When Iowa football last played Nebraska, the stakes and situation were in a different stratosphere. Needing a win over the then-3-8 Cornhuskers at Kinnick Stadium to finish atop the Big Ten West, the Hawekyes faced immediate adversity. On just the fourth play of Nebraska’s opening drive, Cooper DeJean went down with an injury and did not return. 

That same drive, Nebraska scored a touchdown on an 87-yard pass from quarterback Casey Thompson to receiver Trey Palmer, who finished that November afternoon with 165 yards and two scores. After that highlight, it was all downhill from there for the Hawkeyes, snapping their four-game win streak and their seven-year reign with the Heroes Trophy. 

This time around, Thompson and Palmer are both gone, having fled for the east coast in Florida Atlantic University and the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers, respectively. Cooper DeJean is also on the shelf with an ailment, but that occurred more than a week prior to the upcoming contest. 

And this year, no Big Ten West title will be on the line, as Iowa clinched the division trophy last week with a win over Illinois. Yet in the words of Hawkeye left tackle Mason Richman  “there’s no downside to winning” another game. 

“We’re really competitive, and we want to go out there and compete and win,” he said at Tuesday’s media availability. “Obviously, in a trophy game like this, there’s no reason not to play hard.” 

A win over the Huskers would give Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz his fourth 10-win regular season at the helm of the Hawkeyes. That sought-after triumph will have to come against a Nebraska team that is on the brink of bowl eligibility, having not earned six wins since 2015. 

Under new head coach Matt Rhule, the Huskers don’t exactly have a potent offense. They are tied for 113th in the nation in terms of total offense and have started three quarterbacks this season, their most since 2013. Starting the majority of the time has been second-year Heinrich Haarberg, who has gone 5-3 in his eight starts and is top-three in the Big Ten with 12.6 yards per completion. 

In the passing game, Haarberg has completed less than half of his passes and has not eclipsed 1,000 yards on the season, but he is strong in the ground game. He is the Huskers’ leading rusher with 477 yards and five touchdowns. In his Week 11 start against Maryland, he suffered an ankle injury, where he was replaced by junior Jeff Sims, who was under center for Nebraska’s first two games of the season. 

After throwing two interceptions against the Terrapins, Sims was subbed out for second-year Chubba Purdy in the Huskers’ next game against Wisconsin. The younger brother of Iowa State alum and current San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, Chubba completed 65.2 percent of his passes against the Badgers while dashing for 104 yards. 

Iowa cornerback Jermari Harris said he took note of Chubba Purdy’s prowess in the ground game, especially his 55-yard touchdown run. But with Haarberg recovering and Rhule yet to decide on which of the trio will start against the Hawkeyes, Harris isn’t lacking in his preparation. 

“Very athletic quarterback,” Harris said of Chubba Purdy. “Make sure we have our eyes on him to help the guys up front and keep him contained … But we’re watching tape on all three quarterbacks … They all do similar things but are just a little bit different with each … key in on minor details to help us win that ballgame.” 

As for Nebraska’s defense, first-year defensive coordinator Tony White has introduced a 3-3-5 scheme to help the Huskers hold their opponents to less than 20 points per game this season while also ranking third in the Big Ten with 31 sacks. 

According to Iowa quarterback Deacon Hill, Nebraska’s scheme is similar to that of Iowa State, so film from the Hawkeyes’ Week 2 matchup will come in handy. Nevertheless, Nebraska’s alignment is never constant, as its coverages in the secondary and number of defensive linemen at the line of scrimmage will vary. 

After not achieving better than a 42.9 percent completion rate over his four starts in the Black and Gold, Hill has now completed 65.5 percent of his passes over his last three contests. 

“I think I’m just more in tune with the offense,” Hill said. “I think, obviously, I’ve grown a little bit, and I’m starting to be a little more calm out there. But it’s more just trusting what I’m doing out there. Trusting myself that I can go out there and do it has been the biggest difference.” 

Injury Report 

As has been the case for the past two games, Ferentz said both backup guard Beau Stephens and receiver Diante Vines will not play on Friday. As for center Logan Jones, who has not started in each of the Hawkeyes’ last two games, is not a “realistic option” to play Friday or in the Big Ten Championship next week, per Ferentz.