Iowa–Nebraska football rivalry

The Iowa–Nebraska football rivalry[2][3][4] is an American college football rivalry between the Iowa Hawkeyes and Nebraska Cornhuskers. The rivalry is usually held on the Friday after Thanksgiving.

Iowa–Nebraska football rivalry
First meetingNovember 26, 1891
Iowa, 20–0
Latest meetingNovember 24, 2023
Iowa, 13–10
Next meetingNovember 29, 2024
at Iowa City
TrophyHeroes Trophy
Statistics
Meetings total54
All-time seriesNebraska leads,
30–21–3 (.583)[1]
Trophy seriesIowa leads, 9–4
Largest victoryNebraska, 57–0 (1980)
Longest win streakNebraska, 8
(19311941)
Current win streakIowa, 1 (2023)

History

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The proximity of the two teams played an important role in the early days of the game, with exclusive trains running between Iowa City and Lincoln to allow fans to travel.[5] The first meeting of the series, which occurred on Thanksgiving Day in Omaha, Nebraska, was the first game Iowa had ever played outside of its home state.[3] Other notable games during the 20th century occurred during the four-year renewal of the rivalry from 1979 to 1982.[6] In the 1979 meeting, #7 Nebraska prevailed over unranked Iowa after overcoming a two-touchdown deficit late in the third quarter, which resulted in a standing ovation from fans of both teams.[7] In the 1981 meeting, unranked Iowa upset #7 Nebraska at Kinnick Stadium in what legendary Iowa coach Hayden Fry called "the biggest win since I’ve been here."[8]

When Nebraska moved to the Big Ten Conference in 2011, the teams resumed the rivalry on an annual basis and played on the Friday following Thanksgiving. Starting that year, the game was referred to as the "Heroes Game" and the Heroes Trophy was awarded to the winner. Sponsored by Hy-Vee, the game recognizes individuals from both states for acts of heroism in their communities.[9]

In 2017, it was announced by the Big Ten Conference that in 2020 and 2021, the game would not take place on the Friday following Thanksgiving.[10] After significant opposition from fans, Nebraska athletic director Bill Moos made it a priority to restore the game to the Friday after Thanksgiving; accordingly, the Big Ten has scheduled the Iowa-Nebraska game for the Friday after Thanksgiving for all future post-2021 games through 2025.[4][11][12] In the end, due to schedule changes related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 and 2021 games were ultimately rescheduled to Black Friday as well.[13]

Since 1903, the rivalry has never been contested anyplace besides Lincoln, Nebraska or Iowa City, Iowa; and now alternates between the two respective campuses. Odd-year games are played in Lincoln, while even-year games are played in Iowa City.

