Iowa Hawkeyes vs. Nebraska Cornhuskers – Betting Preview
The Nebraska Cornhuskers continue to chug along without their starting quarterback and will get the chance to prove that they belong in a big-time bowl game on Friday afternoon when they host an improved Iowa Hawkeyes team in front of a national audience.
Iowa Hawkeyes (7-4) at Nebraska Cornhuskers (8-3)
Date: Friday, November 29, 2013
Time: 12:00 PM ET
Venue: Memorial Stadium
City: Lincoln, Nebraska
Spread: Nebraska -3
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Nebraska had a tougher time than they would have liked at Penn State in their last game, but the team did come away with a 23-20 win in overtime.
Running back Ameer Abdullah keyed the team’s offense, rushing 25 times for 147 yards, good for a 5.9 yard per carry average, adding two receptions for 18 yards. His big day was needed as the team’s passing game wasn’t overly effective. Quarterback Ron Kellogg III completed 20 of 34 passes for just 191 yards and a touchdown.
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The team also got a big boost from receiver Kenny Bell who returned a kickoff 99 yards to the house.
The Nebraska defense didn’t have the kind of day worth writing home about, but they did get the job done. Penn State running back Zach Zwinak’s 149 yards look impressive, but he needed 35 totes to get there, averaging just 4.3 yards per carry, never gaining more than 11 yards on a single run.
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The team also held Christian Hackenberg to a completion percentage below 50 percent, holding him to 217 yards.
Iowa’s last win looks an awful lot better on paper and will probably be remembered a little more fondly somewhere down the line than it does at the moment given Michigan’s current struggles, but the team has a lot to be proud of from their 24-21 win.
The Hawkeyes were down 14 points at the break but would score the final 17 points of the game and hold the Wolverines off the scoreboard in the second half to complete their comeback. Quarterback Jake Rudock completed 19 of 30 passes for 239 yards and two touchdowns, adding 22 yards on the ground, but he was picked off three times.
The team’s defense stepped up in a big way. Seven of Michigan’s points came on an early pick-six, and the Hawkeyes limited the Wolverines to just 158 yards of offense in the contest.
The Hawkeyes have a lot to be proud of given the improvements they’ve made this season, but when taking the step up in class, they’ve crumbled.
Wins over Northwestern and Michigan don’t look nearly as impressive given the current landscape of the Big Ten, so their 4-3 record inside the conference could use some work.
As for Nebraska, the absence of Taylor Martinez certainly hurts their offense, but they continue to churn out yards on the ground, and should be able to do so again in this one.
The play: Nebraska -3
