Game Preview: Pioneer Heroes Game vs. Nebraska

• Iowa has won eight of the last nine Heroes Game matchups against Nebraska and is 9-4 in the series with the Heroes Trophy on the line. The last six games have all been decided by seven points or less.
• The Hawkeyes will wear their all-black uniforms on Black Friday. Fans are encouraged to wear black to “Black Out Kinnick Stadium.”
• The Hawkeyes have won 20 of their last 23 games in the month of November, dating back to 2019 — the third-best winning percentage in the nation.
• Iowa is 2-1 in trophy games this season and 28-10 in its last 38 rivalry trophy games.
• The Hawkeyes have won at least seven games in 11 consecutive seasons (excluding the 6-2 COVID-shortened 2020 season) and in 20 of head coach Kirk Ferentz’s 26 seasons. Iowa has won at least eight games in nine straight seasons.
• Iowa is bowl eligible for the 12th straight year and for the 23rd time in the last 24 seasons.
• The Hawkeyes won their 700th game in program history in Week 10 against Wisconsin, becoming the 35th school to reach the milestone.
• Senior LB Jay Higgins is a semifinalist for the Butkus, Lombardi and Bednarik Awards and the Lott IMPACT Trophy. He is the only player from a major conference with 100+ tackles and four interceptions.
• LB Nick Jackson has played in 71 career collegiate games — the most in NCAA history.
• Ferentz has 203 career victories as Iowa’s head coach — second-most in Big Ten history. He trails only Ohio State’s Woody Hayes (205) for the most overall wins in league history.
• Iowa had two 100-yard rushers in the Week 13 win at Maryland — Kaleb Johnson (164) and Kamari Moulton (114) — a first for the program since 2016.
• The Hawkeyes churned out 268 yards on 58 attempts against the Terps — the eighth 200-yard rushing game this season (fourth with 250+ yards). The eight 200+ yard games is believed to be a program record.
• The team’s 213.5 yards per game ranks first in the Big Ten and 13th nationally. The Hawkeye offensive line is a semifinalist for the Joe Moore Award.
• Junior RB Kaleb Johnson, a semifinalist for the Maxwell Award, has scored at least one rushing touchdown in every game — the longest stretch in program history. He has three touchdowns in four games.
• Johnson found the end zone for his 21st rushing touchdown at Maryland to break the school record and it was his 22nd overall TD to extend his record points total to 132.
• Iowa has scored 40 points in three straight home games for the first time since 2011. Iowa is 32-0 when scoring 21+ points since 2020.
• Iowa is 5-0 in Big Ten play when Johnson rushes for 100+ yards.
• The Hawkeyes limited Maryland to 129 passing yards, snapping the Terps’ streak of 17 straight games with 200+ yards through the air. Maryland had a season-low 229 yards of total offense in the game.
• Johnson, who has 1,492 yards — third-most in program history — is second in the nation in rushing yards and rushing yards per game (135.6), fourth in rushing touchdowns (21), total touchdowns (22) and total points (132), and ninth in yards per carry (6.69).
• Big play KJ… Johnson has 20 rushes of 20+ yards, six 40+ yard runs and nine touchdown runs of 25+ yards this season. Iowa has 24 20+ yard rushes in 2024.
• PK Drew Stevens was named Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week on Nov. 25 after tying a program and SECU Stadium record with five field goals, including two from 50+, in the Week 13 road win at Maryland. He is the first Hawkeye since 1998 to make multiple 50+ yarders and he became the school record holder in career 50+ yarders (7).
• TOs — The Hawkeyes have forced 22 turnovers in 11 games — 16 interceptions, six fumble recoveries. The 22 takeaways lead the Big Ten and rank eighth nationally. Iowa’s 16 interceptions are the most in the Big Ten (sixth-most nationally) and the most for the program since 2021. The unit has at least one interception in every game this season.
• Iowa’s rushing defense has allowed fewer than 100 yards in six games, including just 24 yards in Week 3 against Troy and 43 yards in Week 9 vs. Northwestern. The unit allows 115.1 rushing yards per game, 26th-fewest in the nation, and it has allowed two touchdowns on the ground — the fewest in the nation.
• Since the start of the 2015 season, Iowa is 78-4 when leading by eight points at any point in a game.

