Tuesdays with Torbee

Nebraska is not Iowa’s oldest rivalry (Minnesota.) It’s not the most evenly contested (Wisconsin.) Nor is it the most contentious (Iowa State.) But it definitely best exemplifies the imperative instruction of the Iowa Fight Song.

Come on and cheer until you hear the final gun

The word is “Fight! Fight! Fight!” for Iowa

Until the game is won

For long stretches of the Black Friday tussle against the Cornhuskers, things looked bleak for the shivering black-clad fans of Iowa inside Kinnick Stadium. Big Red dominated the first half, pushing both Iowa lines around in the frigid night air and building a 10-0 lead that felt nearly insurmountable given the impotence of the Iowa offense.

Yet still, the fans cheered every glimmer of competence Iowa, operating with a walk on fourth string quarterback, could muster.

We have seen this script many times against the Cornhuskers: the trick is to keep it close for as long as possible and wait for Nebraska to make inevitable critical mistakes. Their star freshman quarterback did put the ball on the turf a couple times early in the second half, but frustratingly got it back.

At least 10,000 or so Husker fans made the holiday drive to Iowa City, and they were not being shy, chanting GO BIG RED! loudly from their section way up in the northeast corner of the stadium.

Still, the Iowa fans kept up a steady roar, wanting to will their team to do something, ANYTHING to turn the game around.

Fittingly, fortunes turned on a punt. A Rhys Dakin boomer high into the freezing black sky seemed to flummox the Nebraska returner, who initially lunged at the ball as it caromed off the field in front of the 10-yard line, then dove away from it in panic. As it rolled toward the goal line, fellow Husker Vincent Shavers Jr. reached for and grazed the pigskin, believing it had been muffed, only to lose the ensuing possession battle to Hawkeye John Nestor.

From that point on, the crowd could sense Iowa momentum and more than a decade of blown opportunities, boneheaded mistakes and last second gut punches weighing on the visitors.

Much has been written in the aftermath of the game about how Nebraska thoroughly dominated Iowa. While that is arguably true for the first 30 minutes of game time, I’d urge you to rewatch the second half. The Iowa defensive line consistently destroyed the edge of the Nebraska o-line, putting pressure on Raiola on nearly every drop back. The secondary also hung tough, sticking to Nebraska wide receivers and making passing windows tiny.

Iowa quarterback Jackson Stratton was not asked to do much more than hand the ball off, make simple throws and above all protect the ball. He did an admirable job. Then it was only a matter of time for the best player and highest NFL prospect on the field, Iowa Doak Walker Award finalist Kaleb Johnson to do his thing. Reaching behind him for a slightly wayward swing pass, he ping ponged off at least four hapless Cornhusker defenders then hit turbo boost on his way to a game-tying touchdown.

As the I – O – W – A chant reverberated through the icy evening, the outcome seemed inevitable. The only question remaining was how Iowa was going to break Nebraska’s heart this year.

Now – a true story:

I CALLED the sack and strip fumble! Ask anyone in Section 103, Rows 45-50 – because I called it out loudly one possession before it happened!

Death, taxes and a Cornhusker quarterback giving the ball away to Iowa in a critical fourth down possession are just life certainties. What can I say?

I can’t speak for anyone else, but despite the rock-hard football, the bone-deep chill in the air and the relatively long distance, I had zero doubt Drew Steven’s last second kick was going through the uprights.

Until the final gun, indeed.

The Nebraska game was a great microcosm for a flawed-but-fun 2024 Iowa team. Inconsistency prevented it from being a player in the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff, but no one can doubt its grittiness, heart and ability to overcome adversity.

The future of this game we all love is very much fluid and changing. Where the Hawkeyes will fit in this new ecosystem remains to be seen. But in football, grinding and working and avoiding mistakes regardless of the calamities occurring around you will always be a winning formula. And that is reason for optimism.

Follow me on X @torybrecht and the 12 Saturdays podcasts @12Saturdays.