Nebraska Football: Five Reasons The Huskers Could Lose To Iowa

Yesterday, we discussed how the Nebraska Cornhuskers could beat the Iowa Hawkeyes later on today.

Well, for everything that is good, there is something bad. This is how the Huskers lose Senior Day today.

Iowa capitalizes on mistakes:

Iowa’s defense is one of the best in capitalizing on turnovers. It has scored on nearly 65% of possessions that start after their defense forces a turnover.  The national average is 55%. Iowa currently has a plus-11 turnover margin on the season, which puts them atop the Big Ten. Throw in Nebraska’s minus-10 and you could have a real issue.  Iowa has lost the turnover battle just once this season. If Nebraska struggles to hold onto the ball you could see Iowa run away with this one.

Desmond King:

This goes hand-in-hand with the first reason. Desmond King is one of the best defensive backs, not only in the Big Ten, but in the entire country. King is tied for most interceptions in the country with eight on the season.  King is also dangerous once he gets the ball, returning an interception for 88 yards and a touchdown earlier this season. Nebraska quarterback, Tommy Armstrong has thrown his fare share of interceptions this season, and if he throws a duck in King’s direction, more often than not it will result in a turnover.

Iowa has something to prove:

Iowa and its fans are sick of hearing about their weak schedule. While they haven’t played the best competition, they are still 11-0 and that cant be ignored. The Hawkeyes want to come out and prove to the country that they deserve to be in the Big Ten Championship, and possible the College Football Playoff.  Iowa shouldn’t be scared away by a big crowd, and is motivated to prove to the country they are the real deal. If they get a chance to run up the score on Nebraska, which is possible, they are going to take advantage.

Iowa doesn’t make mistakes on offense:

Nebraska has capitalized on big mistakes the past couple of games, but Iowa generally doesn’t give the opposing defense those opportunities. Iowa quarterback C.J. Beathard has not thrown an interception since the second quarter of a 40-10 win over Northwestern. (18 quarters ago) If Iowa protects the ball, like it usually does, and their defense shows up, look for an undefeated Iowa come Friday night.

C.J. Beathard:

I talked about Beathard being a game manager earlier, but he can also be a pretty dominant quarterback at times. He has very similar rushing stats to Tommy Armstrong, both have 6 touchdown runs and Beathard has two more rush yards (280) than Armstrong on the same amount of carries. Beathard is also completing over 60% of his passes and has thrown just three interceptions compared to 13 touchdowns. If Nebraska shuts down the Iowa rush game, look for Beathard to step up and lead this offense through the air. He has shown the ability to take over games, and we all know how suspect the Nebraska secondary can be.