(17) Iowa at Nebraska
Time: 1:30 PM CST (BTN)
Spread: IOW -4.5
Total: 44.5
Odds c/o 5dimes
The Iowa Hawkeyes enter its season finale riding a two-game win streak, after having knocked off a then-No. 8 Minnesota team two weeks ago and defeating Illinois last week. Iowa travels to face conference foe Nebraska Friday at 1:30 PM (CST) on the Big Ten Network. The Hawkeyes is 4.5-point favorites with the betting total set at 44.5 points according to college football oddsmakers at bookmaker 5dimes.
IOWA
Iowa is currently AP-ranked No. 17, and it will set itself up for a big bowl if it can knock off the Cornhuskers to finish its season 9-3 (.750). The Hawkeyes success this season can largely be attributed to its stingy defensive unit. Iowa allows just 12.2 points per game, while scoring a humble 23.5 itself, yet still boasting a win-differential of +11.3 points. The Hawkeyes are not much a threat via the rush, but it does have a top-60 pass offense that generates 242.2 yards per game on the strength of quarterback Nate Stanley’s arm and accuracy.
Stanley has put together a very strong season. He has thrown for 2,639 yards at a 59.8 percent clip with 14 touchdowns and six interceptions. His passer rating is a strong 133.3. Stanley’s top targets have been Ihmir Smith-Marsette and Tyrone Tracy Jr. Smith-Marsette leads the team in total catches (Tied at 41), yardage (654), and he is tied for the lead in touchdowns too (4).
The Hawkeyes have nine players with over 100 receiving yards on the year, including a trio of useful tight ends who all have a combined 315 yards between them.
The rush attack has been a lot more humble, but it is not a weakness that has crippled Iowa. The Hawkeyes average just 3.7 yards-per-carry, but its top-three running backs are all at 4.5 yards per or better. Nate Stanley’s 64 attempts for a grand total of two yards simply hurt the team average badly, and it is not the team’s main M.O. to keep the ball on the ground, at any rate.
NEB
Nebraska enters this week’s game as losers of four of its last five games. It has fallen to Minnesota, Purdue, Wisconsin, and Indiana over that four-game skid, but it snapped that streak with a 54-7 convincing win over Maryland last week.
The Huskers allowed 31 points or more in all four of those opponents, and its defense is proving to be problematic for it this season, as Nebraska allows about 27.8 points per game while scoring just over 28 itself. The Huskers have a No. 30 ranked rushing offense that generates 205 yards per game, but it gets just 222.8 from its passing attack, ranking No. 76 among FBS teams.
Nebraska largely has ridden the legs of No. 1 running back Dedrick Mills and dual-threat quarterback Adrian Martinez. Martinez has struggled with his throws (under 60 percent completion with seven interceptions), but he has been a dynamic rusher. He averages 4.7 yards-per-carry on his team-leading 123 rushes, along with having scored six touchdowns. Mills is good for 5.5 per while having rushed 119 times and he leads the team with 10 touchdowns. The Huskers average 4.6 yards-per-carry as a team, with three others having added 100 or more rushing yards, including wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson’s 326 yards on 85 carries.
Robinson also ranks No. 2 in total receptions (40), while ranking No. 2 in yardage (453) and he is tied with two others for the lead in receiving touchdowns (2). JD Spielman is the top wideout with 864 yards and four touchdowns on his 46 catches, while tight end Jack Stoll ranks No. 4 in receiving yardage with 233 yards on 22 catches.
Though Nebraska is not a pass-dominant team, it has scored nine touchdowns via the pass, and it has over 2.4k receiving yards on the season. The team has cycled through four placekickers with poor results: Nebraska has connected on just 11 of 19 field goals with six of those seven misses coming from within the 40-yard marker.
