[3:30 PM] #16 Nebraska @ Iowa

Who will WIN this matchup?

#16 Nebraska Cornhuskers (9-2)

@ Iowa Hawkeyes (7-4)

 

• If being without its top quarterback wasn’t enough of a problem, No. 15 Nebraska enters its regular-season finale Friday at Iowa facing the real possibility of being without its top two signal-callers in a game it needs to keep its slim Big Ten Championship game hopes alive. Tommy Armstrong Jr. was sidelined with a hamstring injury for the Cornhuskers’ 28-7 victory over Maryland last weekend, while backup Ryker Fyfe underwent surgery this week after breaking a bone in his left wrist.

• Recent history does not favor the Hawkeyes, however, as Nebraska has defeated them in each of its last three trips to Kinnick Stadium and the visiting team has won the last four meetings overall.

• Should Armstrong and Fyfe be unable to play Friday, the Cornhuskers could be forced to turn to third-string sophomore Zack Darlington, who was once a top-15 dual-threat quarterback in high school before making the transition to receiver last spring and has split first-team reps with Armstrong this week. Jordan Westerkamp finished with a season-high eight catches for 85 yards and a touchdown against Maryland, moving him within 55 yards of Johnny Rodgers (2,479) for second place on the school’s all-time list. Terrell Newby has run for 707 of his team-high 825 yards during conference play – including 364 in the fourth quarter alone – scored a career-high three touchdowns last weekend and is 175 yards shy of turning in the 36th 1,000-yard rushing season in school history.

• With 82 and 159 yards last week, respectively, Akrum Wadley (861) and LeShun Daniels, Jr. (855) became the third set of running backs in program history to have 800-plus rushing yards in the same season. Cornerback/returner Desmond King collected his 13th career interception versus Illinois and is the only Big Ten player in the last 20 years with at least 12 interceptions and 1,500-plus combined kickoff/punt yards.

• The Cornhuskers have gone two straight games without a turnover for the first time since 2003.

 

StreakSmarts Pick: Iowa Hawkeyes

Confidence: 4/10

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