The Nebraska Cornhuskers are ranked 14th in the nation and have been one of the most impressive teams in college football this year.
The team is 9-2 on the season and will clinch a spot in the conference title game against Ohio State with a win against the Iowa Hawkeyes on the road at Kinnick Stadium on Saturday. Nebraska has gone 6-1 in the Big Ten and enters the game on a five-game winning streak, including an emphatic 23-9 victory over then-22 ranked Michigan on Oct. 27.
Nebraska had a short week to prepare for the Iowa game after playing Minnesota last Saturday.
"The challenge is going to be to come back in a short week and be ready to go on the road and put ourselves in position to finish off the second half of the year the way we want to," said coach Bo Pelini to the Associated Press.
Taylor Martinez has been impressive for the Cornhuskers, throwing for 2,420 yards and 21 touchdowns with only eight interceptions. He has also rushed for 792 yards and eight touchdowns. The junior was excellent last Saturday in the team's 38-14 win against Minnesota, throwing for 308 yards and two touchdowns.
Nebraska has been hampered by slow starts in their conference victories, but had an early explosion against Minnesota, scoring on four of its first six possessions.
"We've been coming out slow the past four or five weeks and giving people heart attacks," said wide receiver Kenny Bell. "It was big for us to get into our game faster to throw them off. We came out strong.
The sophomore was stellar against Minnesota, making a career-high nine receptions for 136 yards and two scores.
The Cornhuskers have been one of the most explosive rushing teams in the nation this season, rushing for over 250 yards per game. The team is also averaging nearly 40 points per game and has scored less than 30 points just three times this season, including in a close 28-24 win against Michigan State on Nov. 3.
The team is second in the Big Ten conference in scoring with 37.5 points per game and is only allowing 24 points per contest. The Cornhuskers are gaining nearly 500 total yards per game and have gone only 2-2 on the road this season.
Last year Nebraska went 9-4 and finished third place in the Big Ten Legends division with a 5-3 record. The team was invited to the Capital One Bowl where they lost to South Carolina 30-13.
According to the Associated Press, the Cornhuskers "haven't won six in a row since opening 11-0 in 2001."
Iowa has had a tough season under long-time head coach Kirk Ferentz and is only 2-5 in the Big Ten.
The team has lost five-straight conference games, including a 42-17 loss to then-No. 21 Michigan last Saturday. Iowa struggled on defense and were outgained 513-309 in total yards.
"Clearly not a lot of positives on our side of the ball," Ferentz said. "We will go back to work ... on a short week here and see what we can do about getting ready for the next game."
The Hawkeyes haven't won a game since last month's 19-16 double-overtime victory against Michigan State on the road.
"We have a lot of respect for their program ... they're gonna play hard, there's a tremendous amount of pride and tradition in that program. It's their Senior Day, there's a lot of things that are going into it for them," Pelini said.
The Iowa rush defense will be a focus for both teams on Friday. Nebraska is the best rushing team in the nation, while the Hawkeyes have allowed over 200 rushing yards over their five-game losing streak.
The Hawkeyes will focus on Nebraska running back Ameer Abdullah, who has been one of the most explosive players in the nation, rushing for 1,021 yards and eight touchdowns this season.
"Remember the old cartoon 'Mighty Mouse?' That's him," running backs coach Ron Brown said. "He's Mighty Mouse, man. He's a muscled up little guy who has a big, giant heart and runs like a bear. He's a versatile guy and he has great mental toughness."
Iowa started the season with a close 18-17 victory over Northern Illinois, but lost two of the nest three games, including a 9-6 defeat against Iowa State at home. The best stretch for the Hawkeyes came with back-to-back wins against Minnesota and Michigan State in the middle of the season, but the team has lost five-straight since.
According to the Associated Press, "Iowa hasn't dropped six in a row since closing the 1999 season with eight defeats."
Last year Iowa went 7-6 and finished fourth place in the Big Ten Leaders division with a 4-4 record. The team played in the Insight Bowl for the second consecutive year and lost to Oklahoma 41-13
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