Hawkeyes, Huskers, finally

LINCOLN, Neb. -- This fall marks the 10th year without an Iowa-Nebraska football game.

Of course, that's about to change.

Nebraska became the Big Ten's 12th school Friday, becoming the conference's first addition since Penn State joined in 1990.

One sliver of the reason for the move was proximity, Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany said Friday. The map says the Huskers' road to the Big Ten goes through I-80 and the heart of Iowa.

But for whatever reason, Iowa-Nebraska football died on the vine in the last 10 seasons. Because of the on-and-off nature, Nebraska athletics director Tom Osborne believes Iowa-Nebraska will need time to build up.

"Yes, I think rivalries grow up over time," Osborne said Friday. "For awhile, Colorado said they were our rival, but really it was Oklahoma. We played for the Big 8 championship, I think, 29 out of 30 years. So, that was a rivalry."

Incredible fact, Iowa and Nebraska have met just six times since 1946 and just twice since 1982.

"I think as time goes forward, and because of proximity, because they're a very fine program, I would imagine it could grow into a rivalry of some kind," Osborne said. "But we've only played each other four times in the last 25 years or so, so there may not be quite the history. But we're looking forward to playing them and I think there will be a lot of interest in those games."

Osborne was 3-1 against Iowa as UNL's head coach. After hammering Iowa 57-0 in Lincoln in 1980, the Hawkeyes tripped up the Huskers 10-7 at Kinnick Stadium.

Iowa fans tore down the north goalpost.

"At this minute, this is the greatest victory of my life," Iowa coach Hayden Fry said. "I'm getting to be an old man and I don't want to hurt any of my other teams that pulled off some upsets. But while I've been at Iowa, this is far and away the greatest victory.

"If you stay with this game long enough, the worm is bound to turn. Don't think we didn't earn this one, either. We did it fair and square, plus we showed a lot of character."

Osborne's reaction after the game went the opposite direction. Tough one to swallow is putting it mildly.

"This is one of the hardest losses for us since I've been here," said Osborne, who had a 75-21-2 record at Nebraska at that point. "They outplayed us and outcoached us. Any time we lose a game it is my fault. If our players aren't good enough, then I should have done a better job recruiting.

"If our players don't perform well, then we should have done a better job of preparing them. I think we have better players overall than Iowa does... I think."

The Huskers hold a 26-12-3 advantage in the series, including six of the last eight.

The Huskers were the first opponent for Kirk Ferentz when he began his tenure as Iowa's coach in 1999. After taking over a 3-8 program that withered in the final days of Fry, Ferentz found himself facing a top-five caliber team.

The Huskers sacked quarterback Kyle McCann three times and drilled him a ton more in a 42-7 victory.

"A couple times, I didn't think he was going to get back up," said then-Nebraska defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch, a Larchwood, Iowa, native and owner of 42.5 career sacks in the NFL. "You've got to give the kid credit. He came back every time."

The next season in Lincoln, the Hawkeyes hung around, trailing 21-13 at half, before going away in the second half. Total score of the '99-00 home-and-home, 84-20.

At that time, it was the Hawkeyes 12th straight defeat, which tied the school's longest losing streak. Also, Iowa had lost 18 of its last 19 games and had the nation's second-longest skid, behind Ball State.

"I never feel good after a loss. I haven't felt good after any of them," Ferentz said. "It's a blow to the stomach. Those go away, and we'll go back to work tomorrow."

On Friday, Ferentz welcomed the Huskers with open arms.

“The addition of the University of Nebraska to the Big Ten appears to be a very positive and an exciting development – much like when Penn State joined the conference years ago," Ferentz said in a statement. "I would anticipate the reaction to this development by players and fans to be extremely enthusiastic.

"From my vantage point, Nebraska is a natural and positive fit in all regards and this announcement is a real credit to all of those involved in providing leadership in the Big Ten.”