WHO: Nebrasks Cornhuskers (6-5, 3-5 Big Ten)

WHEN: 6:30 PM CT (Friday, November 29, 2024)

WHERE: Kinnick Stadium (Iowa City, IA)

TV: NBC (Paul Burmeister, Colt McCoy, Zora Stephenson)

RADIO: Hawkeye Radio Network (Gary Dolphin, Pat Angerer, Rob Brooks) | Sirius/XM 161/195

MOBILE: peacocktv.com

ONLINE: peacocktv.com

FOLLOW: @HawkeyeBeacon | @HawkeyeFootball | @NBCSports | @IowaonBTN

WEATHER: highs in the low 20s, clear skies, winds around 7-8 mph

LINE: Iowa -5.5 (total of 39.5)

Just as it has every year since the Cornhuskers joined the Big Ten in 2011, the annual Iowa-Nebraska game is set for Black Friday. There's a new wrinkle this year, though -- for the first time ever, Iowa-Nebraska will be taking place under the lights, with kickoff set for 6:30 PM CT on Friday night.The first-ever Iowa-Nebraska night game looks to be a cold one if the current forecast holds, though the animosity between these teams ought to provide some heat.

The stakes for this game don't necessarily match the primetime stage for the game; neither team is in contention for either the Big Ten Championship Game or the College Football Playoff. Even bowl eligibility is off the table after Nebraska earned its sixth win of the season for the first time since 2016 last week. This game is just about pride and rivalry vibes.

Nebraska enters the game at 6-5 overall and 3-5 in the Big Ten. The Huskers swept their non-conference slate, including a dominant 28-10 win over Colorado, and started 2-1 in Big Ten play with victories over Purdue and Rutgers. That 5-1 start gave way to a four-game losing streak, though three of those four games were on the road and two were against Top 10-ranked Indiana and Ohio State squads. The Huskers ended their losing skid with a 44-25 win over Wisconsin last weekend.

The big story of the Nebraska offense in 2025 is the addition of Dylan Raiola, a legacy recruit (son of former Husker star Dominic Raiola) as well as a blue-chip quarterback prospect (Rivals' top-ranked QB prospect in 2024, in fact). Raiola is an elite prospect of the sort Nebraska hasn't had in years and he's definitely raised the level of the Husker offense.

He hasn't been an instant sensation, though -- Raiola has completed 231 of 348 (66.4%) of his passes for 2,405 yards (6.9 ypa), with 12 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. In other words, he's definitely looked like a true freshman quarterback at times. Eight of Raiola's 10 interceptions have come in Nebraska's five losses. One other number to note: Nebraska is 4-2 when Raiola passes for at least 200 yards, but only 2-3 when he's been held under 200 yards passing.

Raiola's thrown to a balanced set of targets in the passing game; four Nebraska receivers or tight ends have caught at least 30 receptions (and running back Emmett Johnson has also tallied 29 catches). Freshman receiver Jacory Barney, Jr. (6'0", 170) leads the team in receptions (49), though he ranks third on the team in receiving yards with 402.

Senior receiver Jahmal Banks (6'4", 205), a Wake Forest transfer, leads the team in yards (467), while fellow senior wideout Isaiah Neyor (6'4", 220), a Texas transfer, has been the biggest big-play provider (448 yards on 32 receptions, 14.0 ypc) and scoring threat (5 TD).

Dante Dowdell (6'2", 225), an Oregon transfer, leads the rushing attack with 564 yards and 11 TD on 130 carries (4.34 ypc). Emmett Johnson (5'11", 200) has been his primary backup, with 452 yards and a score on 84 carries (5.38 ypc). The Huskers have also turned to other options to generate action in the run game -- Barney has 130 yards and three rushing touchdowns on just 10 carries, while backup quarterback Heinrich Haarberg has seen action running the ball in eight of 11 games this season, totaling 102 yards and a touchdown on 25 attempts.

Overall, Nebraska's offense has been fine but not exceptional; the Huskers average 25.1 ppg, which ranks 11th in the Big Ten. Like Iowa, the Huskers have a fairly notable home/road split when it comes to scoring the ball -- Nebraska has averaged 29.1 ppg in home games and only 17.8 ppg on the road.

Nebraska ranks 11th in the league in total offense (360.9 ypg) and 15th in yards per play (5.34 ypp). The Huskers are 9th in the Big Ten in passing offense (231.5 ypg) and 12th in the league in rushing offense (129.4 ypg). They rank 12th in the conference in sacks allowed (23.0), 9th in third-down conversion rate (42.3%), and only 16th in red zone conversion rate (35 of 46, or 76%); only 54% of their red zone trips have resulted in touchdowns (14th). Finally, the Huskers haven't produced a ton of explosive plays on offense -- just five plays of 40 yards or longer (Iowa has 11 such plays, by comparison).

