close out the regular season. Last season had a bit of extra juice after the Huskers opted to not shake hands prior to the game. For Iowa, a win would likely send them to the ReliaQuest Bowl for a matchup against a ranked SEC opponent, while a loss could drop them down to the Las Vegas Bowl or even the Rate Bowl. As for Nebraska, they’re looking to reach eight wins for the first time since 2016 when they won nine games. The last seven in this series have been decided by one score, with a combined 32 points separating the two sides over that span (4.57 ppg).