Unbelievable Statistic Highlights Iowa’s Stunning Domination Over Nebraska Friday afternoon provided the perfect number to describe the current state of the rivalry between Iowa and Nebraska. Not only did the Hawkeyes defeat Nebraska, but they also stunned the Cornhuskers with a 40–16 thumping that seemed to be a statement for the entire program as they entered a packed Memorial Stadium. It was loud, decisive, and another indication of how far these two once-proud programs have strayed.
Iowa owns Nebraska.
The numbers show it.
The tape shows it.
And Friday’s beatdown only poured more concrete on that foundation.
A Cornhuskers team that arrived with high expectations and departed with justifications was outclassed by the Hawkeyes in terms of toughness, execution, and general embarrassment. The only real suspense in the second half was watching which new statistical oddity the Hawkeyes would add to Nebraska’s mounting list of humiliations as Iowa took off with such ease. And there were lots of them.
To begin with, Mark Gronowski, the quarterback, made history in Iowa. With 491 yards and counting, his performance made him the program’s all-time quarterback single-season rushing leader. This kind of accomplishment not only demonstrates Iowa’s adaptability this season, but it also shows how unprepared Nebraska was to handle anything the Hawkeyes threw at them.
Kirk Ferentz, on the other hand, is a quiet, steady, unassuming player who manages to leave Lincoln with a “elite” stat line that should keep Nebraska athletic administrators up at night. Ferentz won his seventh Big Ten game at Memorial Stadium on Friday. Take a moment to consider this: a visiting coach who only plays in Lincoln every other year now has more Big Ten home victories at Memorial Stadium than several Nebraska coaches who have lived there.
Ferentz’s seven conference victories in Lincoln now outnumber those of Matt Rhule, Scott Frost, and Mike Riley, who all only won six Big Ten games at home while attending Nebraska. In other words, even though each team had several full seasons to stack wins, Ferentz has done more winning in their home field than they did.
That is not just a stat.
That’s an indictment.
It’s a terrible example of the ongoing incompetence that has afflicted Nebraska football for more than ten years. What was once a blue-blood powerhouse has painfully and gradually deteriorated into a Big Ten program that is in the middle of the pack and is clinging to faded memories and old trophies. With a marginally better NIL budget, the Cornhuskers now resemble Rutgers. The results continue to show that the shine is gone. This is where the knife gets even more twisted.
After Nebraska defeated the Hawkeyes in a thrilling overtime game eleven years ago, former Nebraska athletic director Shawn Eichorst famously said that it was time to “evaluate where Iowa was as a program.” Later on, Eichorst even used that statement to defend Pelini’s termination. Ever since then? Ferentz has only suffered one defeat to Nebraska. Just once. Additionally, he is still unbeaten at what Iowa supporters now lovingly refer to as “Kinnick West.” The Hawkeyes treat Memorial Stadium like a second home, which is why it has a new moniker.
So perhaps it’s time to revise Eichorst’s previous recommendation. Because a fair assessment of Nebraska would show a program mired in nostalgia, stuck in neutrality, and incapable of competing with the very teams it once disregarded. There is no longer any fear of the Cornhuskers. They don’t have dominance. In the conference race, they don’t even really matter. They are just there. hovering in mediocrity, showing promise every now and then but constantly fading when it counts.
In the meantime, Iowa keeps winning a lot of games, breaking records, and demonstrating that identity and stability are still important in college football. Ferentz is reliable but unflashy. His teams are physically strong, disciplined, and unaffected by pressure. Additionally, the disparity between the two programs is made abundantly clear when the Hawkeyes line up across from Nebraska.
The fact that this rivalry is no longer a rivalry a fact that many Nebraska supporters already fear but are reluctant to state out loud was confirmed by Friday’s defeat, which added yet another chapter to Iowa’s growing anthology of Cornhusker misery. Not at this moment. Not with this disparity in direction, leadership, and outcomes. Iowa will continue to enter Lincoln, win games, set records, and depart with the same quiet confidence the Hawkeyes always possess until Nebraska discovers who it is and who it wants to be. What about Nebraska? They will continue to wait, hope, rebuild, and explain. Because Iowa isn’t letting go anytime soon and the term “little brother” is appropriate for the time being.