Nebraska has also shown improvement on defense this season; the Huskers rank seventh in the league in scoring defense (21.2 ppg). The home/road splits have been notable, though -- 15.7 ppg allowed at home (6th) and 28.8 ppg allowed on the road (14th). The Huskers rank 10th in total defense at 329.2 ypg and 13th in yards per play allowed (5.48 ypp allowed).

The Huskers have been solid against the run this season, allowing 110.9 yard per game, sixth-best in the conference, and just six rushing scores, the third-fewest allowed in the league. Nebraska won't make it easy for Kaleb Johnson to add to his school-record 21 rushing touchdowns this season.

Nebraska is 11th in the conference in passing defense, allowing 218.3 ypg. They've allowed opposing passers to complete 64.4% of their passers (fourth-worst in the league), and the 22 passing touchdowns allowed is the most by any Big Ten defense this year. They have managed to haul in 11 interceptions, fourth-most in the conference.

The Nebraska pass rush has generated 26 sacks, sixth-best in the Big Ten. The Huskers also rank seventh in the conference in third-down defense, allowing conversion on 36.5% of attempts. Nebraska is sixth in red zone defense, permitting opponents to score on 80.8% of attempts (25 of 31), with touchdowns on 19 trips (61.5% conversion rate).

Defensive backs Isaac Gifford and DeShon Singleton lead the team in tackles, with 65 and 62 stops, respectively. Defensive lineman Ty Robinson leads the team in sacks (6.0) and tackles for loss (10.0). Defensive back Malcolm Hartzog, Jr. leads the team in interceptions (4.0), while fellow defensive backs Marques Buford, Jr. and Ceyair Wright lead the team in passes broken up, with five apiece.

Special teams should be an aspect of the game where Iowa has a clear advantage. Nebraska has been average at punting this season (9th in the league, 42.9 ypg) and even less impressive at place kicking; the Huskers are 12th in the conference after converting 70.6% of their field goal attempts (12 of 17).

Nebraska is also last in the league in punt returns (73 yards on 14 returns, 5.2 yards per return) and 13th in kickoff returns (351 yards on 19 returns, 18.5 yards per return). The Huskers have been middling at stifling returns as well; they rank 12th in opponent punt returns (11.3 yards per return) and 15th in opponent kickoff returns (21.8 yards per return).

This has been a series marked by tight games in recent years; the last six games have been decided by one score, with three of those six being won via walk-off field goals. Iowa is 5-1 in those six games, including a 13-10 victory last year. In fact, since Nebraska joined the Big Ten in 2011, nine of the 13 games in this series have been decided by one score; Iowa is 6-3 in those games.

Close games have been a persistent problem for Nebraska during their struggles over the last eight years and they haven't really solved that problem this year, either -- they're just 1-5 in one-score games this season. While Iowa has been good at close games in recent years, the Hawkeyes are 0-2 in such games this year. If this game ends up being another one-score affair, the history of the last few seasons would favor Iowa, but neither team has excelled in those situations this year.

If the kicking game ends up playing a key role in this game -- which it has in several recent Iowa-Nebraska game -- then the Hawkeyes look much better-positioned to take advantage in that area. Rhys Dakin has picked up admirably after the departure of Tory Taylor in the punting department, give or take a few hiccups, while Drew Stevens has been one of the Big Ten's top kickers, making 17 of 20 field goal attempts this year. Kaden Wetjen has been a reliable weapon in the return game as well.

Friday night looks to feature the second straight start from Jackson Stratton at quarterback and he'll likely be asked to produce a performance similar to what he managed against Maryland last week: make the makeable plays, avoid big mistakes (particularly turnovers), and keep he defense honest enough for the run game to do its usual thing. Nebraska's defense will be a stiffer test than the Terrapin defense last Saturday, but Stratton's poised performance offers reason for optimism as well.

Finally, Friday's game isn't just Iowa's final game of the 2024 regular season and the latest iteration of the Heroes Game against Nebraska -- it's also Senior Day for a very large and accomplished group of players. Friday night's game will be the last chance for the likes of Jay Higgins, Nick Jackson, Sebastian Castro, Deontae Craig, Quinn Schulte, Luke Lachey, Mason Richman, Connor Colby, and several more to suit up in black and gold. This senior season hasn't gone the way they envisioned when they returned for a final year in Iowa City, but this still seems to be a very close-knit and motivated group on the whole, and it would be surprising if they didn't want to do everything possible to ensure that their last Kinnick memory was a happy one.

Stratton tops 125 yards, Kaleb Johnson cracks 100 yards and finds the end zone, and the end zone forces a pair of turnovers, leading to...

Iowa 24, Nebraska 17