Nebraska repaid the disrespect against Iowa. Spare us the insincere audacity
IOWA CITY, Iowa – So people are wondering why Nebraska’s captains refused to shake hands before the coin toss at Kinnick Stadium on Friday night.
Let me try to explain. They don’t like Iowa.
Those Nebraska players did not want to show good sportsmanship in the company of that opponent. They didn’t think it was important to respect the game in a series that featured repeated moments of disrespect — in their opinion — perpetrated by the Hawkeyes and directed at Nebraska.
The Huskers aren’t above a small gesture. They are angry. They’ve had enough. And it’s dishonest for the Hawkeyes to act like they don’t understand or like this protest came out of the blue.
Nebraska selects game captains before each kickoff. On Friday, Elliott Brown, Emmett Johnson, MJ Sherman and DeShon Singleton walked to the middle of the field. When the Iowa captains shook hands with the Huskers, a traditional gesture, the four from Nebraska did not move.
Opé 😂
— Hawkeye Football (@HawkeyeFootball) November 30, 2024
“That was a bit weird,” said Iowa linebacker Jay Higgins after the 13-10 win at Iowa.
But still?
Understand that the tradition in this series is for Iowa to rip out the Huskers’ hearts. It happened again on Friday. Defensive lineman Max Llewellyn stripped Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola and recovered his fumble with 20 seconds to play before Drew Stevens scored a 53-yard field goal as time expired to beat the Huskers 13–10.
Imagine getting kicked in the gut over and over again and the bully celebrating in your face. In the past seven years, Iowa has now beaten Nebraska four times on final-second field goals.
Last year, Iowa defensive lineman Ethan Hurkett, amazingly, intercepted Lincoln QB Chubba Purdy in the final 20 seconds and the Hawkeyes won 13-10 on a 38-yard field goal by Marshall Meeder as time expired.
In honor of reclaiming the Freedom Trophy after Nebraska’s only win since 2014 two years ago, Iowa players waved goodbye to the Huskers and their fans and wished them “Merry Christmas” before Nebraska stayed home in the bowl game for the seventh straight year season.
It was painful, second-year Nebraska coach Matt Rhule said last week.
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In 2019, Iowa kicker Keith Duncan hit a 48-yard walk-off field goal at Nebraska, then turned to the home bench, waved his finger and blew kisses at the Huskers.
As the Nebraska players arrived at Kinnick Stadium on Friday and moved to the center of the field to gather as a team in prayer, uniformed police officers guarded the logo.
There will be no meeting on the 50 meter line. Strange that this has become a thing. pic.twitter.com/fFnhloycx0
— Damon Benning (@damonbenning) November 29, 2024
Nebraska didn’t play dirty against Iowa on Friday. It was a clean game, save for the Huskers’ special teams blunders, second-half turnovers and late turnovers.
They didn’t go hunting. They weren’t trying to start a fight or commit personal fouls. These actions, which are common in rivalry matches, are said to have crossed the line of bad sportsmanship.
But a silent protest before the toss as a reminder of the game’s motivation?
Spare us the insincere audacity.
Either Higgins and his teammates chose not to pay attention, or the Hawkeyes knew exactly why Nebraska wanted to send a message that it was done being bullied.
None of the Nebraska game captains were made available to the media after a loss.
And the problem is that the strategy backfired on the Huskers.
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Nebraska dominated much of the game. It pitched a shutout until late in the third quarter, when Iowa could only kick a field goal after recovering a muffed punt at the Nebraska 4-yard line. The Huskers held Iowa to 20 yards and one first down in the first half – and a paltry five first downs in the game.
But Kaleb Johnson raced for 72 yards, 44 percent of the Hawkeyes’ output, on the first play of the fourth quarter to even the score and predict Nebraska’s inevitable collapse.
“Very similar to last year and probably years before that,” Rhule said. “We found a way to ultimately lose the game.”
Rhule said he was extremely disappointed with the finish. He said he was angry.
“Thanks to them,” said the coach. “Those guys, they’ve been winning for a long time. They believe. They make the plays to the end. We have to catch them.”
The Huskers lost five games this year at 6-6 by a total of 29 points.
In four games, against Ohio State, UCLA, USC and Iowa, they committed turnovers at the end with enough time to win or even score. And in the fifth, Raiola missed an open receiver in the end zone that would have given the Huskers the lead before Illinois won in overtime.
Nebraska will accept a bowl invitation for the first time since 2016 next weekend. The season isn’t over yet. But it’s defined by these late-game miscues.
“One game doesn’t define us,” senior defensive lineman Ty Robinson said.
No. But five does.
After last season, when the Huskers lost four games by field goal and a fifth in overtime, they created a mantra: “Chasing 3.” Nebraska built its offseason regimen and motivational foundation around the bid to improve by three points.
The irony was thick in the cold Kinnick air on Friday.
“We had to do what they did,” Rhule said.
He said he doesn’t believe in bad luck. “We just have to get better.”
Raiola said he “couldn’t be more proud” of the progress Nebraska has made since Week 1.
“Losing like this doesn’t do justice to all the success and progress we’ve made as a team,” the freshman QB said.
But progress is largely measured by victories. Against Iowa, Nebraska has one win in the past decade.
The pre-game gesture on Friday, while not an insult to the sport of football or anything more than a turnaround against Iowa, rang hollow.
In the end, when it always mattered for Nebraska against Iowa, the Huskers fell short again.
“It should probably bother people a little bit,” Rhule said.
Don’t worry, people are affected by it.
(Photo: Jeffrey Becker / Imagn images)
