For the second week in a row, the Iowa football team doesn’t know who its opponent will start at quarterback.

Last week, Will Levis got the start for Penn State against Iowa, although he was benched in favor of Sean Clifford in the second half. Clifford threw two touchdowns on his first two attempts, but then the Hawkeye defense settled in and picked him off twice in the fourth quarter to seal Iowa’s 41-21 victory in State College.

Ahead of Black Friday’s Heroes Game matchup at Kinnick Stadium, Nebraska head coach Scott Frost hasn’t committed to either Luke McCaffrey or Adrian Martinez starting this week, saying the starting job is open for competition.

Martinez started the first two games of the season for the 1-3 Cornhuskers, while McCaffrey has been at the helm the last two weeks.

Combined, the two Nebraska quarterbacks have thrown two touchdowns and six interceptions this season. But McCaffrey (318 rushing yards) and Martinez (195) are Nebraska’s top two leading rushers.

“It’s just one of those deals where there’s just a lot of pressure on your defense at every position,” Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz said on a video conference Tuesday. “Because both these quarterbacks can run. They can get outside and throw it, they can get outside and run it, and that makes it a big challenge for us.”

Martinez started against Iowa in the last two meetings between the teams. In 2018, he threw for 260 yards, ran for 76, and accounted for three total touchdowns. Last year, the Hawkeye defense contained the dual-threat quarterback, holding Martinez to only 50 passing yards and 44 rushing yards.

Both games ended with last-second, game-winning field goals for Iowa.

“It’s a trophy game, so that’s always big,” center Tyler Linderbaum said. “I know the Iowa fans and the Nebraska fans get into it. But it’s another Big Ten game. They haven’t beat us in a while so we’re going to have to be ready to go. They’re gonna give us their best shot. It all starts with how we prepare this week and come out on Friday.”

Iowa has won its last five games against Nebraska, and is favored by double-digits heading into this year’s edition of the trophy game.

“With our state, and the love we get from our fans, you kind of feel some sense of responsibility when we’re playing against these guys,” defensive tackle Daviyon Nixon said. “To go out there and play your best and try to win.”

Nixon’s phone is still blowing up following highlight reel play

Nixon has been an All-Big Ten caliber performer on Iowa’s defensive line all season long, but after his 71-yard interception return for a touchdown against Penn State last weekend, the defensive tackle is receiving a new level of recognition.

“My phone has yet to stop buzzing on Twitter and Instagram,” Nixon said. “I’ve gotten so many new followers. People will just tell me they’re huge fans of mine and love how I play and love how I carry myself. I’m just happy that I’m making more people than I even know proud of what I’m doing and what I’m becoming as a person and a football player.”

The touchdown was Nixon’s first at any level of football. After picking off Clifford, Nixon made a move on the Penn State quarterback and outran every Nittany Lion player on his way to the end zone.

Star Iowa men’s basketball player Luka Garza noticed and appreciated Nixon’s euro step during the play.

Nixon joked that he’d have to use the strength of his 305-pound frame if he went one-on-one with the 6-foot-11 center on the hardwood.

“I would have to keep the ball in the paint as much as possible and see what I could do there,” Nixon said.

Kyler Schott returns to offensive line rotation after injury

Offensive guard Kyler Schott should be back on the field for the Hawkeyes this week after missing the last three games with an injury. Quarterback Spencer Petras — perhaps unintentionally — wore a sweatshirt fit for the occasion on Tuesday.

Petras appeared on a Zoom conference with a “Schott Squad” sweatshirt that had a star on Schott’s home town of Coggon and Schott’s No. 64 on the back of it.

“I think it was a game last year, I saw his whole family wearing them as I was walking back from the stadium,” Petras said. “I shot him a text that night saying. ‘Hey, how do I get one?’ I think I sent him like $20 or whatever it was, and a couple weeks later I got it.

“He helps me out, I help him out a little bit. Help spread the word about the Schott Squad. It’s a really warm hoodie and it was snowing out this morning. Then I realized I had media so I figured I’d leave it on. Give him some good press.”

Ferentz said Tuesday that Schott — Iowa’s starter at right guard the first two weeks of the season — will be back in Iowa’s offensive guard rotation this week, but he will not start.

“I don’t know what kind of condition he’s in right now,” Ferentz said. “We’ll just have to see how that goes. But at least we’re gonna get him back into the mix.”

In other offensive line news, Ferentz said right tackle Coy Cronk — another starter at the beginning of the season who has missed the last three games because of an injury — “might have a chance” to play this week.

Mark Kallenberger has started in Cronk’s spot the last three games. Kallenberger missed a portion of the Penn State game with an injury of his own, and Ferentz described him as being a “bit hobbled.”

Jack Plumb took over for Kallenberger last week, and will start this week if needed.

“Jack’s the next guy in,” Ferentz said. “Thought he did a nice job. Went in there for a lot of snaps but he did a good job when he was in there. Any bit of playing time is valuable for guys that haven’t played a lot.”