Halftime thoughts: Iowa 10, Nebraska 7

IOWA CITY - This is Freaky Friday.

Nebraska had 56 yards in the first 28 minutes of the first half. Weird.

There were no offensive touchdowns in the game's first 29:40. Weird.

The Huskers didn't complete a pass until 1:37 remained in the half. Weird.

And in the weirdest of the weird, Iowa had four turnovers in the half, and none were converted into Nebraska points until …

Until the fourth one, after Nebraska freshman defensive back Joshua Kalu made a great play to strip the ball from Iowa receiver Damond Powell and return it to the Iowa 36. Three plays later, Iowa's shutout was gone and it was a 10-7 game in a contest that felt like it belonged entirely to the Hawkeyes.

'Iowa's offense needs to regroup and soul-search,”

Hawkeyes radio announcer Gary Dolphin said as the half ended.

Don't we all?

Iowa does have 178 yards. What about Nebraska's offense? Quarterback Tommy Armstrong's best play was a broken play, which turned into a 34-yard completion to tight end Cethan Carter on the play before Armstrong's 5-yard touchdown toss to Ameer Abdullah.

Abdullah has five carries for 18 yards. Remember that Iowa bottled up Melvin Gordon of Wisconsin for a half last Saturday. But Gordon had good health and Wisconsin's offensive line. Abdullah has neither.

The Hawkeyes moved the ball so well

on their first possession, then Nebraska safety Jake Gerry had an easy interception of a Jake Rudock pass in the end zone.

Not long after, Matt VandeBerg fumbled a punt return.

Then, when Iowa had a 3rd-and-goal at the Nebraska 8 after another sustained drive, Rudock was hit and fumbled the ball away.

Three turnovers and … no Nebraska points. Weird. Aren't the Cornhuskers known for offense?

On the Huskers' third play after Rudock's sack/fumble

, quarterback Tommy Armstrong got popped by Iowa senior defensive tackle Carl Davis. His pass fluttered in the air. You could see touchdown before the pass dropped from the sky.

John Lowdermilk cradled it and had nothing but 17 yards of running room for a touchdown.

At last year's Outback Bowl, Lowdermilk dropped a 71-yard interception return at the LSU 1-yard line. It didn't cost the Hawkeyes any points, ultimately, but it was embarrassing.

This time, in his home finale, the extra yard was a sweet one.

I'd love to make a sliver

of what Davis will earn in his professional football career. OK, a slice, not a sliver. Oh, let's get real. I'd like all of it.

Rudock has only five interceptions t

his season, but it seems like they all hurt a lot.

That's not a dumb or obvious thing to say, by the way. Sometimes, you take a chance and throw a long pick, and it's the same thing as a punt. But getting picked off in the end zone again, yes, that's a bad pick.

Rudock hasn't always bounced back after such INTs. Today is different, so far.

He threaded a needle for a beautiful 15-yard completion to Kevonte Martin-Manley on third-and-8 from the Iowa 40 with six minutes left in the half, then hit the same receiver for 25 yards on the next play.

It certainly wasn't good news

for Nebraska that stellar defensive end Randy Gregory isn't healthy enough to play today.

It was news that got a response in Las Vegas. At Caesars/Mirage sports books, the line went from Iowa being favored by 1 point to 2.5 points within an hour of the announcement about Gregory's absence.

Ndamukong Suh is here

. The former Nebraska All-America defensive tackle showed how much so many NFL players remain attached to their old team.

Suh played yesterday in his Detroit Lions' win over the Chicago Bears in Detroit. Friday morning in the cold, he was here to support his under-fire college coach, Bo Pelini.

Show me an NFL player who feels more heart strings tugged to his professional employer than his alma mater, and I'll show you a rarity.

Everyone has their limits.

You think Nebraska-Iowa, and you think it will be a certain capacity crowd at Kinnick Stadium. But not on a Friday, and not when the weather is rotten. Which it is today, and which it was when the Huskers played here two years ago.

There isn't a sporting event I would endure three hours of very gold weather to attend. At one time in my life, there was. And I understand why many do.

Look, there are probably still 65,000 people here, give or take a dozen. That's a lot.

But baby, it's cold outside.