Kirk Ferentz details history of Iowa football vs. Nebraska rivalry

This Friday sees another edition of the Iowa Hawkeyes versus the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the Heroes Trophy Game. As so many have been in the past, this one is expected to be a nail-biter that is close until the very end. That's what this game has become and what has made it become one of the Big Ten's most well-known rivalries lately.

Ahead of kickoff, Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz was asked about the history of the rivalry, the intensity it has gained, and how he motivates his players, while also letting them have a little edge for the rivalry.

"I can't speak for our players, but I think it's probably more fans than players. I'm old enough to remember when I got here in the '80s. The western side of our state was basically Nebraska territory.

"It's two-fold. They really had it rolling back then, Bob Devaney and Tom Osborne. Then the flip side of it is we didn't have it rolling. That's back when printed newspapers were really big. I think whatever the Nebraska paper might have been that was prominent in western Iowa, 712 area code, that type of deal. So if you were up in Sioux City, you're in enemy territory basically.

"Coach Fry was able to balance that out a little bit, both success on the field, but also he worked really hard in-state recruiting. Even going around now, people out in western Iowa, they are either in one camp or the other. Fortunately, we have more in our camp than we used to.

"Yeah, it's part of what I think makes conference football pretty cool. We weren't in the conference for so many years. Now that we have been, I think it's probably been more engrained now now that we're past that 2010, 2012 time period and what have you.

"Week to week there are so many games here that are all tough, and this one is going to be another tough one. That's really where we try to keep our focus," Kirk Ferentz said about Iowa's rivalry against Nebraska.

The Iowa and Nebraska rivalry has been one of runs. The Nebraska Cornhuskers lead the all-time series 30-22-2, which is fueled largely by massive success in the early 1900s, the 1910s, and the 1930s.

Since this rivalry was rekindled upon Nebraska joining the Big Ten, the Hawkeyes have dominated. Iowa has won nine of the last 10 matchups dating back to 2015.

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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Kirk Ferentz details history of Iowa football vs. Nebraska rivalry