Iowa Football: Hawkeyes have no problem with Nebraska in Week 13
By Dana Becker
In a year filled with ups-and-downs, Iowa football concluded the regular season with a convincing victory over Nebraska Saturday, 56-14.
With the to Big Ten teams tied at 14-all entering the third quarter, it was the Hawkeyes (7-5, 4-5 Big Ten) who came out firing on all cylinders first. Iowa and head coach Kirk Ferentz out-classed the Cornhuskers, scoring 28 points in during the 15-minute period.
Akrum Wadley had a pair of rushing touchdowns, James Butler added another and Nate Stanley hit Noah Fant for a 68-yard touchdown strike.
Wadley finished the game with 159 yards and three touchdowns, Ivory Kelly-Martin ran for 90 and a score, and Stanley completed 13 of 20 for 192 with two touchdowns. Fant had himself a career-day, catching three passes for 116 yards and both Stanley scores.
How bad did it get for the Nebraska defense? Four different Iowa backs hit the end zone, as the team ran for 313 yards.
After a disappointing Senior Day last week in a loss to Purdue, Wadley now has five games of at least 100 yards rushing, and will have the chance to go over the 1,000-yard mark for a second consecutive season when Iowa plays in a bowl game later this year.
The contest was likely the last for Nebraska (4-8, 3-6 Big Ten) head coach Mike Riley, as he is expected to be terminated. Several thousand Husker fans exited the stadium during the horrendous third quarter of action.
A former defensive juggernaut in the world of college football, Nebraska has allowed at least 42 points five times this year, including 110 in losses to Minnesota and Penn State entering this week.
The Husker offense wasn’t much better in this one, as Iowa doubled them up in first downs, forced two turnovers and held the unit to under 300 yards of total offense. Nebraska finished the game with just 67 yards rushing on 21 carries.
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Where does Nebraska go from here? They were 9-4 last year, playing in the Music City Bowl vs. Tennessee — also a team not headed to the postseason this year. The Huskers have lost 11 of their last 15 games overall after starting last season 7-0.