JPinICFri, November 28, 2025 at 12:31 PM UTC·3 min readWhile the rest of us are still slipping into our comfy pants and unpacking the leftovers from what was hopefully a delicious Thanksgiving meal, the Iowa Hawkeyes are set to take the field for the final time in the regular season.
The Hawkeyes are on the road for this Black Friday matchup with the Nebraska Cornhuskers. The Huskers, like Iowa, come into the day at 7-4 on the season, but are fresh off a humbling road loss to Penn State.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIowa has won each of the last two matchups by a final score of 13-10 and have tallied four game-winning field goals over the last seven meetings. They haven’t lost in Lincoln since the first year the Huskers joined the conference back in 2011.
This season’s version of the Huskers finds themselves bouncing up and down the roller coaster and searching for a new identity as they wrap up the regular season. For much of the year, Nebraska was a reflection of their signal-caller – a pocket-passing Patrick Mahomes cosplayer with a big arm and experience in the system. But Dylan Raiola is out for the remainder of the season and potentially headed for the portal with younger brother Dayton officially decommitted.
In his absence, backup TJ Lateef has started two games, throwing for 392 yards and two TDs while rushing 45 yards and another TD on the ground. But it really has been a tale of two games for Lateef, who had more than half those yards and all the passing TDs in Nebraska’s win over UCLA. Against Penn State, he threw for 187 yards on 21 of 37 passing (57% completion percentage) with no TDs through the air.
His rushing ability certainly brings a new dimension for the Iowa defense to defend they wouldn’t otherwise have to contend with in Raiola, but Lateef’s decision making and downfield passing ability is a step below that of Raiola and may present an opportunity for Phil Parker to get into his bag, mixing in coverages, disguising looks and bringing pressure against a Nebraska offensive line that has struggled.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Huskers are likely to attempt to lighten the load for Lateef by leaning on their star running back, Emmett Johnson, who is fourth in the nation with 1,234 rushing yards and 11 TDs on the ground. He’s averaging 5.6 yards per carry and has another 348 yards and 3 receiving TDs. Whether the Hawkeyes can slow him down while not allowing a big play from Lateef will go a long way in determining how successful Iowa is today.
On the other side of the ball, Iowa will be looking for a similar recipe as the Huskers. The Hawkeyes have obviously struggled throwing the ball downfield all year, coming into the day at 129th in the nation in passing offense at just under 135 yards per game. Nebraska is 2nd in the nation behind only Ohio State in passing defense, giving up just under 139 yards per game through the air.
Where the Huskers have struggled defensively has been where Iowa has made their hay – on the ground. Nebraska is 93rd in the nation in rush defense, giving up 167 yards per game on the ground. Iowa is averaging 174.5 yards per game rushing.
Put it all together, add in the forecast for a wintry mix that could include 1-3 inches of snow and this one has all the makings of another rock fight that comes down to the wire.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAs we countdown to kickoff, here’s everything you need to know about today’s matchup.
Date: Friday, November 28Time: 11:00 am CTMatchup: Iowa Hawkeyes (7-4, 5-3) at Nebraska Cornhuskers (7-4, 4-4)Location: Memorial Stadium – Lincoln, NETV: CBSUpdated Weather Forecast: cloudy with temps in the upper 20s, 75% chance of wintry mixUpdated FanDuel Line: Iowa -6.5, O/U 38.5
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