The Nebraska Cornhuskers take on the Iowa Hawkeyes on Friday in a contest that will be nationally televised by ABC. The game is set for an 11:00a.m. kickoff at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln. Nenbraska comes in with a record of 8-3, while Iowa enters with a 7-4 mark on the season.
The Hawkeyes are coached by Kirk Ferentz, who is 96-64 in his career at Iowa. The Hawkeyes have a talented quarterback in James Vandenberg (6-foot-3, 212 pounds, Junior.). He is a pure pocket passer. On the season Vandenberg completes 61 percent of his passes for 239 yards per game. On the season he has 23 touchdown passes and only five interceptions. If Vandenberg performs well then the Blackshirts may be in trouble.
The running game starts and ends with Marcus Coker (6-0, 230, So.). He averages 118 yards a game with 14 touchdowns. Coker is a downhill runner that is strongest between the tackles. As a team Iowa averages less than 148 yards per game, so if Coker is held in check the Hawkeyes do not run the football.
Iowa has the best receiver in the Big Ten Conference. Marvin McNutt (6-4, 215, Sr.) may be one of the premiere receivers in the country. McNutt has 74 catches for 113 yards per game and 12 touchdowns. Keenan Davis (6-3, 215, Jr.) follows with 41 grabs for 596 yards this season and four scores. McNutt will likely see a great deal of Alfonzo Dennard while the rest of the secondary must be aware of Davis. The Hawkeye receivers are the deepest part of the Iowa offensive attack.
Iowa is typically known for being a good squad along the offensive line. Over the years this has been a strength for Coach Ferentz. This season the Hawkeyes average nearly 6-5 and 291 pounds per man from tackle to tackle. Iowa has a small offensive line, but the coaches' son James (6-2, 284, Jr.) does a good job for his size. He may remind Husker fans of Mike Caputo.
Defensively Iowa is better than a 7-4 football team. Two linebackers lead the way. Christian Kirksey (6-2, 215, So.) is the team leader with 93 total tackles, while sophomore James Morris (6-2, 227) is right behind with 92. Up front senior Mike Daniels (6-1, 280) adds 52 tackles with six sacks, and defensive end Broderick Binns (6-2, 261, Sr.) also adds 52 tackles with five sacks. Binns is a tough matchup for most offensive linemen in the Big Ten Conference. The best player in the secondary is Omaha native Shaun Prater (5-11, 185, Sr.) at cornerback. Iowa as a team gives up 234 yards per game passing and 154 yards per contest on the ground.
The Iowa special teams have a fine kicker in Mike Meyer (6-2, 180, So.). He has made 70 percent (14 of 20) of his field goals with a long of 50 yards. Punter Eric Guthrie (6-6, 245, Sr.) may be the biggest punter in all of college football. He averages just under 41 yards per punt. Jordan Bernstine (5-11, 205, So.) a starter at strong safety has some quickness as a kickoff returner, while Micah Hyde, (6-1, 190, Jr.) a starter at corner back handles punt returns.
Nebraska needs to play well early to defeat Iowa. If the Hawkeyes get out front early this will be a tough opponent to put away in the second half. The Huskers have some injuries on both sides of the line that impacts the team depth. On Senior Day Nebraska will respond with a 31-23 win over Iowa.
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