Kirk Ferentz Offers Nebraska A Couple Gifts But They Don’t Take Advantage and The Morning After: Iowa

Well that’s it. Time to hand in the equipment, sweep the floors and send the kids home. Time to shut off the lights.

For the fourth time in the past four seasons Nebraska lost to Iowa. The prior coaching staff made it easy for Iowa. This coaching staff appears to of at least changed that fact.

In the not too distant future these games on Black Friday will continue to be hard-nosed competitive games. At some point, the expectation is that the coaching staff will be able to shore up some of the deficiencies on the defensive side of the ball.

At least we hope so. We have had faith in past coaching staffs as well. We felt they had the ability to recruit enough to fix one side of the ball or another. Hopefully it rings true for Scott Frost. We will see.

Until then we can at least rely on Kirk Ferentz to make questionable coaching decisions. The fake field goal felt to me like it was a personal. He had his boot on Nebraska’s throat and he wanted to crush it. The sound decision was to kick the field goal. It would have also made it a three score game. It didn’t work. Ferentz gave Nebraska new life.

Then there is the decision for Iowa to go for it on fourth down. It could have been disastrous for Iowa.

The result of Ferentz’s decision to go for it on fourth down ended up winning Iowa the game. If Nebraska wouldn’t have played 15-20 yards off the line of scrimmage on a 4th and 8, then that conversion would not have been so easy. It is very likely it would have failed.

After the game, Scott Frost said as much. “I think we had the right defense. Kind of gave a little too much ground at one spot. On a zero blitz we let the ball get completed in front of us which isn’t what we want them to do. Great play by them. It was the difference.”

So it was a mental error which gave Iowa the win. It wasn’t a coaching decision that won them the game.

We need to remind ourselves of the fact that whether a decision is the right decision remains so regardless of the result.

And the decision by Ferentz to go for the fake field goal and go for it on the fourth down were both bad decisions. Nebraska fans should thank him for that.

In the end the difference was the Iowa offensive line against the Nebraska front seven. The Nebraska front seven was dominated all day long. On the bright side, they did not give up and that is a credit to Frost. They would have given up last year and we saw that from the first snap in 2017 against Iowa.

So it will be up to Nebraska’s Strength and Conditioning Coach Zach Duval to do his job and turn the obvious gap in size and strength into an advantage for the Nebraska defensive line.

After handing in the equipment and sending the kids home for the season, it won’t be long until they will have to head back to north stadium. It will be time to put in the work, but first Coach Duval will have to turn the lights back on. Iowa and the rest of the Big Ten will be waiting.

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The Difference Between Nebraska and Iowa at the End of 2018 | Hail Varsity - Brandon Vogel

Scott Frost’s first season at Nebraska ended up the same as Mike Riley’s last season at Nebraska –– 4-8. That’s where the similarities end.

A 31-28 loss to Iowa on the last play of the game won’t change that. It may hurt like hell for Husker fans, sure. The Hawkeyes have now won four straight in this series and hold bragging rights for another year. They did it by playing Iowa football, which should feel even worse, but in the near future Nebraska football will be where most expect it to be.

And Iowa football will be?

Steven M. Sipple: Howl all you want about Chinander, but Blackshirts need upgrades in talent | Football | journalstar.com

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Competitors, real competitors, tire of pats on the back after losses.

They tire of hearing praise about their close-call defeats. Let's be real: That stuff is mostly for people who don't compete in anything of consequence.

Losses suck. Sorry about the language. But we must make that clear as we begin to ponder Nebraska's 4-8 finish to this football season.

Huskers 'One Play Away From Being a Great Team' Many Times in 2018 | Hail Varsity - Erin Sorensen

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Senior running back Devine Ozigbo didn’t hesitate. He had just been asked about how close Nebraska was to winning in the 31-28 loss to Iowa, and what the Huskers need to do to close that gap going forward.

“Get the ball back one more time,” Ozigbo said.

Morgan doesn't believe his records will stand, but is overwhelmed to be the first to 1,000 | Lincoln Journal-Star - Clark Grell

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Stanley Morgan admits his receiving records at Nebraska may not collect any dust.

But there's something that no Husker going forward will be able to take away from the Nebraska senior wide receiver.

Morgan was the first.

Playing in his final collegiate game, Morgan became the first Husker to reach 1,000 receiving yards in a season. He finished with seven catches for 81 yards Friday in a 31-28 loss to Iowa.

Iowa Hawkeyes 31, Nebraska Cornhuskers 28: Walk Off - Black Heart Gold Pants

IOWA WINS! IOWA WINS! HOLY SHIT WHAT THE HELL DID I JUST WATCH IT WAS LIKE WE DIDNT WANT TO WIN AND THEN WE DID WANT TO WIN AND THEN WE DID WIN.

Play the damn polka!

Iowa beats Nebraska 31-28 with field goal at final whistle - Chicago Tribune

Miguel Recinos drilled a 41-yard field goal through a driving rain as time expired and Iowa beat Nebraska 31-28 on Friday despite blowing a 15-point lead.

Mekhi Sargent ran for a career-high 173 yards and scored twice for the Hawkeyes (8-4, 5-4 Big Ten), who have won four straight over the Cornhuskers for the first time.

The Hawkeyes nearly blew this one big time though.

Returning Huskers determined to build off 2018 finish - Husker 24/7 - Brian Christopherson

IOWA CITY, Iowa– It was back in Michigan two months ago that Scott Frost issued what amounted to a public challenge to his team. He told them, and the media and fans, that the 56-10 beatdown they had just suffered was the bottom.

“To our kids’ credit, they swam like hell to the surface and just kept improving,” Frost said Friday.

After Nebraska's 32-28 defeat to Iowa, the Husker head coach had put forth another challenge to his team.

Frost told the seniors how much he appreciated them. And the rest? “I told the young guys in the locker room it’s time to get back to work."

Martinez's development key to Husker optimism - Husker 24/7 - Michael Bruntz

IOWA CITY, Iowa — There was a chess match taking place in the second half of Nebraska’s game with Iowa on Friday, and head coach Scott Frost felt like he had a key piece.

Nebraska’s offense would run a concept, then Iowa’s defense countered, forcing Nebraska to another approach. Frost said after the game that he enjoys that kind of back and forth between coaching staffs, but it helps when you have a quarterback who can play along too. That, Frost said, has been the biggest improvement of Adrian Martinez from game one to game 12 this season.

Morgan sets new record, sad to see season end - Huskers 24/7 - Mike Schaefer

Stanley Morgan hugged teammates as he left the field at Kinnick Stadium. Nebraska’s all-time leading receiver and the first Cornhusker to ever go over 1,000 yards knew his career was over.

Morgan, despite setting records at Nebraska, only got to play in two bowl games and finished on three teams with losing records.

Still, Morgan wouldn’t have traded the experience for anything. The senior, who holds a piece of Huskers history, said that he wished he could change the outcome but he appreciated the fight of the guys on the team.

Huskers know they need to keep getting stronger - Husker 24/7 - Brian Christopherson

IOWA CITY, Iowa– Everyone knew this was going to be a test of strength for Husker football.

Scott Frost didn't mask it from his team at all just before his team took the field at Kinnick Stadium on Friday. Folks can say what they will about the Iowa Hawkeyes, but you're going to get a dose of 'country strong' when you face them. And you better be able to move mass too.

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I Think This Is Worth Starting With

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Words From Frost

Oh...Stanley Morgan. Congrats on being the first 1,000 yard receiver in the history of Nebraska Football.

I think he should be Rex Burkhead of the receiver position. So important for this program. Great ambassador. Good luck in the NFL Stanley!

Thanks For Reading!