Iowa vs. Nebraska: Keys to victory, HuskerOnline score predictions for Friday

Nebraska will try to win in Lincoln against Iowa for the first time since 2011, when the two teams square off for the 15th annual Heroes Trophy Game.

As things get closer to kickoff, here are today’s keys to a Husker victory over the Hawkeyes.

NU enters today’s game against Iowa as a 6-point underdog. Kickoff for Friday’s game is set for 11 a.m. CT on CBS.

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KEYS TO VICTORY: Iowa vs. Nebraska

KEY 1: Get TJ Lateef involved early

One thing about the Penn State game plan I didn’t like was that it didn’t really involve QB TJ Lateef and his legs early. I would love to see Dana Holgorsen come out with a few plays on the opening drive to utilize Lateef and his mobility to get Iowa’s defense out of balance.

KEY 2: Get off blocks in the run game

Last week at Penn State, Nebraska’s defense had assignment busts, and they didn’t do a good job of getting off blocks in the run game. If that happens against Iowa, it could be a long Black Friday for Huskers fans. NU needs to play with much better technique and discipline against the run game today.

KEY 3: Be creative with Emmett Johnson

The best offensive football player on the field today is running back Emmett Johnson. Iowa is fully prepared for him to get 20 to 25 offensive touches. It will be important for Holgorsen to be creative in how he gets the football to Johnson.

KEY 4: Limit Gronowski’s run in the red zone

Meanwhile, Iowa’s best offensive weapon is its quarterback, Mark Gronowski. Between designed runs and scrambles, he’s been averaging between eight and 10 runs per game, and he’s carried it as many as 12 times in a game this season. Last week against Michigan State was the only game this season in which Gronkowski did not score a rushing touchdown. He has 13 of the Hawkeyes’ 22 rushing touchdowns on the year.

KEY 5: Finish

Each of the last two seasons under head coach Matt Rhule, Nebraska has had the ball in the fourth quarter with a chance to beat Iowa. In 2023, Chubba Purdy threw an interception that allowed a game-winning field goal to happen for Iowa. In 2024, the Hawkeyes forced a strip sack on Dylan Raiola to set up a game-winning field goal. You have to think it’s going to be something similar this year. The Huskers must finish today.

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Expert takes

Sean Callahan – HuskerOnline Publisher

Matt Rhule wants this football game. You could see it in his eyes throughout the week, how locked in he is and what this game means for the 2025 season. TJ Lateef’s legs will give Iowa problems, and the Hawkeye ground game is not nearly as good as what the Huskers saw last week at Penn State in terms of NFL talent at running back. Nebraska figures out a way to pull off the upset.

Nebraska 23, Iowa 20

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Steven Sipple – HuskerOnline columnist

Less than a week after Penn State hammered Nebraska with 231 rushing yards on 5.9 yards per carry, the Huskers face a team in Iowa that is statistically better than the Nittany Lions as a rushing outfit. How well will Nebraska hold up? Iowa is awfully physical and very comfortable in close games, as Matt Rhule pointed out this week. This will be another close one.

Iowa 27, Nebraska 21

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Robin Washut – HuskerOnline senior writer

In what is arguably the most important game yet of the Matt Rhule era, Nebraska will have its hands full against rival Iowa today. I don’t like NU’s matchup in stopping Iowa’s outside zone and QB run game. I also worry about TJ Lateef facing a Hawkeye defense that makes you earn everything and baits you into mistakes. This one will come down to the wire, and, like usual, I think Iowa finds a way to steal it at the end.

Iowa 27, Nebraska 24

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Andy Kendeigh – KETV ABC-Omaha

The difference between 8-4 versus 7-5 will come down to two things for Nebraska, winning special teams and stopping the run.   The Huskers are greatly improved on special teams and must contain the best return man in the country and Iowa’s biggest weapon in Kaden Wetjen.  If they can and if they can make enough stops, Nebraska will go bowling in the Sunshine State.

Nebraska 13, Iowa 11

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Jim Rose – 1110 KFAB Radio-Omaha

Progress is a squishy word around Lincoln these days.  Some evidence of a program on the rise exists only to be tampered with by performances like last Saturday night at Penn St. Think about it: The Cincy win is losing luster by the week, MSU pushed ‘em around for 2 ½ quarters, Michigan, USC were dud performances, the NW game was won with an interception and a kick return; and I still can’t process what the f—k happened at Minnesota.  Seems though all would be forgiven with a win over the neighbors who have been anything but neighborly winning 9 of the last 10 meetings. I think it’ll happen cuz we’ll get some big plays if we try ‘em.  

Nebraska 24, Iowa 17

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Mike’l Severe – Big Red Wrap-Up

You may ask yourself, how will the Huskers beat a team that’s greatest strength appears to be Nebraska’s biggest weakness. Iowa runs outside zone at one of the highest rates in the B1G and Nebraska has allowed a 16.2% big play rate vs that run concept (that’s crazy). So here is your answer, most of these matchups come down to a late drive and a special teams success or failure. Nebraska has already shown they can win late possession games this season and the ST is greatly improved. If NU can just limit the explosive plays (BTW Iowa is 17th in the B1G in 20+ and 30+ yard plays) and not make a mistake on special teams they will squeeze out an 8th win.   

Nebraska 17, Iowa 13

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HuskerOnline Week 14 Score Predictions

Week 14	Sean Callahan	Steven Sipple	Robin Washut	Andy Kendeigh	Jim Rose	Mike’l Severe
Iowa at Nebraska (+6)	23-20 Nebraska	27-21 Iowa	27-24 Iowa	13-11 Nebraska	24-17 Nebraska	17-13 Nebraska
Ohio State at Michigan (+10)	27-20 Ohio State	24-17 Ohio State	28-17 Ohio State	17-10 Ohio State	35-28 Ohio State	27-10 Ohio State
Oregon at Washington (+6.5)	31-27 Oregon	27-21 Oregon	38-31 Oregon	27-17 Oregon	42-21 Oregon	27-24 Washington
Wisconsin at Minnesota (-1.5)	17-13 Wisconsin	21-20 Wisconsin	14-10 Minnesota	14-10 Wisconsin	20-17 Minnesota	23-20 Wisconsin
Northwestern at Illinois (-7)	27-23 Illinois	34-32 Illinois	30-20 Illinois	24-14 Illinois	28-24 Illinois	31-21 Illinois
Texas A&M at Texas (+2.5)	34-27 Texas A&M	31-28 Texas A&M	35-31 Texas A&M	31-28 Texas	35-31 Texas	28-27 Texas A&M

Overall standings

Picker	Straight Up	Vs. Spread	Cumulative
Robin Washut	58-20	39-39	97
Sean Callahan	55-23	36-42	91
Mike’l Severe	49-29	41-37	90
Jim Rose	52-26	38-40	90
Steven Sipple	49-29	36-42	85
Andy Kendeigh	48-30	36-42	84

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Sean Callahan can be reached at [email protected] and is heard daily at 6:45 am and 5:05 pm on Big Red Radio 1110 KFAB in Omaha during the football season. He can also be seen on KETV Channel 7 in Omaha during the fall, and each week, he appears on Nebraska Public Media’s Big Red Wrap-Up Tuesdays at 7 pm.

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