SERIES HISTORY

• Friday’s game is the 55th meeting in the all-time series. Nebraska holds a 30-21-3 advantage in the series that began with a 22-0 Iowa victory in 1891. Iowa has won eight of the last nine in the series, including seven straight from 2015-21.
• The 56 points in 2017 are the most in the series’ 54-game history. Since Iowa’s 42-point win in 2017, the last six meetings have all been decided by seven points or less.
• The Hawkeyes have won three of the last four meetings in Iowa City. Nebraska won the most recent game at Kinnick, winning 24-17 in 2022 to snap the seven-game losing streak.
• Nebraska is 11-9 against Iowa in Iowa City.
• The 1999 Iowa-Nebraska game in Kinnick Stadium marked Kirk Ferentz’s first game as Iowa’s head coach.
• The first 10 games in the series were played in either Omaha (eight games) or Council Bluffs (two games). The series was even at 4-4-2 in those 10 meetings.

SERIES RESULTS

11/25/1891 W 22-0 (N)
11/24/1892 T 10-10 (N)
11/25/1893 L 18-20 (N)
11/29/1894 L 0-36 (N)
11/19/1895 L 0-6 (N)
11/26/1896 T 0-0 (N)
11/28/1896 W 6-0 (N)
11/25/1897 L 0-6 (N)
11/24/1898 W 6-5 (N)
11/4/1899 W 30-0 (N)
10/31/1903 L 6-17 (H)
11/5/1904 L 6-17 (A)
10/31/1908 L 8-11 (H)
10/23/1909 T 6-6 (A)
11/22/1913 L 0-12 (A)
11/21/1914 L 7-16 (H)
11/20/1915 L 7-52 (A)
11/25/1916 L 17-34 (H)
10/13/1917 L 0-47 (A)
10/5/1918 W 12-0 (A)
10/4/1919 W 18-0 (H)
11/22/1930 W 12-7 (H)
11/7/1931 L 0-7 (A)
11/5/1932 L 13-14 (H)
11/25/1933 L 6-7 (A)
10/14/1934 L 13-14 (A)
11/20/1937 L 0-28 (#11) (A)
11/19/1938 L 0-14 (H)
11/9/1940 L 6-14 (#12) (A)
11/22/1941 L 13-14 (A)
9/26/1942 W 27-0 (A)
11/20/1943 W 33-13 (A)
11/4/1944 W 27-6 (H)
11/24/1945 L 6-13 (A)
10/12/1946 W 21-7 (H)
9/22/1979 L 21-24 (#7) (H)
9/20/1980 L 0-57 (#6) (A)
9/12/1981 W 10-7 (#7) (H)
9/11/1982 L 7-42 (#3) (A)
9/4/1999 L 7-42 (#5) (H)
9/23/2000 L 13-42 (#1) (A)
11/25/2011 L 7-20 (#22) (A)
11/23/2012 L 7-13 (#17) (H)
11/29/2013 W 38-17 (A)
11/28/2014 L 34-37 (OT) (H)
11/27/2015 W 28-20 (A)
11/25/2016 W 40-10 (#15) (H)
11/24/2017 W 56-14 (A)
11/23/2018 W 31-28 (H)
11/29/2019 W 27-24 (A)
11/27/2020 W 26-20 (H)
11/26/2021 W 28-21 (A)
11/25/2022 L 17-24 (H)
11/24/2023 W 13-10 (A)

BATTLE FOR HEROES TROPHY

Iowa and Nebraska are playing “The Heroes Game” Friday, with the winner claiming the Heroes Trophy. The trophy game between the Hawkeyes and Cornhuskers was established in 2011. Since its inception, Iowa leads the series, 9-4. Iowa gained possession of the trophy for the first time with a 38-17 win at Nebraska in 2013. The Hawkeyes reclaimed it in 2015 with a 28-20 win in Lincoln, their first of seven straight wins in the series.

BLACK FRIDAY

Iowa and Nebraska meet on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, for the 14th consecutive season. The schools have played on Black Friday every year since Nebraska joined the Big Ten Conference in 2011. Iowa is 9-4 in the previous 13 Black Friday meetings, winning eight of the last nine games.