Game results

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Iowa victoriesNebraska victories
No.DateLocationWinnerScore
1 November 26, 1891 Omaha, NE Iowa 22–0
2 November 24, 1892 Omaha, NE Tie10–10
3 November 30, 1893 Omaha, NE Nebraska 20–18
4 November 29, 1894 Omaha, NE Nebraska 36–0
5 November 28, 1895 Omaha, NE Nebraska 6–0
6 November 26, 1896 Omaha, NE Tie0–0
7 November 28, 1896 Omaha, NE Iowa 6–0
8 November 25, 1897 Council Bluffs, IA Nebraska 6–0
9 November 24, 1898 Council Bluffs, IA Iowa 6–5
10 November 4, 1899 Omaha, NE Iowa 30–0
11 October 31, 1903 Iowa City, IA Nebraska 17–6
12 November 5, 1904 Lincoln, NE Nebraska 17–12
13 October 31, 1908 Iowa City, IA Nebraska 11–8
14 October 23, 1909 Lincoln, NE Tie6–6
15 November 22, 1913 Lincoln, NE Nebraska 12–0
16 November 21, 1914 Iowa City, IA Nebraska 16–7
17 November 20, 1915 Lincoln, NE Nebraska 52–7
18 November 25, 1916 Iowa City, IA Nebraska 34–17
19 October 13, 1917 Lincoln, NE Nebraska 47–0
20 October 5, 1918 Lincoln, NE Iowa 12–0
21 October 4, 1919 Iowa City, IA Iowa 18–0
22 November 22, 1930 Iowa City, IA Iowa 12–7
23 November 7, 1931 Lincoln, NE Nebraska 7–0
24 November 5, 1932 Iowa City, IA Nebraska 14–13
25 November 25, 1933 Lincoln, NE Nebraska 7–6
26 October 13, 1934 Lincoln, NE Nebraska 14–13
27 November 20, 1937 Lincoln, NE Nebraska 28–0
28 November 19, 1938 Iowa City, IA Nebraska 14–0
No.DateLocationWinnerScore
29 November 9, 1940 Lincoln, NE Nebraska 14–6
30 November 22, 1941 Lincoln, NE Nebraska 14–13
31 September 26, 1942 Iowa City, IA Iowa 27–0
32 November 20, 1943 Lincoln, NE Iowa 33–13
33 November 4, 1944 Iowa City, IA Iowa 27–6
34 November 24, 1945 Lincoln, NE Nebraska 13–6
35 October 12, 1946 Iowa City, IA Iowa 21–7
36 September 22, 1979 Iowa City, IA #7 Nebraska 24–21
37 September 20, 1980 Lincoln, NE #6 Nebraska 57–0
38 September 12, 1981 Iowa City, IA Iowa 10–7
39 September 11, 1982 Lincoln, NE #3 Nebraska 42–7
40 September 4, 1999 Iowa City, IA #5 Nebraska 42–7
41 September 23, 2000 Lincoln, NE #1 Nebraska 42–13
42 November 25, 2011 Lincoln, NE #22 Nebraska 20–7
43 November 23, 2012 Iowa City, IA #17 Nebraska 13–7
44 November 29, 2013 Lincoln, NE Iowa 38–17
45 November 28, 2014 Iowa City, IA Nebraska 37–34OT
46 November 27, 2015 Lincoln, NE #3 Iowa 28–20
47 November 25, 2016 Iowa City, IA Iowa 40–10
48 November 24, 2017 Lincoln, NE Iowa 56–14
49 November 23, 2018 Iowa City, IA Iowa31–28
50 November 29, 2019 Lincoln, NE #17 Iowa 27–24
51 November 27, 2020 Iowa City, IA #24 Iowa 26–20
52 November 26, 2021 Lincoln, NE #16 Iowa 28–21
53 November 25, 2022 Iowa City, IA Nebraska 24–17
54 November 24, 2023 Lincoln, NE #17 Iowa 13–10
Series: Nebraska leads 30–21–3[1]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Winsipedia – Iowa Hawkeyes vs. Nebraska Cornhuskers football series history". Winsipedia.
  2. ^ "Rivalry results: Iowa-Nebraska football". Sioux City Journal. November 24, 2017. Retrieved November 23, 2018.
  3. ^ a b "Looking back at the Nebraska-Iowa rivalry". Daily Nebraskan. Lincoln, Nebraska. November 22, 2018. Retrieved November 23, 2018.
  4. ^ a b "Nebraska's Black Friday rivalry game with Iowa will return in 2022". Omaha World-Herald. August 30, 2018. Retrieved November 23, 2018.
  5. ^ "A Battle Royal Thanksgiving Day". Omaha Daily Bee. Omaha, Nebraska. November 12, 1893. p. 10. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  6. ^ "Huskers stand tall over Hawkeyes in all-time series". Omaha World-Herald. November 20, 2017. Retrieved November 23, 2018.
  7. ^ "NU-Iowa Grit Gets Standing Ovation". Omaha World-Herald. September 22, 1979. Archived from the original on November 24, 2018. Retrieved November 23, 2018.
  8. ^ "Hawkeyes Paint the Big Red Blue". Omaha World-Herald. September 12, 1981. Archived from the original on November 24, 2018. Retrieved November 23, 2018.
  9. ^ "Heroes Game". Retrieved November 23, 2018.
  10. ^ "NU-Iowa leaving Black Friday after 2019; rivalry rotation likely". Lincoln Journal Star. September 12, 2017. Retrieved November 23, 2018.
  11. ^ "Moos says of NU-Iowa becoming permanent on Black Friday: 'Not quite there but close'". Lincoln Journal Star. May 6, 2018. Retrieved November 23, 2018.
  12. ^ "Bill Moos Wants Iowa, Black Friday Game to Remain a Husker Tradition". Hail Varsity. November 21, 2017. Retrieved November 23, 2018.
  13. ^ "Revised 2021 Big Ten football schedule returns Iowa-Nebraska to Black Friday".
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